Tips To Use Less Energy And Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Household energy use is rising as we spend more time at home. During the lockdown, remoting working proved successful, and now workers can be trusted to work while at home it’s a regular gig. Companies are realising the cost savings even when their staff work just a day or two a week away from the workplace. There is less wear and tear on office equipment and less use of resources and energy. However, it’s not all good news, as the shift of energy use has moved to from workplaces to households.

With our properties now accomodating a home office and also exercise areas on the off chance we will be locked down again sometime in the future, we’re powering up these spaces with technology, equipment, and facilities. Our utility bills are much higher than they used to be and it’s not due to inefficient appliances but just being at home using heating, air conditioning, hot water and energy-hungry systems like technology for more hours in the day.

Households can do a lot to manage their usage and cut down the expense through eco-friendly practices.

Solar Power

Generating your power using a free resource like wind or solar spurs on many a keen environmentalist but it’s not always economical. There can be a trade-off – saving the planet will cost more in the short term to pay for the solar panels, battery and install. Start small if the all-out switch to solar is cost-prohibitive. Use solar-powered outside lighting, charge up garden equipment with a solar panel. For the techies you can even use a solar-powered USB charger for your smartphone and devices.

Water Filters

Consider water filters for your kitchen taps – or even your refrigerator water dispenser – so that you can access clean, healthy and safe water without having to purchase bottled water. Not only will this save on your plastic usage, but you will save money in the long-term since your water filter will not cost as much as the total cost of your bottled water consumption. Plus using a filter to remove harmful metals, including lead, arsenic, and radium is better for your health. For our USA readers, discountfilterstore.com is worth visiting and for everyone else do a Google local search on ‘affordable water filters’ and your location to get providers in your local area.

LED Light Bulbs

The best way to save power is not to use it! Switch off wall sockets and lights when they are not required, i.e. when you’re not using them. The rule of thumb is to check the light is off when you leave the room.

Avoid the ‘stand-by’ mode that’s prevalent with so many tech systems, including your smart TV and also some kitchen appliances, instead switch off to save energy.

Also, opt for LED light bulbs instead of regular incandescent bulbs. You may have had a bad experience with LEDs; however, give them another go as they are much improved than the earlier models.

Energy-efficient LED bulbs, when they first came out, failed to generate the same glow of regular light bulbs. LEDs are the preferred bulb now, and there are a lot more styles, including Phillips Hue.

Compost Your Waste

Getting a compost bin means that food waste can become compost which is the perfect excuse for you to start growing vegetables, fruit and herbs because you can use the compost you’ve made from food waste as fertiliser. You save money, but more importantly cut down on your plastic waste, by opting for home-grown produce instead of purchasing it from the supermarket.

Household food waste bins can be discreetly stored in your kitchen, with filters to make sure that no flies can enter the container, and no nasty smells escape!

There are so many simple and easy changes that you can make to your home, which will benefit both you and the environment in so many different ways. Whilst we can’t change the world alone, we can make a small difference and set an excellent example for others to follow by changing our habits that have an impact on the environment.