As the world becomes more and more aware of climate change, going green is becoming more and more popular. While some people go green to help the planet, a lot of people do it for the convenience it brings. And it’s true: green homes come with quite a few benefits to take advantage of. One of these is the fact that they can save you a lot of money in the long run. To help convince you, we put together a list of 7 ways a green home can save you money.
1. A green home can save you money through solar panels
The most obvious way going green can save you money is through solar panels. Especially if your solar panel system has batteries, you can use them to massively reduce your energy bills. By far, this is the easiest and most noticeable way going green saves money. However, if you plan on relying solely on solar energy for your electricity, make sure you keep the panels properly maintained. If you ignore their maintenance, over time they will start to lose effectiveness. However, solar panels are only one part of going green; you should also consider charging the rest of your home. For example, eco-friendly bathrooms are another popular choice among people going green. Of course, major changes like this shouldn’t be made without planning in advance, but you won’t regret them with time.
2. Smart thermostats help you avoid wasting energy
Another way a green home can save you money is through a smart thermostat. These thermostats allow you to control your HVAC system remotely. So, you can make sure your HVAC system (which usually uses a lot of energy) doesn’t waste any energy while you’re away from your home. Additionally, certain smart thermostats allow you to program a schedule for your HVAC system. With this, you can set up the system to turn on and off precisely when you want it to and avoid wasting energy. All in all, this is a great way to save money in the long run. A lot of people don’t realize how much energy they waste by not controlling their HVAC system properly. So, make sure you get a smart thermostat installed quickly.
3. Window and insulation upgrades avoid energy loss
If you take the time to upgrade your windows and insulation to be eco-friendly, you can take a load off of your HVAC system. After all, if the windows and insulation are effective at preventing energy loss, the HVAC system will have a much easier time maintaining the temperature within your home. This, in turn, further decreases your bills; or if you’re relying on solar panels, makes them more viable. All in all, some eco-friendly window treatments and insulation upgrades can go a long way, so don’t ignore them. This might seem small at first, but you will notice the difference almost immediately. However, these changes can be a little involved, so make sure you plan them properly ahead of time.
4. Growing your own food goes a long way
If you have the space for it, growing a garden is a great way to go green and save money. If done properly, you can easily get enough vegetables out of your garden to effectively reduce your grocery costs. Of course, it will take some time and a lot of care to make this happen, but it’s very much worth it in the long run. Also, you’ll need the proper equipment, and you’ll need to properly set up the space for the garden to be effective. So, growing your own food is definitely very involved, but also worth it in the long run. Another common concern is storage, as the garden obviously needs a lot of space to be sustainable. Storage units are a good idea, and you can make the necessary upgrades in them to go green. Going green is important even in a storage unit, after all.
5. Energy-efficient appliances also reduce energy costs
Energy-efficient appliances can reduce your energy bills, reduce the load on your solar panels, or both. Even small things like light bulbs can make a massive difference, but appliances are incredibly important. However, when looking into these appliances, make sure to pay attention to their Energy Star label. This label is very useful in spotting the good ones which both save energy and perform well.
6. Harvesting rainwater reduces your bills
Do you live in a place where it rains often? Then you can make use of it by harvesting rainwater. Harvesting rainwater allows you to reduce your home’s environmental impact while also reducing your water bills since you’re using less water from your city’s system. However, this does have some limitations; while rainwater can be harvested, filtered, and stored as “gray water”, it can’t be used for everything. You can use it to clean your home or your car, or even as toilet water, but it can’t be used as drinking water or washing dishes.
7. Investing in reusable products is great for the long run
Another great way to save some money and be environmentally friendly is to invest in reusable products. Reusable containers for shampoo, cleaning products, and so on make more of a difference than you might think. Additionally, getting reusable towels is a good idea, and on a larger scale, upholstering furniture instead of buying new pieces is a great idea. Relying on reusable products and upcycling where you can, will save you quite a lot of money in the long run.
7 ways a green home can save you money – wrap up
There are a lot of ways going green can end up saving money in the long run. This fact has helped quite a bit when it comes to efforts to make the world more environmentally friendly. And you can contribute to this too, while also saving money for yourself during the process. We hope this list of 7 ways a green home can save you money has helped convince you to go green, and we wish you a great rest of your day.
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