10 Ways to Create an Eco-Friendly Home

An eco-friendly home is on the minds of many Perth residents thanks to the many benefits associated with a greener lifestyle. Achieving an eco-home requires a multifaceted approach and involves taking both short term and long term action. In this article we share 10 ways to create an eco-friendly home, from installing home tinting to having faster showers.

The idea of an eco-friendly home is often associated with solely helping the environment and providing very little to residents. Here we discuss the environmental benefits of an eco-home, but also the personal advantages for you and your family.

Like much of the globe, the Australian government and many big businesses are pushing changes that provide a greener future for the nation. Though there isn’t much we can do on a national scale, an eco-friendly home is a good start. If every homeowner made an effort to live more sustainably, the world will be in a better place. As we know, this is unlikely to happen, so you can rest easy knowing you are doing your part to help.

Reducing your utility bills and ongoing maintenance costs are benefits no one is opposed to! By taking simple steps such as installing home tinting or having shorter showers, you can save big on water and energy bills. We explore more energy-saving ideas below, but most will reduce costs in the long run.

Some actions you can take will also save money on maintenance costs over time. Sustainability is the common goal of most eco-friendly products, which means they’re often designed to be durable so they last longer.

Installing energy-saving, sustainable elements to your home will often improve the value of your property. Many people look favourably on established eco-homes as they’re a step ahead of other homes. Installing home tinting, adding solar panels, and/or setting up a smart meter are all value adding solutions.

Studies show that incorporating a ‘greener’ lifestyle can be physically beneficial too. Eco-friendly cleaners and appliances can improve your air quality by using fewer harmful chemicals. As a result, your health improves.

Ready to get the ball rolling on your new eco-friendly home? Here are a few ways to make an immediate impact without spending a lot.

Investing in home tinting for windows is a great way to save a lot of power on heating and cooling costs. Much like roof and wall insulation, home tinting effectively maintains the internal temperature. On hot days, tinted windows reduce up to 71% of the solar energy and heat that passes through. In the same way, home tinting reduces thermal energy from escaping through windows during colder days. These benefits mean you’re far less reliant on air conditioning, which means you save power and maintenance costs.

If you’re not ready to upgrade every window with tinting, start with the sun facing sides of the house and gradually cover all bases in time.

Unlike some of the other eco-friendly ideas below, home tinting works behind the scenes and doesn’t require proactive thoughts/actions such as forcing yourself to use less water every day.

Lighting a big house has its costs, so consider upgrading to energy-efficient bulbs. These can be easily acquired and installed for a big effect. We guess you could say it’s a bright idea.

Use more water, pay higher bills – there’s no way around it. Fresh water is currently not a feasibly renewable resource, and all the infrastructure surrounding water usage can’t be good for the environment. So, try limiting your showers to just a few minutes, installing low flow shower heads, and using your washing machine only when it’s a full load.

A common trend in recent years has seen retail, dining and other outlets adopt more reusable products to replace single use plastics. To live in a more eco-friendly home, consider making the same changes on your next shopping trip.

It’s also important to commit to recycling effectively. Do your best to separate recyclable plastics from cardboard and make the effort to use initiatives such as REDcycle.

Even the way we clean has taken a turn in recent years. Try to avoid the harmful detergents and bleaches that may pass down the drain and opt for natural cleaning agents.

Steam cleaners are another green way of cleaning without the nasty chemicals.

Some strategies may take a while longer to implement or only come into scope when something needs replacing.

A smart meter can help regulate the temperature in your house by automatically switching heating on or off depending on the time of day. It can also digitally measure your energy usage and report on trends so you can identify areas to cut back.

When the time comes and you need to replace a piece of furniture, consider purchasing second hand or recycled products. This keeps a product in use and potentially out of land fill, while limiting a big companies need to create new products.

Many newer appliances are designed to be more water- or energy-efficient to reduce their carbon footprint. These can be more expensive outright but are worth installing for the environmental and long term cost benefits.

Likewise, when an appliance has lost its usefulness, consider purchasing a refurbished appliance like the point above.

If you have the space and the knowledge to do so, consider setting up a compost system. This can be used to dispose of your food waste and later for your garden. The alternative is more landfill which can take a long time to break down. The more landfill, the more methane gas produced – which harms the environment.

Harnessing the suns sustainable light is a great way to cover your electricity use. They are expensive to install, but in the long run, can save you a lot on energy bills.

A great place to start your eco-home journey is by installing home tinting. Home tinting looks great and provides many benefits, not just in relation to energy and cost savings. Find out more about the benefits of home tinting.

If you’re ready for a free quote on window tinting for your house or workplace in Perth, contact us.