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There is a growing trend right now towards environmental awareness. The impacts of practices that are not good and environmentally-sound are now being felt after many years, leading to the popularity of eco-friendly materials and processes.

This change is not exclusive to big companies and organizations, because where else should change start but right in your own home. If everyone will make efforts to lower their house’s negative impact on the environment, then that will result to a huge change for the planet! Here are some simple things you can do to help make your house more eco-friendly.

Use natural light

The sun has enough light for everyone during the day, so why not utilise this natural light instead of using artificial ones? Open up your windows and doors to let the light inside your home or you can install a home skylight if you are not comfortable opening up your house too much. Skylights will greatly reduce your electricity usage due to lighting while filtering harmful UV rays. There are skylights, like our Sunpipe Tubular Skylights, that come as DIY kits and are very easy to install.

Use energy-efficient bulbs

After making use of natural light during the day, you will still have to use artificial lights at night. If you are still using incandescent light bulbs, it is about time you replace them. Among the most effective and popular lighting solutions are compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Unplug appliances when not in use

A lot of people think that turning off an appliance effectively stops it from consuming electricity – wrong! Appliances that are left plugged in use up electricity, albeit only small amounts. These small amounts will add up to a lot in the long run, so make sure you unplug any appliance that is not in use to save electricity.

Use low energy appliances

Check the energy rating of your appliances. When buying new ones, make sure that you choose those that meet Energy Star standards. These energy efficient appliances use 10-50% less energy than their standard counterparts.

Put plants inside your house

Having a garden outside your house is obviously good for the environment. Feel free to go a step further by putting plants inside your house as well. Having houseplants will improve the air quality inside and will eliminate the need for things like air purifiers.

Install a low-flow toilet and showerhead

Aside from electricity, water is among every home’s regular monthly expense. Save on water by installing low-flow toilet and showerhead. These simple steps will help you reduce your house’s water consumption by as much as 30% or save as much as 160,000 litres of water.

Put out a rain water collector

Some houses already have some kind of rain water collector installed. You do not need any fancy equipment to be able to collect rain water. Simply get a huge basin and let it stay outside when it rains. The water you will be able to collect can be used for watering the plants, cleaning the car, giving your exterior walls a wash down, and many more.

Use double-glazed windows

The huge savings potential of having double-glazed windows is enough for you to put this into action. Double-glazing your windows will help keep the inside of your house warm, reducing the need for expensive artificial heat sources. You get lower energy bills and a smaller carbon footprint.

To get you started on making your home eco-friendly, visit our Products page to know more about our wide range of eco-friendly home solutions.