Making your home more eco-friendly can mean adding a modular addition, reducing water usage, using sustainable materials, buying Energy Star appliances, or finding ways to save energy with electronics. Below we give you some tips on eco-friendly tips and practices.
Go Modular With A New Home or Addition
Modular homes are built in factories and the materials stored in the warehouses, eliminate weather-related problems. Custom-built modular homes and additions have many designs and builders work with customers to find the best one. They have many home designs and plans to choose from. A modular home can be built in a third of the time it takes to construct other types of homes. Modular homes also reduce energy consumption by 67%, no matter what the climate is like. Modular homes have less heat loss due to tighter construction and sealants used.
When you buy a modular home, you will need to own property to put it on. You can choose eco-friendly materials to use in the design and construction. The styles of homes are Cape Cod, green home, contemporary, colonial, ranch, and tiny house. Modular home additions can be a good way to add on an addition to your home. It can be attached to the side of your home and create an additional living space, a new kitchen, or other rooms. A modular addition can be placed on top of a one-story house to make it two-story.
Before building a modular addition find out the zoning laws in your state. Modular additions can be apartments, rooms, sheds, garages, studios, or guest houses. Modular homes and addition are environmentally friendly, save on utilities, and the construction timeline is shorter.
Focus on Water Usage
Conserve water at home by fixing any leaky pipes or faucets because you can lose hundreds of gallons this way. Install low-flow toilets, faucets, and showerheads that reduce the amount of water used. Traditional toilets use about 28% of water in your home or condo. Other models that use less water are pressure-assisted or dual flush toilets. Run the dishwasher only when it is full, and consider washing some dishes by hand. Install instant hot water heaters in the kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room. These small devices supply hot water when needed, and reduce water usage from 27 to 50%. Water the lawn and garden with a hose or watering can. Consider using drip irrigation for larger yards or soaker hoses to reduce water use.
Look For Items Made Out of Eco-Friendly Materials
Powder coatings are environmentally friendly finishes used on surfaces inside and outside your home. They can be used on doors, windows, handles, doorknobs, appliances, walls, and wood. This type of coating is safer than some paints that emit harmful chemicals. It is a tough and durable coating and environmentally friendly. It can be recycled, and it complies with environmental standards. Powder coatings have low VOC emissions and are free of solvents.
When installing flooring use eco-friendly materials bamboo, cork, or reclaimed wood. Hire contractors that use recycled materials or salvaged items when building made of glass, stone, wood, steel, and metals. Salvaged wood planks can be used for flooring in the home, recycled tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms, and some consumers insulate with sheep’s wool soybean foam spay. Recycled materials reduce waste and make use of eco-friendly materials.
Opt For Replacing Appliances With Energy Star Rated Brands
Energy Star appliances are certified by the US Department of Energy and use 10 to 50% less energy. This means you will save on electricity and water use lowering your monthly bills. Refrigerators use the most electricity of all home appliances. Buying a new Energy Star refrigerator will help reduce the electric bill by about 20%. Many of these appliances have rebates and tax credits for purchasing them. Some utility companies offer savings for using these appliances. They make dishwashers, air conditioning, washer, dyers, and water heaters with this label.
Make Sure You Have Energy Saving Measures In Place
Electronics use tons of energy, computers, TV, cell phone, and home entertainment systems. Use power strips for TVs and computers and turn them off when not in use. Consider having a time limit for watching TV or using the computer. Unplug electronics as they still use power when plugged in. After charging your cell phone, unplug it and turn it off at times. Customize power options on your computer, most Windows computers have this option. Look for electronic equipment with the Energy Star label. In 2019, there were many data breaches that exposed over 4 billion records of private information. Investing in software that protects your computer and electronics is a reasonable investment. Most programs are safe and reasonably priced.
With these tips, your home will be much more eco-friendly. An eco-friendly home isn’t just good for the environment, but it can also save you money in the long run.
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