More and more people care about the environment and the impact their lives have on it. They’ll make changes to minimize it as much as possible. That doesn’t just involve switching to electric cars and turning away from fast fashion. They’re also making their homes more sustainable.
There are more than a few reasons for and benefits to this, and you could already be considering it. If you are, it’s worth using a few sustainable home improvement tips when you’re doing so. Even if you’re just planning an update, there’s no reason not to consider being environmentally friendly with it.
If you’re considering updating your home, it’s worth looking at how you can do it sustainably.
Why Make Your Home More Sustainable?
Before diving into which sustainable home improvement you should use, it’s worth diving into why you should do so. The most obvious reason is it’ll make your home much more environmentally friendly, which is a great goal to strive for. You’ll live a more eco-friendly lifestyle because of it.
There are a few other reasons why you should consider it, however, including:
- Better Indoor Air Quality – Eco-friendly homes can bring in more outside air, which is often healthier than indoor air. You could have a much healthier home simply because it’s much more sustainable.
- Lower Utility Bills – Sustainable homes are always more energy efficient than their more traditional counterparts. That saves you a decent amount of money on your utility bills, which should come down more than you’d think.
- Better Comfort – Environmentally friendly homes can be much more comfortable than older counterparts, and you’ll notice an immediate impact as soon as all of the work is done. You’ll be relaxing in better comfort than you’d first suspect.
Those benefits can be more than enough to make you want to have a more sustainable home. With that, it’s worth diving into some of the more notable home improvement tips to consider. Ten of these stand out for their distinct benefits.
Sustainable Home Improvement Tips: 10 Top Options
1. Donate Before Throwing Away
If you want to get rid of certain belongings in your home, you could consider throwing them out. You’ll likely be replacing them with something else and won’t need them anymore, so there’s no reason to keep them. That doesn’t mean you should just throw them away, however.
You should consider donating them instead. While you’ll need to make sure they’re in a decent enough condition for this, it can still be an option. Even if a sofa, for example, has been well-used, it could still be donated. It’ll make sure the furniture and other belongings end up in a new home rather than in a trash heap.
2. Focus On Energy Efficiency
One of the most notable sustainable home improvement tips to consider is to focus on the long-term, and that usually involves energy efficiency. You should focus on this from the start to make sure the environmental impact of your home is as minimal as possible.
The main priority with this should be the appliances you have. Some are much more energy efficient than others, making them better recommended. They’ll not only have less of an impact on the environment, but you’ll end up with lower energy bills.
What could be better than looking after your bank account and the environment at the same time?
3. Use Recycled Materials
When you’re renovating your home, you’ll need quite a few materials. That’ll be the case whether you’re doing it all yourself or even using a contractor to do it for you. You could consider using recycled materials instead of brand-new ones, as these will be much more sustainable.
The likes of wood and stone can all be recycled and gotten for a much more affordable price. You could even get recycled cotton macrame cords and macrame supplies to make your own decorations to help with this. This will all have a much smaller impact on the environment, and you’ll end up saving yourself more money.
4. Repurpose What You Already Have
Speaking of recycled materials, you could repurpose many of the things you already have. You could end up using the likes of kitchen cabinets and even tables for more than a few other uses. While this means putting some effort into actually repurposing them, it’ll be more than worth it.
You wouldn’t just benefit the environment by keeping your belongings and repurposing them. You’ll save yourself the money it would’ve cost to replace what you’ve gotten rid of or donated. There’s no reason not to give this a consideration before you start doing any renovation or improvement work.
5. Install Solar Panels
When you’re looking for sustainable home improvement tips, one of the more commonly recommended is installing solar panels. Instead of using gas or other sources of electricity, you’ll use the sun itself to power your home. This is much cleaner and more environmentally friendly than you would’ve thought.
If the environmental benefits weren’t enough, there are a few others. Quite a few countries offer grants to homeowners who install solar panels, and your electricity costs could even end up being lower than you would’ve thought. You and the environment will benefit because of it.
6. Add Insulation
Making sure your home is well-insulated is one of the more common home improvement tips to hear, and there are multiple reasons for this. The most notable is it makes sure there aren’t any draughts around your homes or the roof. It’ll make your home much warmer than it used to be.
That saves you a lot of money in utility bills, but also provides some benefits for the environment. Since you’ll need to use heaters and HVAC units a lot less, you’ll have a much lower environmental impact. There’s no reason not to consider adding an extra layer of insulation.
7. Put In Dual-Paneled Windows
Dual-paneled windows, also known as double-paned windows, are some of the more energy efficient and environmentally friendly ones you can pick up. They’ll keep the cold out much better than older options, as well as keeping a lot of heat inside. That has more of an impact than you could’ve thought.
At a minimum, you’ll end up using your HVAC unit a lot less, which saves you a lot of money. On the other hand, it’ll also minimize the emissions coming out of your unit, preventing a lot of harm from being done to the environment. There’s no reason not to get them.
8. Get Paint With Low VOCs
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) harm the environment by creating smog, which can also damage your eyes. Naturally, you’ll want to avoid these at all costs. Unfortunately, however, they can be found in quite a few paints, so you might want to be careful with which brands you pick up.
If they’re used, the chemicals inside the paints could interfere with your health, causing dizziness and headaches. Thankfully, these are relatively easy to avoid. Some brands are noted for being VOC-free, but it’s always worth checking the label to make sure. You’ll be much better off because of it.
9. Invest In A Cool Roof
When you think of sustainable home improvement tips with your roof, solar panels and insulation might be the only things that come to mind. But they’re far from the only ways you can make your roof more sustainable. You could also consider getting a cool roof.
With these, you prevent your roof from heating up and raising temperatures in your home, forcing you to use your HVAC to make everything more comfortable. A cool roof prevents that by making sure the tiles themselves don’t heat up, preventing the temperature inside your home from going up.
It’s sustainable, and you’ll save on utility costs because of it.
10. Buy Preowned
At some point or another, you’ll need to get some new furniture or other belongings in when you’re upgrading and improving your home. If you want to be as sustainable as possible with this, trying buying preowned as much as possible.
While this could mean looking around more for something that you like, it’ll be more than worth the effort. You’ll still find something that looks amazing without adding to harmful practices used to make furniture in the first place.
They’ll also cost less, so you’ll benefit your bank account and the environment at the same time.
Sustainable Home Improvement Tips: Wrapping Up
With a few sustainable home improvement tips, you can make your house look nicer while minimizing the impact you have on the environment. With the benefits it offers, there’s no reason not to consider it. It’ll even be easier to do than you’d think.
Getting low VOC paint, repurposing what you already have, investing in a cool roof, and similar tips and tricks can all be great for this. While they might take a little time to actually do, it’ll add value to your home, make it more appealing, and reduce your impact on the environment.
There’s no reason not to consider it.
