More and more of us are adopting a more eco-friendly lifestyle these days. A recent survey of Canadians showed that over 78% of them said they either cared or strongly cared about the negative impact we are all having on the environment. This has led to increases in recycling, more effort to use sustainable materials, and a drastic reduction in overall plastic use. However, there’s still plenty of work to be done.
One of the ways people are starting to become more eco-friendly and conscious is with their homes. Aside from the waste generated at home – which can be recycled – is there any way to make our home more sustainable and eco-friendly? The answer is yes! The best part being, you could end up saving loads of money at the same time as saving the planet. Let’s take a look at how an eco-friendly house can help you save on your insurance premiums.
Comparing Quotes Is Key
When thinking of insurance – regardless of whether you’re going green or not – it’s always best to compare quotes. Many services, like the one over at MyChoice.ca, will provide you with quotes based on your individual circumstances. Your quote will differ based on your home’s size, its materials, how much you paid for it, and where it is located. However, nowadays, the eco-friendliness of your home can also affect your quotes. To understand this a little better, let’s take a look at what an eco-friendly home is and why those qualities will affect your home’s insurance premiums.
What Is An Eco-Friendly Home?
Simply put, an eco-friendly or “green” home is built with sustainability in mind. This can include sourcing materials sustainably, avoiding the use of fossil fuels by using renewable energy, and even making use of your own water systems. Eco-friendly homes are becoming far more popular with architects and customers alike, as people try to build homes that are perfect for them whilst also looking after the planet.
If you already own a home, there are plenty of ways to increase its sustainability, too. There are plenty of small changes you can make such as eco-friendly lighting. Or, you can convert your home by replacing outdated energy systems with renewables and creating your own water filtering systems. These changes can be costly but could save you thousands in insurance premiums and energy bills over the years.
Green Building Materials
Some insurance companies will reward customers for using eco-friendly materials in the construction of their homes. There are policies in place to help you convert your home using eco-friendly materials instead of standard materials. For example, if you have one of these clauses in your policy and end up claiming a damaged roof, many insurers will help cover the costs of replacing your roof with green materials.
Green materials for the home building include sustainably farmed wood, recycled steel, and plant-based insulations. All of these materials cause much less damage to the planet. Sustainably farmed wood saves on deforestation, recycled steel stops already produced metals from going to waste, and plant-based materials reduce non-recyclable material production.
Sustainable Energy
Sustainable energy is a great way to make your home more eco-friendly and get rewarded by insurers. The most common choice for eco-home builders is solar energy. One of the choices when it comes to putting a renewable energy system is to use solar panels in your home. This can make your home energy-independent and you’ll be able to power it using only the sun. However, if you don’t have access to this system, there are plenty of other options available.
If you are building a brand new green home, consider its placement. Putting it in the right place and at the right angles can help you make the most of the sunshine, creating more sustainable energy for your home. Again, solar panels don’t necessarily come cheap, but the long-term payoff can be worth it. You may never have to pay an energy bill again and your insurers may provide you with that green discount.
Insulation
One of the best ways to conserve energy and make your home more eco-friendly is to upgrade your insulation. Sadly, lots of insulation has been made from non-recyclable materials for many years. Only now have more sustainable versions been created. Obviously, insulation is designed to help regulate the temperature in your home. So, the better the insulation, the less power you need to draw to heat or cool your home. Even with solar energy, this is a great choice for green home designers, as it drastically reduces the risk of having to connect to mains gas or electricity reserves.
So, building or modifying a home to be more eco-friendly can be a challenging but rewarding choice. With reduced premiums on home insurance, green clauses to help you keep your house sustainable, and the benefit of reduced energy bills, it seems like a no-brainer. Eco homes are the future and the benefits are great.
