Green

Going Green Can Save You a Lot of Money

Going Green

People generally want to help the environment by using less power. As well as helping the environment, you can help yourself and your bank balance by making sure your home is as green as possible. Some energy-saving devices would be horribly expensive to install in older Edwardian or Victorian homes. But there are a lot of things every homeowner can do which will over time save them a lot of money.

Going Green

Get a Water Butt

Many people love their gardens and want to see the lawn green and growing and flowers blossoming in the sunshine. So they have to water them regularly. That’s not possible if there’s a hosepipe ban. But there is a way around that problem and it doesn’t cost a lot of money. It’s the humble water butt, which is a rainwater barrel. They can be bought at any horticultural nursery or hardware store. They will last for decades. Simply install them under a gutter which leads off the roof and they will fill themselves. It’s a good idea to put them on some sort of frame or solid base. And buy two, as you can fill one of them regularly with water from the shower. Put a bucket in the shower and then pour the water into the butt in the garden.

Energy Miser

Become an energy miser. Stop and look around at all the lights and appliances that are switched on unnecessarily in your home. Turn them off. A lot of appliances, such as TVs or games consoles, are still using energy when they are nominally ‘off’. They’re not. They are merely in stand-by mode and using energy. Unplug them as well.

Going Dual

The loo is an absolutely necessary feature of any home but uses a surprising amount of water every time you flush. Upgrading to a newer model will save you money. Or you can have a dual-flush system installed. It’s not a complicated thing to do. A dual flush presents you with two choices — one for liquid and one for solids. It uses less water to flush liquid away.

Water Heaters

Conventional water heaters cost you money every time you use hot water. They run on gas or electricity that you have to pay for. Solar water heaters use the power of the sun to heat water, usually through solar panels. The heated water is kept in an insulated tank until it is needed. It is an expense to install the tank and the panels, but once you have them the hot water is a lot cheaper. The drawback is that they don’t always have enough hot water for all your needs, so it’s a good idea to have a gas or electric heater as a back-up. Sites such as Linden Homes have plenty of pointers about greener home construction.

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