No longer a fad for the extremely eco conscious, being ‘green’ has now made it to the mainstream and switching your focus to making your home more eco-friendly could have benefits that extend beyond your carbon footprint.
With every new build estate that quickly pops up across the country, more eco-friendly elements come with it so much so that homes with green credentials are now becoming the norm, and existing home owners are exploring the realms of modifications such as solar panels and harnessing wind energy.
The most prominent aspect of being eco-friendly is the positive impact that it can have on a family’s finances. Whether you are investing in the previously mentioned ‘natural energy’ technology or purely making an effort to be more conservative on the amount of energy, food and water goes to waste in your household, chances are you are going to see the pennies mounting, even if it is slowly but surely. When it comes to household consumption, every little really does help, so small changes such as washing clothes on 15-30 C or installing low flow shower heads can help you save around £100 per year alone.
A homes water consumption actually contributes to around 21% of its heating bill too; by heating the water needed for baths, showers or household appliances you are not only raising your gas bills, but raising your carbon footprint because generating the energy need to heat the water actually produces CO2 emissions, one of the main causes for climate change, so by making an effort to reduce the amount of water the family use, you will be contributing to lowering the amount of emissions being released into the atmosphere too. With government grant and schemes out there to aid us in our plight to making our homes more energy efficient, this could go a fair way in helping the average family to save money on their bills while reducing the UK’s carbon footprint as a whole.
There are numerous health benefits to living in an eco-friendly home with regards to making your own ‘green’ cleaning products and growing your own vegetables. There have been numerous studies and reports on the effects that many household cleaning products can have on the body, namely the nervous and endocrine system; in addition to this they also have a negative effect on the environment and our water system when they are disposed of via sinks and toilets. There are many ‘eco-friendly’ ranges out there, but making your own saves on the pennies too, and common ingredients that are readily available include baking soda, white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.
Home grown vegetables offer yet another way to support your family’s health on a budget; as organic vegetables are reported to have a higher nutrient content than those grown using commercial pesticides that have been linked to cancer inducing carcinogens and genetic mutations. By doing your bit to reduce the amount of pesticides and fungicides that are used in large scale farming, you are contributing to the lowering of energy that is used in the industry along with preventing soil erosion and protecting ground water quality.
As the eco-friendly trend truly takes off, houses that have already implemented green solutions and home improvements that support carbon reduction will become in demand and will be of higher value; so in order to protect the environment, your health and your wallet – opt for eco!
COMMENTS