Best Home Improvements To Become More Eco-Friendly

Home improvements are a part of life, but our mission is to do our bit to become as sustainable as possible and what better way to do it than in the home. Whether you want to give your house a minor makeover or fancy a full remodelling project, we have to recommend doing it in the most eco-friendly way and to use sustainable products. In this article we are going to discuss the best home improvements you can make to become more sustainable. 

Best home improvements to be more eco friendly

When it comes to home improvements, no matter how big or small the project or change is, there's always a difference to be made. Although the main focus of this article is to help you make the best home improvements to be more green, there are additional benefits to have. 

Often, by making sustainable improvements, you can actually save yourself a lot of money in the long run. Furthermore, these improvements can significantly improve the value of your house if you do decide to sell it. Here is out list of best home improvements:

Compost bin

Our first home improvement is a small one, we recommend investing in a compost bin which is a great addition to your garden. If you are going to invest in a compost bin with the intention of becoming more eco friendly, why not choose one made from recycled materials, our favourite is the eco king compost bin. It grants easy access to compost through its convenient filling hatches, and most importantly it is made from 100% recycled plastic. To compost, all you need to do is collect your garden waste and kitchen scrape and put them into the composter. When the time comes all you have to do is spread this decomposed material around your garden.  

The benefits of composting are that it is a great way to return valuable nutrients back into the soil which helps to maintain its quality and fertility. The compost will help to enrich the soil by helping it to retain moisture and suppress plant diseases. It also reduces the need for chemical fertilisers.

Eco friendly paint

Our next recommendation on our list of best home improvements is to switch to eco friendly paint. Many people are unaware of the fact that traditional wall paints are brimming with toxic chemicals that are not only harmful to the environment, but are also harmful to our health. These chemicals are commonly known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs and are the cause of the nasty odour that comes with a fresh lick of paint. 

Volatile organic compounds react with oxygen and form a surface level ozone layer. The ozone is a contributing factor to global warming. The problem is, the chemicals from paint that contain higher levels of VOC are released into the atmosphere long after the paint dries, this process is called ‘off-gassing’. Here are the benefits of switching to Victory Colours low VOC paint: 

• Eco friendly
• Cruelty free
• Safe as can be for humans and animals 
• Low odour 
• Non toxic

Solar panels

Solar panels are becoming increasingly popular in the UK, millions of homeowners are interested in installing solar panels and it's no surprise with all of the benefits. We do admit that they aren't the most aesthetically pleasing addition to your home, and they are weather dependent, but the positives most definitely outweigh the negatives. Here are some of the advantages of using solar panels:

• Renewable energy
• Reduced energy bills
• Low maintenance costs
• Sell back electricity
• Independent of grid
• Improves house value

The reason why solar panels had to be included on our list of best home improvements to become more environmentally friendly is mainly due to the fact that they produce renewable energy. Switching to solar cuts your carbon footprint and solar power does not emit any harmful CO2 or other pollutants into the atmosphere.

Insulation 

Although you might have heard this one before, it would be wrong not to include it because it truly does make all the difference. Without proper insulation, heat will quickly escape through the walls of your house. If your house was built any time before the 1990s, the chances are the walls will have cavities and gaps. If you are on a budget, the best thing you can do to keep more heat inside your home is to fill these gaps with eco-friendly insulation. If you want the full works we suggest completely insulating internal and external walls which will give you the best results. 

Another way you can insulate your walls is with Wallrock Thermal Liners. These liners are made from a technologically advanced thermal material that is bonded to high quality lining paper. The paper creates a warm blanket for your walls and ceilings helping to significantly reduce the time it takes to heat a room. What's more is that the Wallrock Thermal Liners can stop heat escaping through walls. The huge amount of heat they offer can save you money in the long run by reducing your heating bills. 

Ultimately, insulation upgrades are a great way to reduce energy consumption. It reduces the need for gas, fuel and electricity used to heat and cool your home, you are reducing the emissions of pollutants. 

Triple glazed windows

Next on the list of best home improvements you can make to have a more eco friendly home is triple glazed windows. Although we admit that typically you can expect to spend more on a triple glazed window that looks identical to a double glazed window. In the long term however, a triple glazed window is a great way to insulate your home. This is because it has an extra layer making it more difficult for heat to escape allowing you to maintain the temperature in your home in the most effortless way possible. Triple glazed windows do not just prevent waste, they also save you money in the long run.

Summary of best home improvements 

One of the best ways to become more eco friendly is to follow our recommendations of the best home improvements. This is because eco-friendly home improvements are not only good for the environment but they also save you money in the long run. Furthermore, once you have made the home improvements, they don’t require much thought afterwards meaning they are a relatively effortless lifestyle change.