As sustainability and preservation of our planet, remains at the forefront of all industries, we take a closer look at how you too, can rise to the challenge of ensuring your home is as eco-friendly as possible. Let’s examine how:
1. Time to upgrade your home’s insulation
Insulation helps maintain a desired temperature in your home which is considered a vital part of any eco-renovation. Having good insulation will help your home adapt to the current weather environment making it energy efficient and will require lesser heating and cooling expenses. With so many competitive options available for loft, floor and wall insulation, not only will you save money in utility bills, but save energy consumption and waste.
2. Go for double or triple glazing windows
Double or triple glazed windows will help slow heat transfer compared to single glazed windows. To further maximise the benefits, consider a product filled with a low-conductivity gas, such as argon.
3. Invest in Solar Panel Systems
Solar panel systems are used to provide hot water and generate electricity. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems convert sunlight into electricity. They don’t need direct sunlight to work but you’ll need to attach them to a roof or wall that faces within 90 degrees of south.
While water-based systems gather energy from the sun to warm your home’s water supply. If you need to boost your water temperature, consider using a backup boiler.
4. Consider renewable heating systems
Renewable heating systems are one of the natural approaches to generate heat for your home. Heat pumps and wood-fuelled systems such as biomass boilers are considered renewable heating systems that can be used to build a greener home. Ground-source heat pumps use buried pipes to extract heat from the earth for your home’s heating and hot water circuits. Air-source systems extract heat from the air. You can fit them to an external wall or sometimes in roof space, making them ideal for retrofits. Wood-fuelled heating systems burn pellets or logs to power central heating or warm a single room.
5. Reuse building materials
Reusing building materials is also considered to be a part of recycling. You can source reclaimed materials from demolition sites or remodelling projects. In most cases, buildings are dismantled carefully so materials can still be perfectly reused in other projects. Salvage yards are also a good source of useful reusable building materials.
6. Renovate and decorate with eco-friendly finishes
There are a lot of green-based paint products available to paint and decorate your home. These eco-paints are water-soluble and use properties like plant oils and resins to form the solution, with pigments coming from minerals or plant dyes. There are also eco-friendly wood varnishes and waxes which are the best green options to clean and prepare walls. Sustainable wallpapers include natural coverings made from materials such as hessian, cotton and wool.
7. Lay underfloor heating
Underfloor heating operates at a temperature just a few degrees warmer than the room air temperature by circulating warm water through a network of cross-linked pipes installed under your flooring. The low operating temperature is linked with alternative heating sources such as solar thermal or heat pumps.
8. Choose natural materials
Natural products will make your home chemical-free. You can use lime and clay plasters which are natural, breathable and flexible alternatives for walls. There are also varied natural flooring products available in the market. Wood is the most popular. Make sure it is derived from a sustainable source (the FSC logo is a good indicator). You can also opt for cork, marmoleum or rubber which are all 100 percent natural.
9. Recycle water
A rainwater harvesting system can be your option for eco-friendly water usage for your home. It collects rainfall via drainpipe, filters and stores usable water in a tank. Also, consider a low-flush toilet to minimise your water usage.
These are just some of the ways in which we can all ensure our homes are as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible and play our part to protect our planet!