Environmentally friendly building supplies, decor, and appliances are increasing in popularity as each year passes. Most home lovers actively seek high energy ratings, sustainable building products, and environmentally friendly devices.
There are various environmentally friendly benefits to a properly realized personal environment. The first thing you should consider is the way your interior design makes you feel. Too much clutter and a busy overall theme that doesn’t match your personal taste are not going to resonate well with you.
Apart from decorating your home the way you find pleasing and soothing, you should also keep the sustainability of your home in mind. The ability to minimize clutter will help you break free from a consumer mindset. Some additional tweaks can also help you minimize your carbon footprint, prevent energy waste and save more money on your monthly bills.
Let’s take a look at what you can do to jazz up your interior design in an environmentally friendly manner.
Insulate Your Home Beautifully
If you’re not ready to invest in full home insulation, you can get the same effect with some beautiful home décor details. Essentially, one of the biggest sources of energy waste in modern homes is the constant leak of air.
This means you’ll need to heat and cool the air during winter and summer months more than is necessary. Additionally, the lack of attention in this aspect may cost you a lot more than you anticipate. Unless you have double or triple glazing on your windows, it’s an environmentally friendly imperative to put up curtains that complement your décor. There are many beautiful fabrics from which to choose to add a finished look to your room. Don’t ignore the floor as heat can be lost through floorboards. Rugs always add flair to a well-designed room and you can layer them on carpet too. These details will add a personal touch, texture, and warmth to your home as well as preventing warm/cool air from escaping.
Transform Your Interior With No- or Low-VOC Paint
Volatile organic compounds are not good for your health or the environment. The allergic reactions that these can cause are often very severe in some people. Moreover, these compounds contribute to the pollution and carbon footprint. So, if you want to change the look of your interior, avoid using VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints.
You don’t need anything that poses a risk to your health and the eco-friendliness of your home. Instead, opt for no- or low-VOC paint for all your interior design projects. Popular paints used when Don’t Call Me Penny undertakes interior decorating projects include Taubmans, Dulux, and Porter’s Paint. There are, in fact, five best Australian no – or low-VOC paints including the three we use.
Programmable Thermostats Can Prevent Energy Waste
Installing programmable thermostats in your home doesn’t cost much but it can help you avoid energy waste. Just think about it – how often have you forgotten about your air conditioner or heater and left it on the highest setting? The same goes for your water heater. Thanks to the programmable thermostat, you can adjust the settings of your heater/AC for different times during the day. This is especially important when you’re not at home and during the night as well. You’ll be amazed at how much difference this little trick can make with your monthly bills.
Similarly, new smart home technology is exceedingly environmentally friendly allowing you to control heating and cooling even when you are not home. It can also switch off every stand-by appliance in your home with one click, thus saving you energy bills on sneaky electricity usage.
Change Your Light Bulbs/Globes
You can’t easily minimize your need for a properly lit-up home. In that respect, regular light bulbs can really increase your electricity bills as well as energy waste. Replacing all your regular bulbs with LED ones can solve this problem.
These may be more expensive initially but they use a lot less energy and last a lot longer. In that respect, LED bulbs are a long-term investment that will definitely pay off. You can use LED bulbs however you see fit. They are a perfect match for your gorgeous pendant lighting in the living room, lamps in the bedroom or recessed lights in the bathroom. You can also get LED strips for your kitchen. For the latest modern lighting, replica Tom Dixon fixtures and other Designer lighting, outdoor lighting, and ceiling fans at discounted prices we recommend GoLights.
Star-Rated Appliances
Your home appliances can waste a lot of energy just by being plugged in, let alone when you use them. In that respect, replacing your old appliances with energy-efficient, star-rated ones will definitely minimize your monthly bills and energy waste. Also, wisely choose appliances that can increase the quality of your life. For example, opt for better allergy air purifiers, vacuum cleaners with special filtration systems or safe UV home water treatment for ensuring fresh, clean water for you and your family.
However, you don’t have to make such environmentally friendly investments all at once. Once you feel the time has come to replace a certain appliance, look for one that is energy-efficient. That way, you’ll gradually make sure that your interior is filled with things that you need and serve you well without increasing your carbon footprint.
Apart from green-inspired interior design, you can do a lot for your monthly budget and the environment simply by paying attention to your actions. Buy only as much food as you need. Recycle and repurpose as much as possible. Turn off your appliances when you’re not using them. Most importantly, remember that not every little thing in your home has to be completely replaced if it can be repaired.
Author, Lana Hawkins
Lana Hawkins is an architecture student and the editor-in-chief of Smooth Decorator. She enjoys writing about interior decoration and landscaping. Lana is interested in sustainability and green building, and that’s where she gets most of her inspiration.
Read the other six articles written by Lana Hawkins exclusively for Don’t Call Me Penny here.
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