In a previous article "Eco-Friendly Interiors For Your Home in 6 Easy Steps" I covered the six main areas you could focus on when designing home interiors. Many people, however, have asked me for some tips that they could implement quickly and cheaply. So here is a collection of practical ideas that will make your home a healthier place to inhabit as well as reducing your carbon footprint.
Reduce power consumption
Nowadays low power light bulbs (long life compact fluorescent) are cheap enough to substitute for traditional tungsten filament bulbs throughout your home. The benefits are instantaneous; reduced electricity bills and less frequent bulb replacement due to longer operating life. Because they operate at much lower temperatures low energy bulbs extend the life of plastic light fittings and paper or fabric lampshades.
It may also seem obvious but if you switch off appliances when they are not needed (especially TVs & computer monitors, and charger modules) you will also reduce your carbon footprint at zero cost.
Also if you keep light bulbs and lamp shades clean and dust free you will have a brighter room.
Conserve heat and warmth in winter
Use window shutters, drapes and curtains to boost your comfort and also save heating energy. Another tip that costs nothing to implement is the old-fashioned but totally relevant idea of closing curtains and shutters at dusk on winter evenings. Many homes use sausage shaped cushions as draught excluders placed at the bottom of doors to keep cold out and warmth in. These cushions can be home made and designed with fabrics that co-ordinate with curtains and soft furnishings.
Clean up the indoor atmosphere
One of the consequence of improving the energy efficiency of your home is often a reduction in air circulation; i.e. less fresh air. You may find that in humid areas such as bathrooms you will need to install ventilation or extractor fans to reduce humidity. Also less frequent air changes can result in increased levels of domestic pollutants such caused by sprays, aerosols, perfumes, chemical treatments to carpets and wood.
Certain house plants also have a beneficial impact on air quality. We all know that plants absorb carbon dioxide and return oxygen to the air but research has shown that certain plants have extra benefits such as removing benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air. Several dozen domestic plants have been identified but these include well known ones like: Bamboo Palm, English Ivy, Gerbera Daisy, Rubber Plant, Mother-in-laws Tongue, Spider Plant, Weeping Fig.
If you find you are getting frequent condensation on the inside of windows then humidity could be too high, especially if you already have double glazing. Excess humidity can be caused by drying washing indoors in winter, hot baths, cooking and so on but it can lead to rotting window frames, lifting wallpaper and potentially dangerous moulds forming. For this reason it is not advisable to totally seal a home and prevent fresh air changes.
Stay local
Your environmental impact manifests itself in many ways, some less obvious than others. You should aim to use local shops and local tradesmen to work on your home since that will reduce road mileage and fossil fuel consumption, but do not do this whilst still importing building or decorating materials half way round the world!
Lighting without electricity
Many homes have areas that a dark even during the daytime and this keeps the electric lights on even as the sun shines. One great invention is the sun tube (e.g. Solatube) which harvests external sunlight and pipes in into dark corners of corridors and other window-less area of the home. These should be specified in new homes but are not too difficult to retro-fit either.
Choose domestic appliances with care
If you are about to splash out on a new fridge, washing machine, freezer, dish washer, or tumble dryer try to temper your desire to opt for the most stylish unit. In fact do not even consider any machine that does not have a high energy efficiency rating; choose kitchen appliances that are A-rated as they are the most energy-efficient. A new fridge/freezer could save you up money not just because modern units are designed to be much more efficient but because thermal door seals often perish on older appliances making them run almost continuously.
Finally
I hope you find these tips help you make your home a greener and cheaper place to inhabit.
Bronia Suszczenia is co-founder and Creative Director of Art from the Start Ltd a firm of interior designers in Yorkshire England. She has also recently established Fabric Gallery and Interiors a retailer of quality designer fabric and curtains in York England.
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