In celebration of Earth Day, there are many things you can do with your design or remodel to make your home more earth-friendly.
1. Use renewable resources. Bamboo is a fast growing tree that can give your home a warm look and feel, without relying on its hard wood counterparts that can take double or triple the time for growth and output.
2. Conserve water. There are many ways to conserve water, both inside and outside of your home. Landscaping can be altered to provide xeriscaping, or earth friendly plants native to the Colorado area. Also consider installing water conserving irrigation systems that allow you to control water when we receive rain or move through cold spells. Inside, install water efficient appliances and water heaters.
3. Think efficiency, not size. The days of the expanding home is gone. Instead, people today want efficiency in their lives. If you’re not familiar with the term universal design, you soon will be. Universal design makes every area in your home efficient today, and usable as your lifestyle changes from year to year.
4. Conserve energy. While it’s still important to turn off lights when you’re not in a room, there are many things you can do to conserve energy. Change out old light bulbs. Upgrade your dryer to increase energy efficiency. Increase the insulation to make your house warmer.
5. Using new forms of energy. How about using wind for your home’s energy source? Or using solar to build up supplies of energy? While many forms of new renewable energy may seem expensive now, they will become a standard way to heat our homes in the near future.
6. Electric vehicles. Installing EV chargers in a home is much easier and cost effective than most people think. Consider looking into electric vehicles or trucks, which can help save you money and emissions during your daily commute.
