As a homeowner, I noticed the rising cost of my utility bills. I knew there were many things that I could do to make my home a little bit more eco-friendly.
I started last year when I had my insulation re-vamped, I had an extra 6 inches of it added in my attic. I have already noticed a difference. My home doesn’t get as hot as fast on summer mornings, and my home doesn’t require as much heating in the winter.
Green-scapes
As the summer began, I decided to replace some of the plants in my yard with plants that are low maintenance and require less water. I planted plants such as, Sedum Autumn Joy, Purple Dome New England Aster and Stella D’oro Daylily. In addition to these, I also planted and assortment of fountain grasses alongside my garage.
Solar Panels
Next, I decided to have some solar panels installed on top of my garage which is not attached to the house and is south facing. This is the perfect position in which to install solar panels. The solar panel installer did a great job in explaining which panels would be best for my home, and installed them in a timely manner. However, at some point during his installation, he backed into my garage, and slightly dented it. I promptly looked around for a service that did garage door repair, Layton had many to choose from.
Small and Simple Things
In addition to the improvements on the outside of my home, I have over the past few years made many improvements in my daily habits that have helped in my effort to be green. Even the small things count, I have done some research about being more environmentally conscious and some of the improvements include:
- Changing out the lights in my house and garage to energy efficient light bulbs.
- Turning off the faucet while brushing teeth. (It can save up to 4 gallons of water.)
- Watering in the morning or evening.
- Buying low-flush toilet models.
- Filling the kitchen sink with water when washing dishes as opposed to letting the water run constantly.
- Only running the dishwasher when it is full.
- Using the appropriate setting for laundry according to the load size.
Even if you are not able to green-scape your yard, or install solar panels, there are many small things you can do daily to reduce the energy you consume.
By Chanelle Furner
If you cannot afford a lot solar energy right off, try adding skylights that reflect light into your residence and add some warmth in the winter months.