Sustainable living isn’t just a social media trend or the hip thing to do. In times of climate crisis and rising carbon emissions, we should all be making eco-friendly and sustainable changes to our daily lives for both personal and environmental well-being.
Making your home more sustainable isn’t any different. Keep reading as we share 19 things you can do to and in your home, to lower your environmental impact and live a more sustainable lifestyle.
1. Incorporate eco-friendly driveway gates
Eco-friendly driveway gates, like our composite driveway gates, are made of recycled wood and plastics – meaning that even the entryway to your home will showcase your commitment to sustainability! Still as secure and durable as other materials, composite driveway gates have a wide range of benefits, including helping secure your home and you to do your bit for the planet.
2. Use energy-efficient lighting
Installing energy-efficient lighting around your home, such as LED bulbs and lights on timers or motion sensors, can dramatically reduce your energy consumption (and your energy bills). Furthermore, energy-efficient light bulbs will not only last longer than traditional lights, but they are also widely recyclable at larger recycling centres and in some large retail stores and supermarkets (unlike traditional bulbs).
3. Check your insulation and sealing
Proper insulation and sealing of your home may feel like a large, costly task, but it will make your home incredibly sustainable and energy efficient. Investing in insulation and sealing will reduce your energy consumption, by reducing how often you need to use your heating and cooling systems.
Did you know that timber cladding is a great way to add a stylish flare to your exterior walls, as well as provide sustainable and durable insulation to your home? Timber cladding is often added into exterior and garden structures for aesthetic purposes. However as a naturally renewable resource, attached to the exterior walls, timber cladding can act as an insulator to help regulate the temperature of your home.
4. Install a Smart meter and thermostat
Installing smart meters in your home helps you manage energy consumption and be more conscious of your usage – helping you become more sustainable and recognise household patterns. Installing a smart thermostat is a great idea too, as it can not only manage your heating usage, but you can pre-set routines and adjust temperature settings remotely for the most sustainable use.
5. Use renewable energy sources
Renewable energy sources aren’t just something you can add when building an eco home – they’re something sustainable every house can benefit from! From roof-fitted solar panels to small residential wind turbines installed in your garden or on your land, there are a whole host of different renewable energy sources that your home can cultivate and use – reducing your energy consumption from the grid and dropping your energy bills.
6. Install water-saving fixtures
Water is often something we forget to recognise as a natural resource, and something we may be over-consuming in our homes. Whilst turning the tap off when brushing your teeth is a great start, installing water-saving fixtures such as low-flow faucets, shower heads and toilets can reduce your water usage without you even realising it!
7. Harvest Rainwater
Did you know that you can collect rainwater and use it around your home, as a super easy way to be sustainable at home? As simple as keeping a bucket outside and passively harvesting the rain, you can then use this water for watering plants, irrigation systems and flushing the toilet.
8. Install eco-friendly flooring
Whilst we may consider flooring to just be part of the home, you can make more sustainable choices when it comes to picking what you lay down. If your floors are looking worse for wear and you’re thinking about replacing them – look into materials like bamboo, cork, or reclaimed wood. Not only are they more environmentally friendly, but they are more durable than plastic lino or carpet.
9. Replace appliances with energy-efficient ones
Choosing appliances that make your home more sustainable couldn’t be easier, by checking the energy efficiency rating before purchasing! Appliance energy ratings are between A and G, with A being the highest and most energy-efficient grade. The higher the grade rating, the better the appliance will be at reducing energy and water consumption.
Appliance energy ratings can often be impacted by the size of the appliance. If you live alone, you may only need a small washing machine and be able to purchase one with a grade A energy rating. However, if you’re a family of five and need a larger appliance, it’ll most likely have a lower rating. Access what size appliances you reasonably need, and aim to purchase products rated as high as you can.
10. Use natural ventilation as much as possible
If you’re a big advocate of the aircon or keeping a fan on all night, your home could benefit from natural ventilation and cooling strategies, rather than extortionate energy consumption in the hope of dropping the temperature. Keeping windows open in strategic places, blocking out natural light and natural shading from outside are the best ways to cool down without using energy.
