5 Ways to Turn Your House into a Green Home
A green home is a house that is geared towards energy efficiency and energy saving. It is a trend that has become very popular in international and South African real estate.
Many homeowners are making more conscious decisions about their energy and water usage, and they are thinking about what impact their lifestyle has on the environment. Eco-friendly homes can be expensive to create but the money you save in the long run definitely justifies the investment.
Here are 5 easy ways that you can turn your house into a green home without spending thousands of Rands:
#1 - Replace the showerheads
The easiest and simplest way that you can start going green is by replacing small things around your house.
Showerheads are easy to replace and easy to come by. You can install a showerhead yourself! Simply switch your current showerhead with a low flow, water-efficient one.
It will halve your shower consumption and you get beautiful modern designs that give your bathroom extra flair at the same time.
You can also take shorter showers and place a bucket in the shower. This will catch grey water that you can use elsewhere in your home.
#2 - Install a new toilet cistern in your green home
Old toilet cisterns use more water than newer, modern versions. An older model uses about 9-12 liters per flush whereas a modern model uses only 6 liters.
Newer cisterns usually come with a double flusher for longer and shorter flushes. Alternating between the two will definitely help save water.
If you are unable to buy a new cistern, you can place a water bottle or a brick into the cistern to displace the water. This will cause less water to come out during flushing when the handle is pulled.
#3 - A green home needs green geysers
One of the biggest reasons for electricity expenses is heating water. The average household spends too much on warm water and this figure climbs during the winter months.
You can go green by installing a timer on your current geyser. This will help you to program the exact times you want the geyser to be turned on and off.
An alternative is to run a system to warm up the water before it goes into the geyser, so that it is not heating the water intake from cold water. This could be done by installing solar panels on the roof.
#4 - Install solar panels
Solar panels are an obvious solution for a green home but they can get very expensive.
Experts have noted, however, that it is a once-off expense and it won't cost you as much as you would have paid towards electricity in the long run.
Solar panels use the sun's energy as electricity and can be used for powering appliances or heating water. It works at its best when it is exposed to as much light as possible every day.
#5 - Switch to energy-saving lights
Switching to energy-saving lights is an affordable and easy way to start going green. These bulbs are available at local hardware stores or supermarkets. LED light bulbs work best and even if you just replace a few at a time, you are already going to make a difference.
Start by replacing the bulbs in areas where the most traffic is like the kitchen, the bathroom, and the living room.
Going green doesn't have to be a difficult process. It is very easy to replace small things around the home to ensure that energy is saved. There is no better feeling than saving money on your utility bill and knowing you are making a positive environmental impact.
