The following contribution is from another author.
Efficiency concerning the energy we use and the products we consume is going to be an even bigger issue in the future. This is because our planet only has a finite amount of resources, and until now we have been consuming them with abandon! Of course, this cannot continue if we want to leave a viable and lush world for future generations to live in. That is why it’s crucial that we learn to become more efficient in and around the home. Find out more about in our post below.
You need a tool kit
First on the list for a more efficient household is making an effort to buy less. Now, this can be something that seems impossible, especially when living in a society that emphasizes convenience, disposability, and consumption. However, it can be done, and a great way to get started on this is to invest in a tool kit. The reason being that this can then be used to repair and fix things that are broken, or break them down so they can be up-cycled into something else.
In fact, investing in a decent tool kit instead of running out and buying a new product every time something breaks down is a fantastic way to minimize the waste that your household produces, and run it in a much more efficient manner.
Insulation
Next, your home cannot be efficient if you are losing heat in the winter and expending extra energy in the summer to keep your living area cool. Happily, this can be easily fixed as it usually just a matter of adding additional insulation to the walls and roof. Something that will make it easier to maintain the temperature within a room.
Of course, you can take things further as well if you choose, by using recycled insulation materials in your home, as well as installing a smart thermostat that prevents wasted energy being consumed by overheating or overcooling a space.
Flexible furniture
Flexible furniture is another way that you can make your home more efficient. This is because by buying pieces that have multiple uses or can be refreshed and updated with minimal waste you minimize the resource that you need to consume.
To that end, you need to be smart with your buying decisions and go for pieces that are designed to be configured in different ways like modular sofas.
Another option to consider, especially for the family that likes to change up their interior decor often is to invest in things like these huge bean bags that come in various colors. The reason being that not only can they be used in different contexts, but replacement covers can also be purchased for them very easily. Something that means if you want a change you do not have to get rid of the entire item, and so do not generate as much waste.
Recycle
Recycling is another crucial element in making your home more efficient. Although we are not just talking about putting your bottles and cans in the right bins here. In fact, recycling in the home can be a lot more than that, and you can reuse things that would have ended up in a landfill instead of buying new items.
One example of this is cutting up old cloth to make shopping bags, dishcloths, and dusters. It’s something that helps to extend the life of your purchases even longer, and can save you money as well.
Another easy way of recycling things within the home is to use those plastic containers that you get from takeaways for lunches or storing things in the fridge.
Yes, of course, it would be better if you only bought takeaways from outlets that used biodegradable packing, but if you do get plastic boxes, it’s much better to use them over and over than send them to the waste dump immediately. After all, they can take years and years to break down and just contribute to the waste problem that is already becoming unmanageable.
Reduce plastic usage
Of course, that isn’t to say that plastic is actually what you should pick when you have the choice. In fact, putting a stop to buying any new products that are made out of plastic is another way in which you can improve the efficiency of your home.
Instead, you will need to look for alternatives that take less energy and resources to produce, and don’t take as long, or cause so much damage when they degrade. Replacing plastic food bags with paper ones is one way to do this, and water bottles and containers in glass are a much better choice too.
You can even make your own beeswax food wrap to replace plastic wrap use in the kitchen and keep food fresh when you are storing it as well.
No junk mail
One of the most simple things you can do to make your home more efficient is to minimize the things that come into it that you have to throw out. In fact, you can do this very easily by placing a no junk mail sign on your door. Oh, and remember too that if you still get the pizza shop flyers, you can save them up and use them for fuel or compost!
Environmental context
Finally, for your home to be genuinely efficient, it’s also important to review how it interacts with its environment. In fact, many homes are now being built to utilize environmental features to help reduce the energy that they use.
An example of this being homes that are cut into the hillside to provide better weather and temperature protection, and homes that are designed to line up with the sun to maximize solar energy for electricity and heat.
Don’t panic if your house isn’t built in this futuristic way, as there are still some alterations you can make that will count. In particular, fitting solar panels for heating water and making energy is something that is achievable in most homes. Some sites even lend themselves to geothermal, wind, or hydropower too. These are all things that can help to reduce the energy consumption of your home, and might also help to make it energy positive in the future. You can’t get any more efficient than that!
