1. Equip Your Home with Energy Star Appliances
From your kitchen to your laundry room, appliances take up a lot of your home's energy. To help increase the efficiency of your appliances, look for the ENERGY STAR logo. This label ensures that your appliance is using 5 to 10 percent less energy than its standard counterpart and reduces greenhouse emissions. You can find the ENERGY STAR label on dishwashers, ovens, microwaves, stoves, washing machines, dryers, and more.
2. Install a Low-Flow Toilet
Install a low-flow toilet for an effective way to decrease your water use. Low-flush toilets extract less water from local pipes and uses as little as 1.6 gallons of water per flush, while a standard toilet may use anywhere between 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. Not only will this have an impact on water preservation, but you'll notice a difference in your water bill too!
3. Light Up Your Eco-Friendly House with LED Light Bulbs
LED light bulbs are a great way to help the environment. They consume 90 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs and contain no mercury or other hazardous materials. Energy efficient light bulbs also last longer! They provide up to 10,000 hours of light, which is two to four times longer than most standard light bulbs. With savings in energy use and buying less replacement bulbs, making the switch to LED bulbs is a sure way to have a big impact on the environment.
4. Reduce Your Water Waste with WaterSense Faucets for Your Kitchen & Bath
When you're outfitting your home with eco-friendly faucets, look out for the WaterSense label. The label means the faucets are 20 percent more water efficient than the standard faucet. WaterSense faucets use a maximum of 1.5 gallons per minute, compared to the standard flow of 2.2 gallons per minute.
5. Stay Clean with Green Cleaning Products
Whether you enjoy cleaning or not, your cleaning supplies could be having a negative impact on the environment. When you’re shopping for floor or multi-purpose cleaners, make sure you read the label closely. Look for products that are non-toxic and biodegradable and have a recyclable bottle.
6. Get Smart with a New Thermostat
Updating your home to the 21st Century can help bring you one step closer to making your home more efficient. A smart thermostat will regulate your energy use by offering ultimate control over the temperature of your home. Most smart thermostats will allow you to choose energy saving settings and will offer tips on how to make smart energy-saving choices. There are also features that allow you to monitor your energy consumption.
7. Keep Cool & Save the Planet with an Energy-Efficient Air Conditioner
Running your air conditioner all summer long may make your house more comfortable, but it can take a toll on the environment. Using an energy-efficient air conditioning unit can lower your bills, energy use, and carbon footprint.
There are two types of eco-friendly air conditioning units: split systems and packaged central air conditioning systems. Split systems are the most economical and have an outdoor cabinet which compresses and condenses the air, releasing the hot air outdoors. Packaged central air conditioning systems use ducts, which go through the home’s walls or roof to connect with the air conditioner outdoors.
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8. Lay an Eco-Friendly Foundation with Green Building Supplies
Environmentally-friendly building supplies can give you a leg up on creating the ultimate sustainable home. Items like insulation, lumber, and drywall are made with recyclable material. Environmentally-friendly insulation is usually made with recycled materials like newsprint, sheep’s wool, etc. The GREENGUARD label on lumber means it has low chemical emissions, which reduces indoor air pollution.
9. Energy-Efficient Window Shopping
Windows and skylights are a huge source of heat loss. This can be countered simply through installing ENERGY STAR certified windows. These windows are double-paned which will keep cold air out in the winter and heat from the sun out in the summer. These windows also help protect your home furnishings with a low-emissivity coating, which reduces UV damage to floors, carpets, and furniture.
10. Sustainable Flooring, Sustainable Life
Made from recycled material, sustainable flooring is a simple, yet effective way of reducing your carbon footprint. Sustainable flooring options include bamboo hardwood, cork, carpet tiles, and natural linoleum. Not only are these flooring options made with renewable materials, but they also improve air quality indoors due to their lack of Volatile Organic Compounds.
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