Going green doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to revamp your abode into a tree house. There are ways of living eco-friendly and helping to save the environment even on a tight budget. The smallest of changes can be made that will have a huge impact on the environment, yet won’t break the bank. There’s no better time to start to go green then now. The following are the top 10 tips on how to go green without forfeiting comfort:

1. Energy Efficient Light Bulbs:
Companies located in the UK have substituted the common incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb that is energy efficient. Energy saving light bulbs last much longer, come in various sizes and are brighter. They also can save the consumer approximately £2.50 per light bulb a year when replaced throughout your house.

2. Save on Heating Expenses:
When the cold weather arrives, you want your house to be warm and cosy indoors. If a home is poorly insulated it can lose a majority of its heat through the walls and roof. An excellent way to save on energy and lower your heating bills would be to replace old insulation with new.

3. Reduce the Use of Tumble Drying:
Tumble dryers use an exorbitant amount of electricity and can be a hindrance to energy saving. To see a generous reduction in your electrical bills, try hanging your laundry outdoors and letting them air dry via a clothesline.

4. Attach Aerators to your Taps:
Put a stop to your hard earned cash going down the drain by attaching aerators to your taps. These wonderful energy efficient gadgets help you to reduce your water bill by mixing the flow of water with air, which allows your taps to have a fuller flow with less water usage. Replace your old taps with new ones that come equipped with an aerator. If you want to save additional money, try replacing your average toilet with a low flow one that uses less water every time you flush.

5. Solar Panels:
To reduce your electric costs attach energy efficient solar panels to your home. The way solar panels work is by harnessing the energy of the sun and recalibrating it into electricity. Solar panels can be quite costly, so before you invest in them, weigh the possible savings.

6. Seal Your Home:
Cold air circulating throughout your house is a sure way to increase your energy costs. Seal any drafts where you notice air entering your home like through doors, windows, baseboards and vents. The supplies to take care of this project can be found at most Do-It-Yourself stores.

7. Double Glazing Windows:
To help reduce your heating costs provide your home with double glazing. Double glazing is two layer glass windows that have a spacer in between the panes that are sealed together permanently which will in turn trap the heat inside your house.

8. Motion Sensor Light Bulbs:
It’s simple to get in the habit of forgetting to turn off the lights when leaving a room which can result in unnecessary energy use and high electrical costs. However, by changing to motion sensor light bulbs, you can see additional savings on your energy bills. Motion sensor light bulbs work by detecting when nobody is in the room and automatically turning off after a specific amount of time.

9. Composting:
A great way to help save the environment is by composting table scraps and discarded food. You can purchase a recycling container for vegetables and fruits that have reached their prime, along with foods that can no longer be eaten. The organic waste can then be used as compost throughout your garden.

10. Collect Rain Water:
Yearly, there is a vast amount of rain in the UK and US. Instead of being irritated by the inclement weather, the rain can be used to your advantage by helping to save the environment and reducing your water bill. Water can be collected in a barrel or water butt that fits to your outside drainpipe. When you see that the water butt is full, reuse the rain water and water your garden.

By implementing a few changes, you will help save the environment while keeping your energy costs down. Search online for more savings and search for a Carbon Footprint Calculator.

Improving Your Energy Performance Certificate When Selling Your Home

Currently in the UK, it’s legally required when letting or selling your house to have an energy performance certificate (EPC) for the dwelling to determine its energy efficiency. By following these easy steps, you’re on the road to a better EPC rating. If you’re thinking about letting or selling your house or are interested in an EPC provider, check out My Online Estate Agent for help on selecting the best one.

Written by Firespin Jay an Eco Enthusiast and Online Property Guru.

In the present time, the world is suffering from extreme pollution problems and hence, people must add their share to make a cleaner and greener world for coming generations. Building Eco House from bamboo is a big step in this concern that helps prevent pollution, as well as control the global warming. You can also utilize bamboo room dividers, bamboo timber shade, bamboo paneling, and matching bamboo furniture to build your Eco House from bamboo. If you want to create an extraordinary look, then you can add extra bamboo décor portions that hold uniqueness and perfection.

In addition to this, you can avail many more bamboo made products to build your Eco House. These products may include bamboo rugs, bamboo floor mats, bamboo furniture, bamboo room dividers, flooring, fences, bamboo wind chimes and much more. When it comes to flooring, bamboo flooring is becoming more popular, not only for its eco-friendly traits but also for its high quality, attractive looks and enormously harsh-wearing.

Overall, your preference to build Eco Houses from bamboo may be more helpful to clean the polluted environment that is quite essential for the existence of humans, as well as animals. You can also find that bamboo is one the most sought after choice for flooring, decorating, and building homes. If you are also an eco soldier, build your Eco House from bamboo for better life of you and your family.

Summary:

Bamboo is a natural and eco-friendly plant. Building Eco Houses from bamboo may be your great contribution to minimize pollution and clean the atmosphere.

First thing is to build your eco-friendly house in such a place that will not jeopardize the environment in anyway. There is no need to a super structured building. All the usual modern facilities can be accommodated in an eco-friendly house.

The arrangement of the rooms is crucial to build an eco friendly house. There is no need to have enough sunrays in your bedrooms or living rooms, whereas your kitchen and bathroom need all the available sunlight. So, plan it accordingly. The garage and the store rooms are to be placed in the furthest corner from the sun.

Place skylight over the rooftop. It will save much energy and bring life to your daily living as well. A slanting skylight facing the south west side is the best option.

Consider planting adequate greenery around your house, if you have space for that. Otherwise, you may use some earthen flower tubs. There are lots of indoor plants available in the market.

Your house should have enough windows and ventilators for free air flow. South facing houses are the ideal in this regard.

This is a little knowledge about how to build an eco-friendly house.

Suggested Reading:

+Best Eco Friendly Homes Design

+Guide to buy Eco-friendly Homes

+ Solar Panels for Homes

The concept of eco friendly house depends upon rational and judicious use of energy and the equipments that we use in our daily life.

First on Eco friendly house plans, we may build our house using the fire bricks. These are special type of bricks that are made from the fire-ash emerged from the thermal power factories. We can prevent soil erosion using this kind of bricks.

Rain water harvesting is another good option for Eco friendly house plan. We can store the rain water to use in future purposes. To do this, we need to make the rooftop in a slanting architecture. The collected rainwater should be channelized to an underground well. A pump fitted to the well will lift the collected rainwater to the overhead tank. Basically it is a process of recycling the ground water. Doing this will prevent soil erosion.

Wind turbine for home is also a useful option. Barring the initial cost, you will get enough electricity to run all your home appliances.

Please find more about eco friendly house in forthcoming editions.

Suggested Reading:

+ Best Eco Friendly Homes Design