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Now and then, your beloved home requires uplifting, a change of look or feel for you to feel better. We constantly are renovating homes again and again so that the place we live in feels refreshing. Believe it or not, renovating your homes is actually good for your mental health.
Considering the strains of the economy, most people don’t choose to shift into a new home and rather renovate the existing one in which they are living.
While most people start to renovate, they look at new products available in the market which are economically sound and give new life to the home.
While it’s necessary that we renovate our homes, we should do so in an environment-friendly manner.
Readers have been asking us the question for a while now and we though it was the best time to tell you since you’re spending more time at home with COVID restrictions in place. Might as well renovate!
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Eco-friendly ways to Renovate your home
- Use Recycled Glass
- Low VOC paint or VOC-free paint
- Insulation
- Formaldehyde-free cabinets
- Solar Energy
- Use Low-flow toilets
- Buy Reclaimed material
- Bamboo flooring
- Be Energy Efficient
- Renovate is always better than Remake
What are the Most Eco-friendly ways to Renovate your place?
1. Use Recycled Glass
Many home depots are now selling bio-glass. These look new and exquisite; and most importantly they are 100% environmentally friendly as they are produced from recycled glass.
They are a fantastic addition to your home, especially your kitchen or your living room.
Recycled glass windows help in brightening the entire space by allowing natural lighting and morning sunshine to soothe your home.
Besides, Recycled glassware or Recycled ornaments are the best things to gloat about when people come over!
2. Low VOC paint or VOC-free paint
VOC means volatile organic compounds. The disadvantage of using paints containing VOC is that they tend to release harmful chemicals.
This is dangerous in long term as these molecules may end up being absorbed by your body leading to long-term health complications.
To avoid this, there are Low-VOC or VOC-free paints available in the market, devoid of these harmful molecules. These are odorless and help in better breathing when you’re at home.
Here is an example of low-VOC paints on Amazon.
3. Insulation
Insulation is one of the key methods of reducing utility bills and improving energy conservation. If you want to upgrade your home, do it in a way that saves you money in the long run.
Ideally, every homeowner should choose high-quality insulation. The better insulated your home is, the more energy it saves. It will help to keep the house warm during the winters and keep it cool during the summers.
It also helps to reduce the utility as there is less load to maintain temperatures on the HVAC system.
Draft Blockers
We know the best thing to get you started on insulating your home. We got these draft blockers installed 2 years ago and have saved quite a bit on utility bills.
According to EPA, draft blockers save 5-30% of household energy.
We asked an electrical engineer to survey my home and he told me that i was saving up to 24% on energy savings because of these draft blockers. You can check them out for yourself on Amazon.
4. Formaldehyde-free cabinets
Formaldehyde is a common material being used in building material and household products.
It should be considered by homeowners to avoid using formaldehyde to ensure safety of not only yourself but for the safety of the environment as well. There are many marketplaces offering furniture and cabinets free from formaldehyde that you should take a look at on Amazon.
Formaldehyde has even made its way into various beauty products and is still a very toxic compound. In such cases, one should always be on the lookout for products like Eco-friendly nail polishes.
5. Solar Energy
Solar energy is now being widely adopted as an important energy resource because it is renewable, environment-friendly and saves loads on energy costs.
Going solar is a great option for homeowners looking to renovate. They may choose to set up solar panels on their roof that collect solar energy from the sun and convert it into electricity help to power your house.
You will end up saving a lot of money on your utility bill along with helping the environment to prosper in the process.
However before you do, you should read up on the Pros and Cons of Solar Energy
6. Use Low-flow toilets
Water shortages are an ever-growing problem being faced by the entire planet. You can play a part in protecting one of the most valuable resources of the planet by investing in low-flow toilets.
The benefit of low-flow toilets over your already installed toilets is that they help to conserve water. Not only will you be able to flush with ease using the new low-flow toilet, but will also be helping in the conservation of water.
You can give a try to the best Low-Flow toilet on the market today.
7. Buy Reclaimed material
It is not always beneficial to buy the newest and most innovative product available on the market. Sometimes you should choose other materials such as reclaimed wood that is environmentally sound and very appealing to the eye.
Reclaimed material is growing in popularity as the go-to option when it comes to renovation projects. Using reclaimed wood, you will be able to save time, money as well as energy that is required to produce a similar and newer product.
These products are not at all different from new ones, the only difference is peace at heart that you’re being more environmentally conscious.
8. Bamboo flooring
The use of bamboo flooring is becoming more and more popular. The difference between other types of wood and bamboo is that it is durable, moisture-resistant, and grows back quickly. This means growing bamboo would require fewer agricultural chemicals.
There is an abundance of bamboo available which can be harvested easily without needing to destroy its roots. This makes bamboo a very viable and Eco-friendly option. Now only that, but you will be helping to preserve old trees and forests which are being cleared at an alarming rate to produce forest products.
You should get a Bamboo flooring sample to test out before greatly investing into something
9. Be Energy Efficient
A great part of renovating is getting new appliances. When trying to replace old appliances, try to find and purchase those products which are energy efficient.
Most of these products such as refrigerators, dishwaters, and ovens all have the energy star logo on them which will give you the necessary information needed while purchasing them.
Most of the large appliances must be bought carefully as they might be expensive and may even lead to higher utility bills in the long run. Choosing to invest in energy-efficient products is always a better option, as they will go a long way in saving money even if they are initially expensive.
Here’s an example of an Eco-friendly grill.
10. Renovate is always better than Remake
Rather than demolishing your home or wasting valuable materials you already have, it can be better if you give your home a new makeover without any loss of property.
Repainting of cabinets, doors, walls, and windows can be done to revamp your home and give it a new feel by using trendy colors giving your house a distinctive look over your neighbors’ homes without any demolition in the process.
Why buy eco-friendly?
By switching how energy is used, businesses can expect to see reductions in power bills from the offset. Some of the ways we can be more earth-friendly include
- Energy efficient light bulbs,
- avoiding electricity stand-by modes for equipment
- effective waste management methods
These are just some of the practices that can help cut costs straightaway.
Your home or your office will appeal to people viewing Eco-friendly products you make or use.
Putting sustainable business practices at the forefront of operations can also lead to a renewed brand for your company.
Additionally, this will promote your corporate ethos in a different, more positive way. This could increase access to worldwide markets and green consumers.
An example of this in the Australian business world is NSW Sustainability Advantage initiative.
NSW promotes Eco-friendly processes across Australia and has helped more than 500 companies to reap combined financial rewards of $79 million a year by following green or sustainable production policies.
So let’s go out and make ethical and Eco-friendly decisions. A green outlook is the way to go.
