The reduction of waste, energy savings and the use of sustainable materials are some of the essential measures to put a home in tune with caring for the environment. In recent years, environmental concern and awareness of climate change have changed the lifestyle of millions of people around the world, gradually encouraging many owners to become interested in turning their properties into models of sustainable housing. If you haven’t taken the plunge yet, here’s how to make your floor more sustainable!
What are the benefits of being eco friendly?
Being eco friendly is a new lifestyle in which the environment is respected, being aware that the earth’s resources are limited. It seeks to create a change in our consumption habits to reduce the impact we create on the planet.
Ecological homes are the future: they use less energy and make better use of natural resources: water, sun, wind. In short, they aim to reduce environmental impact. In our homes is where we carry out activities and spend lots of time, so it cannot come as a surprise that, from our own homes, we can help the environment, even just a little.
The main benefits of having an eco-friendly house are:
- Waste reduction: avoid consuming plastics and reusing materials.
- Saving money: recycling and reusing avoids buying things that we may not need.
- Health improvement: the consumption of organic products helps us have a healthier diet.
- Reduction of pollution: if we reduce waste we also reduce the pollution of land, water and air.
Do you know the rule of the three R’s?
1.Reduce
We must stop buying unnecessary things for oneself and for the apartment. It is better to invest in quality and durability rather than buy and replace things every 2×3.
2. Re-use
Do you believe in second chances? The more objects we use again, the less waste we generate. Giving another use to an object that we have used before is giving that object a second chance.
Routine acts can favor both your rented apartment and your family home. They will be of great help to develop your environmental awareness at home.
3. Recycle
Putting different colored bins for each material visually helps make it easier for you and your tenant to recycle!
Small gestures can make big differences
Energy is the largest sector that affects the environment, more specifically heating. Apart from saving money when it comes to bills, reducing heating helps the planet. It is important that there is good insulation, that the average temperature is about 21 degrees, so take advantage of the sunny hours to heat the floor. It is advisable to consider installing efficient heating systems, as well.
Tricks to reduce environmental impact
Although the tenant once in the house can change and make modifications, you can make it easier for them to stay. The difference is in the details. Here we are going to offer you some tricks to reduce our impact:
- More plants, a little more oxygen will help purify the air! Plants, in addition to being a perfect aesthetic element to give life to a home, absorb chemicals from the air and help revitalize the environment.
- Natural fibers instead of synthetic. You can implement them in curtains, blankets, sofa covers, carpets…
- A++ appliances are the ones that interest us, they can reduce energy costs by up to 80%.
- Use natural cleaning products that are not so polluting. For example, using baking soda, white vinegar, salt and lemon juice we can create our own disinfectants, and just as effective!
- LED or low consumption bulbs. Did you know that LED bulbs use 75% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional lights?
- Take advantage of natural light and enhance it. It is important that you locate the rooms according to the activities you are going to carry out and the light that enters.
- Heating at 19 or 21 degrees and air conditioning at 25 degrees. In addition, having good insulation will help a lot to reduce energy expenditure.
- Motion detectors, why do we need light if we are not in the room?
- Humidifiers and air extractors.
- Watch out for dripping faucets! Therefore, it is vital to maintain the taps well to avoid problems.
How to classify your apartment as a green home?
The environmental certificate is granted by organizations such as GBCe, BRE, USGBC, after analyzing the behavior of the home from an environmental point of view. Different seals can be obtained depending on the effectiveness of reducing environmental impact.
A building or apartment with a certificate can achieve many advantages, such as:
- Increasing the value of the apartment in the market increases its rental price by 3%, and the sale price by 3%.
- Reduce the costs of using the building, the energy cost of operation can be reduced by up to 50% depending on its use.
- Improve the comfort level of guests, criteria such as natural lighting and ventilation, air quality.
- Reduce water consumption by up to 51%.
If you already knew some of these recommendations, why not read how to include smart technology and turn your apartment into a smart home?
