With climate change and the ever-increasing price of fuel and other regular costs, a lot of people are seeking ways to reduce the carbon footprint of their home, whilst reducing their living costs. Most of us know about insulating our homes, using solar panels and changing to energy saving light bulbs. However, in a time when technology is so prominent in our homes, did you know that a lot of energy is sucked out of our homes from these sources alone? So, what can we do to reduce consumption from technology? Here are some tips to help you, all around your home.
Kitchen
In the kitchen, the most common areas of waste are actually excess use of water, and from the use of white goods, such as fridges, freezers, washing machines, tumble driers and dishwashers. Fortunately, these days it is common practice for all white goods to come with an “energy rating” that will tell you how environmentally friendly the appliance will be. Attempt to buy appliances with as good an energy rating as possible, and if a washing machine has an “economy” setting, to use less water, even better.
Once you have your appliance, make sure that you fill it up fully before switching it on, in order to make the best use of the energy.
Bathroom
We’re often being told to have showers over bathtubs to reduce our consumption of water, however, leaky taps and old toilets are just as wasteful as having a daily bath. Fortunately, there are actually a couple of nifty gadgets that can be used to reduce water waste in your bathroom. The first is a device that reduces the amount of water that enters your cistern each time that you flush the toilet. Purchase a special showerhead that mixes air with the water, and is designed to cut the amount of water used, during a shower, by roughly 60%. This same concept can be used for taps as well, by insert a special device that again mixes air into the water reducing the amount of water that comes out. It’s important to realize that you will not notice any change in the water pressure or how the water appears. Or why not place a timer on your shower. First of all, you will be able to analyze how long you spend in your shower, and continue to monitor it in order to cut down, potentially saving almost 40,000 liters of water every single year.
Living room/dining areas
Always ensure that all of your wooden furniture, including book cases, rounddining tables, desks, etc. have been sourced sustainably, meaning that when the wood was taken to build the furniture, new trees would have been planted in replacement. Perhaps even consider buying furniture that is made from recycled woods.
Bedroom
When it comes to the looking after the environment, most of us probably don’t even think about our choice of bedding, because it’s something that most people just buy with very little extra thought. However, did you know that most materials used to create bedding has actually been treated with, often harsh, chemicals? Buying organic ensures that you are buying cottons that have not been pre-treated, but naturally which is always nicer to Mother Nature.