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Derek Lotts

Enhance Sustainability of Your Home with These Features

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Sustainable homes are becoming a norm in today’s society, with more and more homeowners turning to eco-friendly and energy-saving designs. Such eco-responsibility is supported by technological innovations that aim at enhancing the sustainability of modern homes. In addition, eco-friendly upgrades are also profitable in the long run as they can help owners reduce their utility bills. Thus, if you want to switch to the green side, these top eco-friendly features are the way to go.

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Smart thermostats

As one of the most popular features, smart thermostats are being widely implemented into modern homes. These devices are able to maintain a stable indoor temperature, learn homeowners’ patterns and habits and then control and adjust the indoor temperature. This has important implications for the energy-efficiency of a home because smart thermostats can reduce energy consumption by controlling the heating and cooling systems depending on whether there’s someone at home or not. Thus, if you want to prevent energy wastage and create a comfortable atmosphere in your home, you should consider switching to a smart thermostat.

A geothermal heating and cooling system

Geothermal energy has gained popularity over the years. A great number of homeowners are installing geothermal systems that harvest the heat from the earth and use it for heating up a space. This system consists of geothermal pumps that may consume from 25 to 50 percent less energy than regular systems. Thus, this may help you reduce your electricity bill by around 40 percent. There are different types of geothermal heat pumps, including air-source, ground-source, water-source and air-earth heat pumps, depending on the source of geothermal energy. Should you decide to go with a geothermal system, you should research your options and see whether you meet all the requirements.

Innovative solar panels

Solar panels are an emblem of sustainability, being an ultimate green upgrade that a homeowner can opt for. Installing solar panels will enhance the sustainability of your home significantly and enable you to reduce your energy bill. Owing to technological advancements, you can now install solar panels with state-of-the-art SMA inverters that can improve the efficacy of your solar system by optimising its functioning and provide you with valuable feedback. Should you decide to install solar panels, you’ll also have an opportunity to introduce solar batteries used for storing the excess energy, which can then be used on those gloomy days and over the night. Thus, this may help you reduce your dependence on the regular grid completely.

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Sustainable building materials

Opting for sustainable building materials is another great way to increase the sustainability of your home. Whether you’re planning to extend your home or renovate your interior, you should opt for eco-friendly and sustainable materials. These materials include reclaimed or salvaged wood, recycled materials, such as aluminium and metal, brick, bamboo, cork, stone, etc. You can also save a lot of money and protect the environment by buying second-hand doors, windows and other elements. When it comes to wood, one of the most popular materials, you should go with options that meet certain green standards, such as sustainable harvesting. As already mentioned, reclaimed or salvaged wood are also sustainable options that you can use in your home.

Furthermore, you should avoid using materials that contain or have been treated with toxic chemicals, such as toxic wood preservatives, harmful plasticisers and paints or coatings high in volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

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Energy-saving installations

Increasing the energy-efficiency of your home is one of the key steps in enhancing its sustainability. Apart from installing a system based on renewable energy, you can opt for some minor yet effective upgrades. For example, installing LED lighting instead of regular incandescent lights can reduce your energy consumption and increase your savings in the long run. Energy-saving appliances are also a great way to go green and sustainable. However, make sure to pick Energy Star-certified appliances to make sure that they actually are energy-efficient.

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Enhancing the sustainability of your home will not only help the environment, but it will also increase your savings in the long run. From small upgrades to major installations, these features are a great way to start.



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