Whether you’ve just purchased your first home or have been living in the same property for over a decade, make these sustainable home improvements to help the planet and save yourself some serious money.
Install Solar Pool Heaters
If you’re lucky enough to have a home swimming pool in your backyard, then you should definitely have solar pool heaters installed. This way, you’ll get to experience the luxury of being able to heat your pool using an automatic control valve, so you’re essentially getting the energy for free. This is great for the planet — plus, you’ll no longer have to spend a single dollar on electricity when you want to heat your pool. Now that’s something to be happy about.
Buy Solar Panels
Speaking of solar energy, buying some solar for your home’s roof is also recommended.
Solar panels have gradually grown in popularity over the past several decades. Now, more people than ever before currently have solar panels installed, with 3.7% of single-family US households generating their electricity via solar panels. This is incredibly exciting and a sign of things to come in the future.
A lot of people find solar panels off-putting due to their upfront costs. However, you make this money back over time, which makes solar panels a smart long-term investment. On average, it takes around 10 to 15 years to recoup the money, but it largely depends on how much electricity you use. Plus, it’s also important to remember that solar panels add significant value to properties, which means (if you ever decide to sell your house) you can ask for more money.
Stop Using Your Dryer
Everybody loves dry clothes — especially during the winter when it’s freezing cold outside.
However, dryers are expensive to operate. In fact, they’re really expensive, especially when you factor in the overall costs throughout the year. Not only is this bad for your pockets, but it’s bad for the environment, too. Thankfully, the solution is simple: stop using your dryer.
Instead of using your dryer every week, you can dry your clothes the old-school way through drying racks and even hanging them out of the window. Sure, you have to wait a little longer for your clothes to try than usual, but it ultimately allows you to cut down on unnecessary electricity usage.
Turn Down the Heating
When it’s winter, it can be very tempting as a homeowner to turn your heating up high. After all, it helps you to keep warm while making your house feel extra cozy.
Despite this, though, most homeowners use their heating too much. Not to mention, when it’s turned on, the temperature setting is also set higher than it needs to be.
Therefore, if you regularly fall into this trap, you only need to turn down your heating. If you find that your home becomes colder as a result, you can wear extra layers of clothing to eliminate this effect. There are also things like electric blankets that you can use to stay warm without using anywhere near as much electricity as the heating does.