Improving, updating, and or renovating your home is always an exciting idea, but not everyone considers how home improvements will affect the environment. Home improvements are not inherently bad for the climate, but there are choices you can make that will lower your household’s carbon footprint. You can both make your renovation process eco-friendly and use renovations to make your house more eco-friendly in the future. Starting home improvements can be a slippery slope as you see more and more things to update, but the foundation of eco-friendly living is not using things unnecessarily. While excessive upgrades are both expensive and not the greenest idea, that doesn’t mean you are limited in ways to make your home better. Home renovations are not small tasks and can take months depending on your new designs’ complexity and scope, but not all home improvements require a demolition phase. You can make a range of green improvements to your home that start as small as single-day projects and can be as extravagant as green off-grid power generation. Out of all the ways you can improve your home in an eco-friendly way, below are just a few to help you start the process of making your home your ideal green sanctuary.
Budget Comes First
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Whenever you start planning home renovations, green or otherwise, you must figure out and set your budget for the entire project. Do not start the work without at least an idea of how much you are willing to spend, an estimate of costs, and how much you are willing to flex on your budget. If you do not have a set budget, the sky’s the limit, and the total cost can quickly get away from you. You may want to upgrade and improve elements all over your house, but make sure your budget allows for your plans. There is no point in ruining your finances over green renovations, so take an honest look at what you can safely afford and make a plan to stick to that budget before you commit to any home improvements.
Hidden Home Appliances
When most people think of home appliances, they picture the stove, oven, refrigerator, and other familiar sights at big box stores, but there are other very important appliances you don’t see as often. Your home HVAC system and water heater are not the flashiest or most visible appliances, but you would certainly miss them if they stopped working. Most people rarely think about their HVAC system and water heater, so there is an even lower chance people consider replacing or upgrading these appliances. However, some options are more eco-friendly than the standard models most homes come with. Swapping your old water heater for a new propane water heater is not only better for the environment, but it is better for your hot showers and energy bill as well. Consider ways to improve your home that may not be the prettiest but get you the closest to your goal of a comfortable green home.
DIY To Save Money
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Even green home improvements can start to get costly, so you should save money where you can by using your DIY skills. You will save money if you can paint your own walls and use basic dyes to change the color of fabrics to spice up a room. Second-hand stores are also a great place to find old furniture or materials that you can restore with some weekend work. However, you should check with your contractor or builder if you are using one before you start trying to source materials on your own, as contractors can get better discounts through professional connections than you can on your own. There are also many green improvements you do not need any professional help or tools for. Swap out your old incandescent bulbs for LEDs, install a smart thermostat to better control your home’s temperature while using less energy, and switch out air filters regularly to keep the air clean and ensure your HVAC system doesn’t need to push fresh air through layers of dust.
Everyone wants their home to be the best version it possibly can be, and the recent green movement has more people looking to renovate their homes to be greener. Thankfully, you can improve your home to be more eco-friendly on a budget by planning things out, upgrading where it will make the most impact, and using your DIY skills to do as much work by yourself as you can.
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