When it comes to the fight against global warming, even the smallest of changes can make a big difference. Perhaps one of the easiest places to start is in your home. If you’re planning a renovation, a few sustainable upgrades can help to boost your property’s eco credentials.
Not sure where to begin? Here, we share everything you need to know about green home renovations, so you can enjoy revamping your space while doing your bit to protect the planet.
The environmental impact of home renovations
Home construction carries a high carbon footprint – it requires frequent transportation and makes use of limited resources such as water. While making changes to a pre-existing home will have less of an impact than starting from scratch, ultimately, all construction activities contribute to greenhouse gas emissions to some extent.
The key to reducing your impact is making changes that will help to reduce your carbon footprint in the long run. For example, installing new windows will result in construction waste, however, if you opt for vacuum double glazing, the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks, as you’ll be creating a more energy-efficient home. In fact, it’s been reported that each home with double glazing will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 700kg each year.
Easy tweaks
As we’ve established, some of the simplest changes could have a big impact. You could:
- Opt for second-hand or reclaimed furniture and materials, such as salvaged wood for your flooring, resulting in less wood being burned or put in landfill.
- Swap traditional bulbs for LED lighting, which use energy more efficiently.
- Choose eco-friendly paint rather than paint that contains volatile organic compounds, as these significantly contribute to pollution.
- Donate unwanted items to reduce waste and decrease the need for new product manufacturing.
Significant upgrades
To further boost your home’s green credentials, consider the following upgrades:
- Home insulation – you could insulate your walls, roof, loft, floors, pipes, radiators, and hot-water tanks. This will help to decrease the amount of energy used to heat your home.
- Water-saving taps – these combine air with water, allowing you to use less water while retaining the same pressure and flow.
- A heat pump, for a low-carbon alternative to a gas heating system.
- Solar panels, for a renewable energy alternative to power your home.
The perks of a sustainable home renovation
Protecting the planet is reason enough to renovate sustainably, however, there are plenty more perks. The more efficiently your home uses energy, the less money it’ll cost you in energy bills, resulting in significant savings in the long run. While some of the bigger upgrades can cost a little more to install, they’re likely to save you the most money over time.
We all deserve to live in a comfortable and pleasant home, and often, treating ourselves to a few upgrades will be the more sustainable option than leaving our home in disrepair. When renovating your living space, simply keep these sustainable upgrades in mind, to achieve a transformation that’s both beautiful and planet friendly.
