10 Tips for Turning Your House More “Green”

There is a wide range of reasons why someone might want their house to become more green . For example, one person might want to minimize their impact on the planet, meaning that they are interested in reducing their consumption of scarce resources. Meanwhile, another person might be more interested in cutting down on their operating expenses, which can be done by pursuing energy efficiency. Fortunately, there is a wide range of ways by which interested individuals can make their houses more green, including some that are much simpler than what they might have expected. Here are 10 things that can be used to make a house more green:

1. Use LED Light Bulbs

One of the easiest ways to make a house more green is to install LED light bulbs, which are beneficial for a couple of reasons. First, they are more energy-efficient than their incandescent predecessors, meaning that their use produces less greenhouse gas emissions. Second, LED light bulbs come with a higher initial cost, but in exchange, their longevity plus their lower operating cost make them the better option in the long run.

2. Check For Leaks

Plumbing systems can pick up a lot of problems over time. For example, something as routine as the water rushing through a plumbing system can put stress on the pipes, thus bringing them closer and closer to some kind of plumbing problem that will need to be addressed sooner rather than later. As a result, it is a good idea for interested individuals to check their plumbing system for leaks as well as other plumbing problems on a regular basis, not least because that can make for a lot of wasted water. Never mind the kind of damage that excess moisture can do to its surroundings.

3. Smart Thermostat

Heating and cooling make up a huge chunk of a house’s operating costs. Due to this, interested individuals might want to look into ways to cut down on their heating and cooling costs without ruining their comfort in the process, with one potential example being the installation of a smart thermostat. Basically, the idea is that the smart thermostat will change the temperature to something less energy-intensive when no one is around before changing it back when the occupants are expected to return, thus ensuring the best of both worlds.

4. Better Insulation

Speaking of which, better insulation can help interested individuals keep their houses cool in summer and warm in winter, thus reducing their cooling costs and heating costs respectively. Changing the insulative material in the walls can be both expensive and time-consuming, but it should be mentioned that there are easier solutions. For instance, it is very popular for interested individuals to look at the doors and windows that are available to them because those are some of the biggest weak points in a building’s insulation. In fact, even something like a set of window blinds can contribute to the desired effect.

5. Check For Gaps in Insulation

Besides that, it can be useful to check for gaps in a house’s insulation. Sometimes, this can happen because of improper installation. Other times, this is the product of wear and tear. There are various ways to check for gaps in insulation, with one example being holding a candle flame close to the suspected location of a gap around the window frame to see if it flickers because of an unseen draft.

6. Compost

Composting can turn organic waste into something much more useful. Generally speaking, interested individuals should aim for an even mix of green waste and brown waste for effective and efficient composting. Green waste would be moist matter such as fruit peels and vegetable leaves, whereas brown waste would be dry matter such as old newspapers and shriveled-up leaves. Having both is important because one contributes nitrogen and the other contributes carbon, both of which are needed for the composting process. On top of that, water and oxygen are critical as well.

7. Get Some Recycling Bins

A lot of recyclable waste is tossed out rather than recycled. Suffice to say that this is not a desirable outcome, seeing as how landfills have limited space with which to store waste. Never mind the potential for seepage. As such, interested individuals should do their best to recycle their waste, which becomes much easier when they actually have conveniently-positioned recycling bins to take it in.

8. Buy Recycled Goods

Naturally, this means that interested individuals might want to buy recycled goods as well. Generally speaking, when people think of recycled goods, they are going to think of paper towels and the like. However, it should be mentioned that the same concept can be extended to used technology as well. It might not be particularly glamorous, but making use of used technology can slow down the rate at which scarce resources are consumed while also preventing them from being sent to landfills and the like.

9. Have Some Houseplants

Having some houseplants can provide a home with a nice touch of nature, which can be very soothing for the senses. However, if people really want to go green, they should consider growing some food plants as well. Basically, everything that they grow themselves means something that won’t have to be shipped in to the supermarket, meaning less greenhouse gas emissions spent on transportation. Better still, interested individuals can exercise increased control over what they grow while enjoying them as fresh as possible.

10. Go Paperless

On a final note, going paperless can save people a lot of hassle while reducing their use of scarce resources. One simple way of going paperless would be checking bills online rather than requiring the relevant companies to send them through the email. Another way would be buying e-books rather than traditional books, which can be much more convenient even if it doesn’t necessarily give off the same feel as holding a printed book in one’s hands. Ultimately, paper is made from trees that capture a huge amount of carbon over the course of their lifetimes, meaning that going paperless can do much to slow down the rate at which forests are logged. Moreover, it should be mentioned that most trees take a long time to replace by human standards, thus making this problem that much more serious.