Eco-friendly homes are kind to the environment and can help reduce your carbon footprint. They’re also cost-effective. Small changes can lower your bills.

Ditch the artificial lights

Even long-life, environmentally-friendly LED light bulbs have a carbon footprint. The manufacture and transport of the light bulbs add to this. Using artificial lights less will cut your carbon footprint and save on the energy bills. Installing a roof window can flood even the most dismal of spaces with natural light. Roof Window Outlet has a range of roof windows available. They can save on heating too.

Climate control

Waking up on a cold winter morning is one of the hardest things to do. The bed is warm and comfortable. The air outside is cold. A lot of people set their heat on a timer or even have a heated bed to lift them out of sleep in the mornings gently.

Roof windows can help a room warm-up before you wake up. Fitting heavy curtains to regular windows will keep heat in during the winter months and keep a room cool in the summer. An opening roof window will also save on cooling costs.

With a combination of windows and curtains, you can lower the thermostat by a few degrees. On particularly sunny winter days, you may not even need the heat as long as the curtains are open during the day and shut at night.

Appliances

It is tempting to swap out all the appliances and replace them with the latest eco-friendly model. However, this may not be more cost-effective or environmentally friendly in the long run. Replace appliances with eco-friendly models as they wear down.

Make sure the old appliances find their way to a recycling centre. If you are upgrading during renovations and your old appliances are still in perfectly good working order, donate them instead of sending them to a landfill.

Just because you have the appliance, doesn’t mean you need to use it all the time. A tumble dryer is next to useless in the summer but an excellent way to ensure you always have a dry towel in the winter.

House plants

Houseplants do more than add a bit of cheer to a depressing room. Some can act as air purifiers, saving on the costs of running an air filter. Some, such as aloe vera, is great for minor cuts and burns, cutting the first aid kit’s carbon footprint. If you have pets, make sure the houseplants aren’t toxic to them. Pets will gnaw on them in the same way they lick salt lamps.

Shop local

Where possible, buy things you need from the local area. That doesn’t mean frequently visiting the imported sweet shop. All those goodies have air miles. Instead, buy products made in the local area, made with ingredients sourced from the local area. This does more than cut your household’s carbon footprint. It helps the area in which you live.