4 Ultimate Ways to Make Your Home More Sustainable

Reducing your carbon footprint is simple. Start by making your home greener. Some of the daily practices carried out in our homes can damage our environment without us realizing it.

Some changes can be made quickly without any costs, while others require an upfront budget but will be more sustainable in the long term. Here are the best ways to “go green” when renovating your home.

1. Install Entry Doors with Self-Closing System

Doors are thinner than walls and allow for the passage of external weather when open, so when your front door saves energy, the entire home saves energy.

Canadian exterior doors with a self-closing mechanism are faster than ordinary doors. They are essential for sustaining your home as they help reduce air filtration, air leakage, and heat transmission.

Installing an entry door with a self-closing system ensures safe and convenient access for every user. Besides helping to save energy, front doors with self-closing systems also maintain suitable air quality. These doors can be custom-built to suit your requirements.

2. Get Greener Flooring 

Eco-friendly flooring is vital for ensuring a healthy home environment for your family members. As the flooring material ages, the gases are released, causing headaches, respiratory issues, and other health problems.

Eco-friendly flooring contains little-to-no toxic chemicals. If you have pets or small children that spend lots of time playing on the floor, you may want to consider greener flooring.

There are several eco-friendly flooring products available on the market. You can focus on renewable or natural resources like cork. You can also rely on flooring materials with certifications like the Green Label Plus (carpets) or the Forest Stewardship Council label (hardwood materials).

Also, consider the contributing factors to your floors’ sustainability — for instance, the glue and padding used while installing the carpet.

3. Install Solar Panels

Solar panels derive pure energy directly from the sun. The system converts sunlight into heat and electricity using the photovoltaic effect.

Installing solar power systems can help reduce collective reliance on fossil fuel and gas emissions. Traditional electricity derives energy from fossil fuels like natural gas and coal. After getting burned during production, fossil fuels emit toxic gases, causing global climate change and air pollution. Besides, the price of fossil fuels constantly fluctuates and can increase within a short period.

Natural gas and coal plants cause water and air pollution. But replacing them with renewable energy can reduce health care costs.

While fossil fuel requires water resources, solar energy operates well without water. Hence solar power functions well during a heatwave or drought.

Can I Depend on Solar Panels Alone? 

It’s not often possible to depend on solar energy alone. Solar only generates energy from sunlight, meaning that when it’s nighttime or cloudy, they don’t generate electricity. You want to provide battery solutions to generate power at such times, though they tend to be costly. With solar panels installed on your home, you can still depend on the grid when the sun doesn’t come up.

4. Replace Your Windows

Replacing your windows with eco-friendly options is vital to making your home greener and more sustainable. Here are some of the significant benefits of replacing your old windows with eco-friendly options:

• It reduces external noise and ensures you get a good night’s sleep;
• It improves home insulation, enhancing a cozy and pleasant atmosphere during the cold season;
• It potentially increases your home’s value.
• It reduces recurring utility bill costs.

Here are the major features to note when getting eco-friendly windows:

• Low-E Coating Glass:It involves adding a silver oxide layer to a window to reduce UV rays entering a home and damaging the decor or furniture. It also adds an extra layer to the window insulation.
• Triple Pane Windows:double pane windows feature an insulating effect. They help reduce the quantity of heat that passes out via your windows by 50%.
• Eco-friendly window shades:you can buy curtains or shades made from natural materials to enjoy a complete eco-friendly window. An excellent option is to install wooden or bamboo blinds or curtains made from sustainable materials (such as hemp or organic cotton).
• Eco-friendly window frame:most frames are eco-friendly. But if you want the most eco-friendly option, find a company that offers window frames manufactured from reclaimed wood.