11. Get composting
Composting is an incredibly easy thing to do in your home, yet so many people cannot be bothered. Composting organic waste, also known as green and brown materials, is brilliant for your garden’s soil health – as well as reducing landfill waste. This change is so simple to make, by just having a small pot in your kitchen for organic waste and moving it to a composting pile outside when full.
Green materials that can be easily composted include fruit and vegetable scraps, used tea (in biodegradable bags), coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, grass clippings, green plant cuttings, old flowers and many weeds. Brown materials, on the other hand, are things like straw, plain paper and cardboard, dry leaves, woody prunings and sawdust (but not from treated wood).
12. Incorporate sustainable landscaping
It is commonly known that planting native plants in your garden enhances and positively impacts the local ecosystem. However, if you choose to also plant drought-resistant plants, such as lavender, aloe and sea hollies, you can reduce water usage needed for watering your garden. Or, better yet, use harvested rainwater to hydrate your garden!
13. Use eco-friendly cleaning products
A more trendy sustainability switch you can make in your home is investing in eco-friendly cleaning products. Available in local supermarkets, as well as widely online, eco-friendly cleaning products contain more natural ingredients rather than harsh chemicals, have less water in them or can come as refill packs for reducing plastic waste.
If you have the time, why not try making your own eco-friendly cleaning products at home? This can easily be done with household ingredients, such as white vinegar, baking soda and essential oils.
14. Install energy-efficient windows
Did you know that windows are often the leading cause of rising energy costs? Unsealed and single-glazed windows let heat escape from your home, and as such, increase your energy consumption. Energy efficient windows, like double and triple-glazed windows, are a great investment to your more sustainable home – as well as a long-term solution to reducing energy costs.
15. Use alternative transportation
With carbon emissions and climate change at the forefront of everyone’s mind, there are steps you can take to reduce the impact you make – one being transportation. Driving around in your car, especially for short distances, may seem like the easiest way to get around – but it is terrible for the environment. In your new sustainability pledge, consider other modes of transportation, such as biking, walking or various public transport options. And if you’re really dependent on your car, why not switch to a hybrid or fully electric model of car instead?
16. Get upcycling and repurposing
Too often, if something is broken or not our style anymore, we just throw it out. Instead, throw away that mindset and start fixing, upcycling and repurposing the things you no longer need in your home. Finding new uses for things, like old jars into food containers, or restyling old pieces of furniture and selling them on, reduces landfill waste and creates a more sustainable lifespan for the items in your home.
17. Fit sustainable roofing
Did you know that you can even make your roof sustainable? If you’re in need for a new roof, or your old one just needs fixing up, explore eco-friendly roofing options. From adding green sedum matting to your roof to recycled shingles, there are so many ways to make your roof a more sustainable part of your home – without compromising on durability and energy efficiency.
18. Run a home energy audit
If you’re not sure what energy-efficient sustainability changes you can make to your home are, why not complete a home energy audit? You can DIY it or employ a professional service for a comprehensive assessment, but these audits will help you identify how energy-efficient your supplier, home, heating system, lighting, appliances, windows and more are. Home energy audits can help you find more sustainable changes, reduce your energy consumption and lower your energy bills – as well as support changing your home’s EPC rating in the future.
19. Invest in carbon offsetting
We often hear the term ‘carbon offsetting’, but what does this mean? Carbon offsetting is when individuals and businesses invest in environmental projects around the world that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, in an attempt to balance out how their daily lives or business ventures add to it.
There are many carbon offset programs that you can invest in, such as UK-based projects like Forestry and Land Scotland. However, you shouldn’t just consider investing in carbon offsetting as a get-out for making sustainable changes to your life and how – this could be an add-on!
Looking to make more changes to your home and lifestyle? Check out our blog for home, garden and driveway inspiration. Or get in touch with The Expert Gate Company to see how our experts can help.