The age of energy conservation and eco-friendly practices is firmly upon us, and this means looking for ways to improve energy efficiency and recycle waste responsibly. If you are a homeowner, and would like to do what you can to reduce your carbon footprint, here are a few things you can do to improve the situation and make your home more eco-friendly.
- Install Double Glazing – This will not only reduce your energy consumption, it will also give you a pleasant surprise when you get your next fuel bill. The insulating properties of double glazing works in your favour during both summer and winter, by helping to maintain the desired temperature inside the home. If you are in Australia, and looking for UPVC windows in Melbourne, there are online suppliers who can complete the work at an affordable price. There are many other benefits to having double glazing, including the added security, as all units have double security locks as standard. Sound insulation is another advantage that UPVC windows brings, and we all know how noisy it can be, especially when we want some peace and quiet.
- Solar Panels – If you really want to make an impression on your energy use, why not start to use a clean, renewable energy that is always there, namely the sun’s rays. Modern solar power systems are very efficient, and with a storage battery, a typical system would generate enough power to run a large household, and still have some left to sell to the national grid. When solar panels were first introduced, the costs were high, and for most homeowners, having to wait ten years to get a return on your outlay was just too long. Modern systems are both affordable and very efficient, and by using clean, renewable energy, you are not only helping the planet, but also your pocket, as electricity bills will become a thing of the past. There are systems that only provide hot water, and these are efficient and help to reduce energy consumption, while the other type can be used instead of the state electricity feed, which does give you a degree of independence.
- Change to LED – Modern lighting solutions use much less power that the traditional incandescent bulbs, and with a range of forms, including strip lighting, you can really transform the ambience, both inside and out. Low input – high output lighting allows you to have your chosen setting, and with dimmer switches, you can fine tune the lighting to suit the mood. If a person were to change all their lightbulbs at home to LED units, they would have a significant saving long term. The spectrum of colours and shades are varied, and this allows you to create a unique ambience, inside or out. There are garden spike lights that have a small solar panel on the top, and you simply plant them in strategic places around the garden, and they will automatically come on when the light level drops.
An eco-friendly home not only saves energy, it is also much more efficient, so if you want to become more in tune with the planet, all of the above ideas will go a long way to achieving this.