Is your New Year’s resolution for 2020 to go green? You can start achieving that commendable resolution right at home. Here are the top energy-efficient renovations that you can get to trim your energy costs and make the world a better place.
Upgrade Your Windows
One of the first things that you should do is upgrade the windows in your London home so that they have energy-efficient features like low-emissivity glass. Low-emissivity glass protects the home from the winter cold outside, and it stops the warm indoor air from escaping. That way, you don’t have to put the thermostat up so high when the weather gets chilly.
These upgraded windows are also perfect for regulating the indoor temperature throughout the rest of the year, meaning that you conserve energy from air conditioning during the summer months, too.
When in doubt, look for the ENERGY STAR Participant sticker on a window company’s website. That’s a good sign that they’re dedicated to protecting the environment and to providing eco-friendly products and services. They’ll make it easier for you to meet your goals of going green.
Get Insulation
If you want your house to be energy-efficient from top to bottom, you have to add more insulation. Put it in the walls, ceilings, floors and often-forgotten areas like attics, basements and crawlspaces. The change can keep your home up 10 degrees warmer during the winter months — think of how much that can save you from cranking up the furnace.
Go Low-Flow
Water is a precious resource that we take for granted. If you want to cut down on water and shrink those hydro bills, you don’t have to sacrifice your morning showers or avoid doing the laundry. You can drastically reduce your water consumption by getting a gorgeous bathroom renovation and swapping out your old faucets and fixtures for low-flow options.
If you can’t handle a bathroom renovation, you can do a quick fix with your sinks by installing faucet aerators. The simple addition forces air into the stream of water coming out of the faucet. So, you can maintain the same strong flow out of the faucet while saving water. The best part is that you can buy them at your local hardware store and install them all on your own.
Use Better Bulbs
Here’s a great idea! You can swap out all of the standard incandescent bulbs in your house with energy-efficient light bulbs in a single weekend. What an easy way to make a big change. You can choose between Halogen light bulbs, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs). These bulbs use less energy than the incandescent versions and last longer, so you really get your money’s worth.
Going green can feel like an incredible challenge. There are so many areas of your life that have an impact on the environment. You don’t want to get overwhelmed with your resolution and give up right away. So, start small. Make your changes at home and then go from there.