How to make your home eco-friendly

Building your own green home or having one designed and built by a sustainable architect are both excellent ways to drastically reduce your energy consumption and your overall impact on the environment. However, building a new, energy optimised home is a huge undertaking and not always practical in the foreseeable future, so at Sustainable Design Collective we’ve outlined a few deep-impact changes you can make to your existing home to help reduce your carbon footprint and take you one step closer to turning your house into a true green home.

If you’re environmentally minded, chances are you’ve already taken steps to save energy in your home. Small but important changes, such as recycling, switching to energy-efficient bulbs, purchasing energy-saving appliances and lowering your water and electricity consumption are all crucial in reducing the impact of day-to-day living on the environment. But for an even bigger impact that will positively benefit your home, family and the environment for years to come, consider making the following changes:

1. Insulate your walls and roof

While lowering the thermostat is a great way to reduce your heating bills, your home will stay even warmer and use less power if you invest in good, sustainable insulation. Many older homes have minimal roof or loft insulation, which is the biggest cause of lost heat. Investing in proper insulation is also a financially-wise way to turn your house into a green home, as the money saved in energy expenses for most homes will make up for the initial cost within only two or three years.

2. Install double-glazed windows

Just like proper roof insulation, adding double-glazed windows to your home can have a dramatic effect on the amount of energy you use to heat your home. Double-glazed windows are now available in a wide variety of attractive styles, and can fit seamlessly with even period architecture, making them an attractive as well as environmentally-friendly option.

3. Install underfloor heating

Radiant underfloor heating is more effective and efficient way to heat your home. Radiators not only take up space, but they also take more time and use more power to achieve the same warmth as underfloor heating, which can be installed in almost any home.

4. Invest in solar panels

While expensive to install, solar panels can not only knock out a sizeable portion of your energy expenses but you can also benefit from the government’s current feed-in tariffs in which you’re paid for the electricity you generate for the grid.

5. Upgrade your boiler

New, energy-efficient boiler models are miles ahead of their older counterparts when it comes to saving energy. Ensure that your current boiler is serviced on schedule, and replace it with a new model when possible to minimise your energy consumption.

Making these changes can be expensive at first, but you’ll soon see the savings pay off and will be well on your way to having your own dream green home.