- There are a variety of ways to make your home more eco-friendly, including a water filtration system, a sustainable garden, and more.
- These eco-home enhancements can not only add to the value of your home, but they can also cut costs.
Everyone would like to be more conscientious about how they affect the planet. We all want to make sure Earth is a hospitable place for generations to come. And one of the biggest impacts normal folks can have on the environment is with their home.
Many of the eco-home enhancements that can be chosen for your home will not only help reduce your carbon footprint, but they’ll also save you money in the long term while also adding real value to your property.
Below, you’ll find a list of five eco-home enhancements that will help the environment while also cutting living expenses and adding to the livability of your home.
Tankless Water Heater
A tankless water heater might not be as obvious a change as changing your front door, but it is definitely eco-friendly and cost-saving. As the name suggests, tankless water heaters perform the same duty as standard water heaters but without the unsightly, large water tank.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, with typical use, a tankless water heater can be 24% to 34% more energy efficient than a standard water heater. No matter how you cut it, purchasing a tankless water heater is an easy choice for someone searching for eco-home enhancements.
Water Filtration
Much like a tankless water heater, a quality water filtration system isn’t going to immediately add to the curb appeal of your home. However, the benefits of water filtration are numerous and inescapable.
Besides being the healthy choice, an in-home water filtration system also saves money and helps you be more eco-friendly. With a water filtration system, you’ll no longer have to spend money on bottled water. Not only that, but you’ll also reduce the amount of plastic being used.
“Quality water filtration delivers immediate daily benefits that homeowners notice every time they drink water, cook, or shower. It’s one of those invisible upgrades that significantly improves quality of life,” says Shu Saito, CEO and founder of All Filters.
Sustainable Flooring
New flooring is one of the quickest ways to impress and also raise the value of your home. Sustainable flooring comes in a couple of different varieties.
First, there’s the option to use reclaimed wood, which helps reduce the environmental impact and also pays for itself in the long term when you decide to sell your home. The next option is to use more sustainable wood types. Bamboo and cork are two of the most popular options, as they are sustainably grown and provide the same durability and look that you want from wood flooring.
Start a Garden
One of the more fun options on this list is to start a sustainable garden. Not only does this improve the curb appeal of your home, but it also saves money if you grow food-producing plants. We all know that growing your own food is an obviously eco-friendly decision as well.
But what if you don’t have the space for a garden, or you don’t want to impinge on existing landscaping? That’s where you can get creative with something like window boxes. Using window boxes can provide space for you to grow beautiful plants while also adding some character to the outside of your home.
Install a Cool Roof
No, we’re not talking about a snazzy roof, even though this option can definitely impress. Instead, a “cool roof” is a roofing system that ditches the traditional style of roofing to provide a solution that is much more friendly for people hoping to lower their air conditioning costs in the warmer months.
How this works is fairly simple: a cool roof is a lighter color than a traditional roof (which is typically black), and thus, it reflects the sunlight instead of absorbing it. As you might expect, having a cooler roof leads to less heat absorption, which reduces the need for your air conditioner to work overtime in the dog days of summer.
Final Thought
These eco-home enhancements will save you money but can also improve your quality of life. When considering improvements you can make to your home, these ideas can increase the value of your property and also minimize your environmental impact.
