Sustainable Ways to Renovate Your Home
The new year inspires many people to fix up their homes. How can you renovate sustainably, saving money and the planet? These five ideas can transform your abode with minimal effort and tread kindly on the environment.
Adjust Your Lighting
Two things can make your lighting more sustainable — taking advantage of natural sources and switching your bulbs. LED light bulbs are the best option, as they require less power and last longer than other types. While fluorescent light bulbs are more energy efficient than the traditional incandescent, they only last about 8,000 hours compared to 25,000 hours for LED bulbs.
Go Au Natural
In winter, remove heavy curtains from east, south, and west-facing windows to let in more natural light and take advantage of passive solar to lower your heating bill. Skylights help if you have a row home or condo, although solar tubes are less expensive and easier to install, even for DIYers.
Play With LED
Check out the light bulb section at your big box hardware store and imagine viewing your home through those rose-tinted LEDs. Many kits now come with Bluetooth strips that let you illuminate cabinets and furniture or give your television a backlight frame. You can transform the entire mood of your abode with energy-saving light.
Upgrade Your Appliances
While buying something new isn’t always the sustainable option, it can be the case with home appliances. Technological advancements have made appliances more energy efficient over time. For example, today’s dishwashers are so efficient that they’re better than hand-washing for the Earth, and modern washing machines use less water. Additionally, if you have gas-powered appliances, consider upgrading to electric for the benefit of both the environment and your health.
Get Smart
Did you forget to turn out the lights before leaving for work again? It’s hard to remember when it's still dark at 7:30 a.m. Fortunately, today’s smart home upgrades make correcting your mistake as easy as saying, “Alexa, turn out the lights.” Smart appliances let you do the same with your coffee pot. What about your thermostat? Dialing it back by 7°–10° Fahrenheit while you work can save 10% on your bill while reducing emissions — all with a simple voice command.
Refinish and Repurpose
Are you considering buying a new couch? If the one you have fits your space, the more sustainable solution may be reupholstering it. Although professional reupholstering can cost approximately the same as buying new — especially for bespoke and intricate designs — many of today’s designs feature zipper covers that facilitate easy removal and DIY replacement. If your current model lacks this feature, seek a replacement that does.
Refinishing wood furniture is even easier and very satisfying. You can pick up the supplies you need on the cheap if you don’t strip the old paint and choosing low-VOC varnish keeps harmful chemicals out of your indoor air.
Rethink Your Landscaping
Renovating your home doesn’t stop at your front door. Are you still spending every sunny Saturday with your lawnmower or leaf blower? Those devices make an awful racket, disturbing neighbors who want to sleep in while polluting the air — and making you devote your downtime to maintenance.
Instead, transform your lawn with xeriscaping, which uses native plants and elements like stone and water features to reduce water use and upkeep needs. Keep a small patch of grass for Fido if necessary, but transform the rest of your outdoors into a healthy habitat for growing things. You might even reduce food waste and go organic by planting a garden.
Your new foliage needs water. If it’s legal where you live, consider installing a simple rainwater collection system for irrigating your new landscape.
Start an Indoor Garden
Gardening is a great way to reduce your environmental impact. Food production and transportation are significant contributors to pollution, so growing your own food cuts down on those negative impacts.
If you don’t have an outdoor space, you can create a garden inside your home. Choose a space in your home with natural lighting and regulate the temperature by using a humidifier. You can also use grow lights if you don’t have adequate lighting. Some plants that grow well indoors include lettuce, arugula and most herbs.
Shake Up Your Home Sustainably
Building back better means making life healthier for people and the planet. The above renovations make your space more sustainable while transforming its appearance and making it a happier place to live. Plan your spring cleanup with an eye to these eco-friendly ways to renovate your home. You’ll save money and feel better about greening your footprint.
