The perpetual desire to improve your home through various projects and updates is always present, but with the current focus on sustainable living (especially in the middle and upper classes), the idea of green improvements is rapidly becoming more and more popular.
A few of the ways that folks can do these green improvements would be through things like installing smart sprinkler systems, using multipurpose appliances and equipment, using intelligent lighting, putting in low-flow toilets, and setting up metered electrical outlets to find out where energy leaks might be. There are dozens of other practical examples, but these will at least illustrate some thinking involved in going greener.
Smart Sprinkler Systems
Being able to water lawns and gardens is very important. But it can also be extremely wasteful if you aren’t getting the right amount of water out to the right places at the right times, and at the right rate to avoid evaporation and even potentially damage to your lawn and flowers. Buying the best sprinkler system means that you have to take all of those things into account, and you’ll find that not only do you save money when you take this option, you also save water, which puts you solidly in the green camp with that small home improvement purchase.
Multi-Purpose Appliances and Equipment
A heating unit is a heating unit, and an A/C unit is an A/C unit. Until you combine them. And then you’ve purchased a ductless heat pump. And that means that you’ve improved your home’s efficiency, cut down on heating and cooling bills (no more constantly running furnace or central air), and you’ve drastically improved your ability to adjust the temperature in just parts of your home instead of through the whole thing. Wins are all around with that option!
Intelligent Lighting
In the past, a tremendous amount of energy was lost through light bulbs. However, the old technology is being phased out, and new, intelligent lighting systems are coming in to replace them. Low energy, high output bulbs are better for the environment and save you money. And, if you hook them up to intelligent lighting systems, you can change the mood of your home, or automate the turning on and off processes!
Low-Flow Toilets
Toilet are a major source of water loss in your home, especially the older models. New models have different buttons that you can push to determine how much water is required for the flush. This saves you an incredible amount of water, without you even having to think about it – that’s a home improvement that everyone can get behind.
Metered Electrical Outlets
And if you want to approach green living from a hard data standpoint, consider getting a few plugin electrical meters to put on your various outlets. You’ll quickly be able to find where most of your electrical draw comes from, and if you should make any adjustments to what kinds of appliances you own.
