Happy Earth Day! Time to Cozy Up to Eco-Friendly Home Features

It’s 2015 and gone are the days of collecting our aluminum cans, plastic bottles and cardboard boxes to lug them to the closest recycling center. Today, many of us enjoy curbside recycling pickup and we employ countless other eco-friendly practices in and around our homes.

So, in honor of Mother Nature and her day, Earth Day 2015, we’d like to highlight some of today’s most high-tech, highly efficient ways to live an eco-friendly lifestyle at home.

Whether you live in a newer or older home, it is possible to enhance your energy efficiency. Installing a programmable thermostat is a great first step that is not too expensive to purchase nor too difficult to implement and operate. The bottom line for homeowners? Using a programmable thermostat also saves on utility bills; so, it’s a win-win for future mankind and for the future of your bank account!

Now, let’s shed some light on the next easy eco-friendly change you can make around your home. Switching outdated light bulbs to LED or CFL bulbs may seem like an initial expense, but newer bulbs not only last longer, they also save energy. So, as that light bulb is going off in your head right now, we’re happy to confirm that LED and CFL bulbs are better for the environment and, in the long run, better for your bank account, too. Add some dimmer switches to your most highly-used rooms and you’ll save even more!

Heat and electric are not the only utilities where you can save some green by utilizing eco-friendly features around your home. You can use less water by installing low-flow showerheads, faucets and toilets in your home’s bathrooms. These low-flow features curb your water usage, which lowers your monthly water bills! The obvious benefit for the environment is that you’re conserving water.

Even your appliances can contribute to your home’s energy efficiency. Although it may be difficult to justify the purchase of new appliances all at once, as you’re ready to replace old appliances, look for an ENERGY STAR logo on newer models. They’re competitively priced and considerably more efficient than older appliances.

Now that we’ve covered a few easy-to-implement eco-friendly changes you can make in your home, let’s talk about a few extras!

If you’re considering adding hardwood floors anywhere in your home, selecting renewable resources, like bamboo, not only look great, but also are better for the environment than traditional hardwoods. If you’re planning a kitchen remodel and want to upgrade your countertops, recycled glass is an eco-friendly and attractive option that you can choose over granite.

Finally, they may not be the most high-tech ways to save energy around your home, but there still is more that you can do for Mother Nature that will also benefit your bank account.

Proper home insulation can do wonders for your energy consumption, plus too little insulation will drive up your heating and cooling bills year round. Adding insulation may be a larger project than you might like to take on right now, but remember that your energy savings will last for many years. The same advice applies to your water heater. By wrapping an insulation blanket around your water heater, you’ll help use less energy in heating your water, which in turn means that you’ll run less water when you’re warming up the shower. Mother Nature will see a benefit and so will your monthly heat and water bills.

Once you’ve made all of these eco-friendly changes inside your home, take a step outside! While you’re enjoying the environment that you’re helping to protect, scan your home’s landscaping. Trees and shrubs will help keep your home cool by shading it in the summer and, once the leaves fall off in winter, they’ll allow the sun to help heat your home. As an added bonus for the environment, natural vegetation will help to sustain animal life around your home, too.

If you find that your home is lacking in the eco-friendly department, do the environment and yourself a favor this Earth Day and adapt one or more of these green home features. Mother Nature and your bank account will thank you!