There are plenty of ways that you can choose if you wish to find the best green home updates for you and your family. You can make changes indoors and outdoors from the appliances that you choose to the roofing system and gutter that you install. You can take short and long strides towards efficient sustainability for your home updates.
The fact is that when you opt for the best green home updates, you’re not only making a positive impact on the environment, but you’re improving your health and overall quality of life. This is why research shows that sustainability has become a priority for many young homeowners.
Whether you want to buy a new home, revamp your current one, or look around, you should know what the best green home updates are to look out for. Read on to find out how you can spruce up your home and make it as green as possible.
1. Consider a Green or Living Roof
Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conducted research to prove that green or living roofs help reduce heat islands? These types of roofs have major benefits and are a cost-effective home improvement choice to consider. If you don’t know what a green roof is, you’re not alone.
These types of roofs consist of a vegetative layer that grows on top of them. Most people opt for them because they provide an effective way to reduce temperatures. Moreover, they provide ample shade in hotter weather.
The great thing about green roofs is that a roofing service provider can install them on most types of buildings. It’s important to know that there are two types of these roofs to choose from. Below is a brief explanation of each type of roof.
- Extensive green roofs are simpler with hardy plants. They don’t require a lot of structural support.
- Intensive green roofs, on the other hand, are complex. They look more like conventional gardens and require a lot of structural support as they’re denser and heavier.
If you want to consider the best green home updates, your roof should be the first place. Green updates are a great way to increase your home’s value. In addition, you get these amazing benefits from them.
- Reduced energy use
- Reduced air pollution and gas emissions
- Improved quality of life
- Improved air quality
- Improved stormwater management
2. Install Solar Panels
As energy usage becomes a primary concern, more and more people are finding effective and sustainable ways to ensure that they conserve as much energy as possible. You might be thinking of the best green home updates to improve the quality of your home. If you’re not sure about what to do, you shouldn’t worry.
One of the best green home updates that you can choose is installing solar panels. Again, when you go green, the primary objective is to ensure that sustainability and energy conservation is your top priority. These are some of the four most critical benefits of installing solar panels in your home.
Reduce Energy Bills
Have you noticed how expensive your energy bills keep getting? When you install solar panels you reduce your bills tremendously. In fact, you should expect net zero energy consumption when you have less than five people living in your home.
You don’t have to worry about the water heaters costing you an arm and a leg now that winter is here. You can rest assured that your solar panels generate more energy than what you consume.
Ear Tax Rebates
Did you know that your solar panels pay you? When you install your solar panels, federal income tax credits of 30% are paid back to you. This covers a portion of your total system cost.
If you’ve been eyeing ac installs after getting solar panels, you can afford them when you earn tax rebates. This is likely one of the best green home updates that you can opt for.
Reduces Overall Costs
Running a household is a very expensive exercise. Your annual energy expenditure is shocking. However, solar panels reduce these costs as soon as you install them. Plus, you enjoy these benefits for the long term.
When you have this system in place, your home is attractive to potential buyers. As a result, it significantly enhances your resale value.
Improves the Environment
The pure energy from the sun that solar panels rely on ensures that your household eliminates dependence on fossil fuels. When you wish to reduce your carbon footprint, relying on solar panels is one of the best green home updates to choose from for your home.
3. Eco-Friendly Flooring
You’d be surprised to find that one of the best green home updates that you can make is your flooring. While investing in something as green as a home air duct cleaner seems like a straightforward green solution, you shouldn’t underestimate how your flooring can improve the green status of your home. The good news is that companies have taken their time to ensure that there are ample green materials that you can rely on.
If you’re looking for the most popular choices for your flooring needs, the following are the most common opinions.
- Bamboo floors typically feel like wood even though it’s a specific type of grass. It’s an exceptional renewable material that is resilient and self-generates.
- Linoleum floors are produced from linseed oil. The best thing about these types of floors is that they don’t stain or absorb water, and they’re biodegradable.
- Hardwood floors come in various types. For instance, Tigerwood has become a popular material because it’s fast-growing. Additionally, it’s much more resilient compared to oakwood.
The main reason why you’d choose eco-friendly flooring as part of the best green home updates you should consider is your commitment to a better planet. Other reasons why it should form part of your to-do list are that it’s cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing, and it contributes to your health and safety. In your bid to help the environment, you should also enjoy these many benefits.
