We have come to a point in our societies today, where technology has taken over every little activity that we conduct in our everyday lives. And while that’s great for our evolution as a species, industries all over the world deeply affect the environment. It’s our job to take care of our planet and we are entirely responsible for its state nowadays. Fortunately, it’s never too late to start rebuilding a healthy environment for us and for the future.
The solution to this issue is to start educating people towards going green. And what better way to start doing that than reducing water and energy consumption? Therefore, in this article, we’ll discuss all the aspects of saving energy and water in order to go green at home.
Saving Electrical Energy
The best thing that you get out of going green at home, besides helping the environment, is that you have the chance to save some extra cash on your monthly bills. And the first thing that you can do in order to achieve that is to reduce the consumption of electrical energy. You should definitely start by working on some day to day behaviors that you might have, like turning off lights and appliances whenever you don’t use them. It might seem pretty obvious, but it’s amazing how many people refuse to fix this behavioral issue.
Another thing that you can do is to reduce the use of energy-intensive appliances and start doing some chores yourself. You won’t always have time to do this, but from time to time it’s worth it to wash the dishes yourself instead of throwing them in the dishwasher or to dry your clothes out in the sun instead of using the dryer.
Considering the fact that we live in a world dominated by technology, we can use some of it in order to save energy. Here are just a few options that you have:
- Smart Power Strips. If you use this technology, you won’t have to worry about remembering to switch off lights and appliances when you don’t use them; the smart power strips can automatically do that for you. More so, you can actually program them to turn off at a certain time.
- Smart Thermostats. Nearly half of your electricity bill is due to heating and cooling. By using a smart thermostat, you can save lots of money because the device can be set to automatically reduce or turn off heating or cooling whenever you are not home or when you’re asleep.
- Energy Efficient Appliances. This kind of upgrade involves spending lots of money. But you shouldn’t worry, because in time you actually save money by using appliances that consume less energy than traditional ones; it’s a really smart investment.
Saving Water
While there are many people out there wasting electrical energy, there are even more people who waste tons of water without even noticing. It’s also our job to learn how to save water, especially if you want to go green at home. It’s not like water on the planet is running out at the moment, but it’s definitely not beneficial for anyone if you waste it.
Have you ever had a leaky faucet in your kitchen or bathroom? While most people had, not so many know that in the USA alone, people waste one trillion gallons of water every year just because of leaky faucets. Therefore, as a starting point, you might want to get a wrench and check every water source around your house. Don’t shy away from the toilet itself, as that too can also spring leaks – you can drop some food dye into the tank and see if any water is making its way down even without flushing.
Just like saving electrical energy, saving water requires you to change some of your habits. For example, you can stop taking unnecessarily long showers, stop using your toilet like it’s a trash can or running your dishwasher only when it’s full of dishes. Another thing that you can do, is to harvest water. If you start harvesting rainwater, you can use it for your irrigation system, therefore save tons of money on your water bill. And if you think that might work for you, you can also consider harvesting grey water. For example, you can collect the water from your sink or dishwasher, and use it for other purposes.
If you ever thought of going green at home, this might be the best time for you to do it. Not only you’re able to make a small change in the world and help the environment, but you can also inspire people around you to do the same. More so, you can motivate yourself by thinking about the fact that you can actually help yourself, by saving money that you can use for other purposes, instead of spending them on bills. And above all that, you can consider the fact that if you ever think of selling your property, it will worth much more if you invest in green technology. No matter how you spin it, going green is ultimately the way forward.