Today, many people are thinking about ways to live a greener, more environmentally friendly lifestyle, and these principles can definitely be applied to home improvement. When trying to think of ways to make your home look and feel better you will probably come across eco-friendly ideas, as they tend to be the best. In the following article we will be taking a look at some green ways of improving your home.
Repairing Furnishing
Your home furnishings are a good place to look when it comes to making environmentally friendly choices. Reupholstering and repairing your furnishings is sometimes much better than buying new ones as it’s not only green but it will save you money.
If repairing isn’t an option then you could look for some good quality second hand pieces. It is easy to come across appealing and fascinating furniture and accessories at antique auctions which can be found everywhere. This type of furniture often has more character than brand new pieces, and unless you’re buying extremely rare or high end antiques, it’s often quite reasonable. Windows can be decorative and allow light into your home, but they’re also important for insulation and keeping the heat in. In fact, the type of windows you have can be a major factor when it comes to your heating bills. By getting double pane (or even triple pane) windows, you could make your house quite a bit more energy efficient. If you brush your windows with coatings of Low-E (low emissivity), you can cut your loss of heat by close to 50 percent. Although it is expensive in the beginning to replace your existing windows with ones that are more energy efficient, this will save you money over time. Also, you will feel cozier in the winter.
Alternative Power Sources
Due to the increase in price of conventional power, lots of folks are researching alternative power sources, like solar heating and wind power. You can make your home a lot more energy efficient by using these natural energy sources. You can have a professional install solar panels or you can buy a kit and do it yourself. There are many options when it comes to wind turbines, depending on where you live exactly. Wind turbines and solar panels are worth the investment if you’re very serious about making your house environmentally friendly.
You can make your home a lot more eco friendly and energy efficient as there are a number of ways to do this. When you start thinking this way when you plan any home improvement projects, you’ll find that you can come up with many creative ideas. Fortunately, many of the practices that are good for the planet can also help you live more economically and comfortably.