4. Consider Energy Star Appliances and Products
Nowadays, when you buy appliances and products that last a long term in your home, you should think long and hard about how energy-efficient they are. If you’re still using appliances that don’t meet the Energy Star criteria, you should consider a much-needed upgrade. When you want to carry out the best green home updates, you shouldn’t forget about your appliances.
Generally, you use your appliances daily. So, it’s best to always ensure that they’re as energy-efficient as possible. Not only does this make you an upstanding citizen who wants the best for the planet, but you get to save a lot of money in the process.
There are various and simple ways to ensure that you keep up with energy-efficient appliance requirements. For example, you can opt for LED light bulbs instead of the incandescent ones that you use. Being mindful of the type of appliances and products that you use, such as the following, is a great way to ensure that you meet your expectations of the best green home updates that you wish to accomplish.
- Heat pump water heaters
- Washers and dishwashers
- Refrigerators
- HVAC systems
5. Start a Compost Bin
Are you aware that waste is a concern in many households? The US alone is responsible for 300 million tons when it comes to waste. Research also suggests that 30% of this waste comes from food and backyard scraps.
If you want to add a project to tackle as part of the best green home updates that you can start, a compost bin is considered an excellent idea. It gives you something worthwhile to do while benefiting you immensely. One of the main benefits is that it breaks down the waste into useful organic matter to help grow your plants.
If you wish to play your part in fighting climate change by making effective changes in your home and not using the junk hauling service anymore, then a compost bin is an ideal option. What’s great about this update is that it’s fairly easy to do and provides long-term results. However, ensure that you get the number for home pest control services on the speed dial.
It’s essential to know how to control pests in your compost. Moreover, the unpleasant smell from decomposing organic materials can be a trigger for your neighbor. You want to warn Sarah in advance before she reports you about that foul odor that’s likely to come from your backyard.
If you’re having doubts about a compost bin as part of the best green home updates you can make, it’s only normal. But, these five vital benefits of adding this green update.
- Compost acts as a probiotic for your plants.
- It helps control erosion.
- It can hide away carbon gasses in the atmosphere by putting them in the ground.
- It reduces or eliminates your disposal costs.
- Composting reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
6. Opt for Eco-Friendly Paving
The paving outside your home serves many purposes. This is why paving companies always want to know how best you want your paving to benefit your home. But, the more aware you become of the way that certain materials affect the environment, you want to make some changes that bring a holistic approach towards sustainability in your home.
Choosing eco-friendly paving for your driveway is a great way to show your support towards a conscious environment. This type of paving is ideal because it focuses on using recycled materials. As a result, less energy has been used to repurpose these materials.
The environmental and social benefits of using recycled materials go a long way toward reimagining a healthier world. The other amazing benefit of choosing eco-friendly paving is that it’s cost-effective. Recycled materials cost way less, which means that you’ll be able to maximize your budget efficiently.
7. Change Your Septic System
Do you know that septic system services have become more eco-friendly? With the rise in innovative technology, it’s become simpler to ensure that your stick solutions are seamless and promote environmental benefits. The use of passive treatment has ensured that naturally occurring bacteria are cultivated and treated in the water in your system.
As with most green home updates, this system provides you with many benefits. The two highlighted benefits are the following.
Reduced Installation Time
A conventional septic system takes nearly a week to install. However, an eco-friendly solution won’t take more than 12 hours for installation to take place. Plus, you can use it once it’s up and running.
Since a standard septic system takes longer to install, it requires more money spent on labor, materials, and equipment. On the other hand, the eco-friendly version uses cheaper and recycled materials.
Reduced Maintenance Fees and Costs
The fact of the matter is that your traditional septic system will require ongoing maintenance. As a result, you’re required to keep up-to-date with periodic additives that are required for efficiency. There are other monthly fees that are associated with your traditional septic system.
To reduce your fees and costs, an eco-friendly system is an ideal solution because it doesn’t require any mechanical parts to keep it functional. Not only does this help reduce costs, but it highlights the durability and longevity of choosing an eco-friendly septic system over the traditional one.
In summary, it’s become much easier to find the best green home updates to include in your next project. Whether it’s choosing something as simple as adding water softeners or a green roof, you can find what matches your concept and budget. It’s important to understand the benefits of adding environmentally-friendly materials.
Most importantly, you should know how to ensure that you take care of the best green home updates that you choose. Having a useful guide helps give you ideas on what works for optimum sustainability. Be sure to do ample research before you start making these green updates in your home.