The threat of climate change and global warming in recent times has led to the invention of various eco-friendly regulations, techniques, and lifestyles, and the best place to start is from our homes!

The rise in global temperatures has triggered a series of unnatural events, some of which include rise in ocean levels, melting of polar glaciers, depletion of the ozone layer, and other environmental hazards that can no longer be ignored or swept under the rug. The fact that the situation can get a lot worse makes it scary, but as humans, we have devised ways to keep it in check. One person (you), along with billions of others can change the direction and momentum of climate change if there’s a will to alter certain aspects of life at home to become eco-friendly.

One of the many perks of being eco-friendly is that these practices might actually save you some money, when compared to the alternative. Saving money while saving the world? Nothing beats that. Nothing.

Here are a few eco-friendly home tips that will save you money

Never Leave Your Faucet Running

Idle running taps are a common occurrence in many homes. More often than not, it occurs because of ignorance, negligence, or absent-mindedness. Yes, it is quite difficult to turn off your tap while you’re doing the dishes, or washing your hands, especially since it’ll probably get some soap on your tap, but just think of it like switching off your light bulbs when it’s not in use. By switching off your tap when it’s idle, you’d be cutting down on the water bill and making more water available to people and regions in dire need. 

Change Your Energy-Consuming Light Bulbs

Image Source: Azocleantech.com

One of the general principles of being eco-friendly is reducing energy consumption, and you can achieve that by switching your energy-consuming incandescent light bulbs for better options like compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs. These new generation light bulbs help save electrical energy while performing 10 times more than the conventional incandescent light bulbs. CFLs and LED lights cost more, but they will help cut down on your light bills, and they last longer- meaning you won’t have to replace them incessantly.

Switch Off Idle Lights

Image Source: Twitter

This is general knowledge, but sadly, many still falter- you can make a huge difference, though. Understand that light bulbs shouldn’t be unnecessarily on in the home; it increases energy consumption and your light bills. It doesn’t matter if they are energy-saving light bulbs, because they still consume some energy, and keeping them off totally eliminates one stream of energy consumption. Switch off the inside and outside lights of your home during the day, and make sure that all the lights in the home are off when you’re stepping out. It is a cost-efficient and eco-friendly procedure that should become part of our lifestyle, so try to imbibe it.

Make Your Own Coffee

Everyone knows that even two-year-olds can make their own coffee, so why don’t you try making yours? Good coffee offers a great start to a new day, so try to find some time in your morning routine to make and enjoy some home-made coffee. Making your own coffee reduces the money spent on buying coffee from coffee shops, plus, it also reduces the amount of plastic or paper cups being dumped on the streets, and into the oceans. If at all you have to buy coffee, get yourself a recyclable/ reusable coffee mug that you can use, while eliminating the other option of using paper or plastic coffee cups. 

Insulate Your Home

Image Source: Build Direct

Part of the elements of building a “green” home is to install insulating materials in the walls and ceilings of your home. Using natural products and materials like cotton, fiber, wood, cellulose, or even clay to insulate your home makes it an eco-friendly and cost-effective haven for you and your family. Home insulation regulates temperature in home, even during extreme weather conditions, which directly reduces energy consumed in heating and cooling your home. This in turn helps reduce your carbon footprint and environmental chemical emission. It is estimated that you can save up to 35% on heating and cooling energy by insulating your ceiling, and save up to 15% on heating and cooling energy. Amazing right?

Consider Solar Energy

Solar panels are one of the best methods of saving man-made energy, and utilizing natural energy instead- the use is becoming quite popular too. Installing these panels can be quite costly in the beginning, but overtime, they help save a ton of money that would’ve been spent on paying light bills. Using solar panels also means reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and other hazardous by-products of burning fuel to produce electricity.

Drop The Electrical Dryer and Start Line-Drying Your Clothes

 Image Source: Small FootPrint Family

Drying your clothes in the sun might not be as fast as using an electrical dryer, but it is a cost-effective and ecofriendly approach. According to Saving Electricity, dryers use a lot more energy (3.3 kilowatts/hour of energy, and an estimated 11 cents per kilowatt hour) than many other household equipment because of the heat they have to produce. Based on the number of times you have to use your dryer in a month, the accumulation of money spent on electrical bills can be quite a lot compared to a situation where you don’t use them at all. Dryers are also known to cause degradation of fabric quality, meaning you will have to buy new clothes to replace the damaged ones. Start spreading your clothes in the sun today, you’d be doing the ecosystem a world of good. 

Replace Paper Napkins With Cloth Napkins

Image Source: wilkins Linen

Paper napkins are a menace. Their inexpensive nature makes them seem like the better option, but in retrospect, they are not- they are non-reusable and cause an accumulation of harmful elements in the environment. Cloth napkins on the other hand can be washed and reused, plus, they don’t add to energy disposal requirements when you want to take your trash out. They require are quite expensive than paper napkins, and even more difficult to maintain, but in the long run, they save you money and save the environment too!

Join the green/ecofriendly train today and make the world a better place to live. It starts with you.