Renovations are a fantastic way to modernise your home and increase its value. Whether you want to focus on a particular room of the house or are looking to revamp the entire property completely, there are lots of ways to do it. Renovations let you put your own personal style and ideas into your home and are usually cheaper and easier than simply buying a new property.
One thing that many homeowners overlook when carrying out renovation work is whether the work they’re doing is eco-friendly. In the modern world, it’s more important than ever to consider our impact on the environment and take steps to reduce our carbon footprint where possible. In this article, you’ll learn more about how to make sure your home renovation project is eco-friendly.
Limiting Material Wastage
Perhaps the biggest environmental impact of any kind of construction project is the amount of materials that are often wasted. Wood, concrete, glass, metal and other materials all require energy and natural resources to produce. Wasting them means a larger than necessary impact on the environment, and it’s really easy to avoid.
Before you start work, make sure you look at ways you can cut down on wastage. For example, using superior self tapping screws from RS means you won’t have to use as many. Making sure your measurements are all correct will mean you don’t waste any wood. Using the right type of concrete may also limit the amount that is wasted.
When you’re renovating, you should also try to see what can be salvaged from the original work. Don’t just throw everything out. Look for ways you can reuse and recycle materials and other aspects of the building. You can further reduce your environmental impact by using recycled materials or materials from sustainable sources when completing any work.
Avoid Energy Leaks
When you’re renovating your home, it’s a good idea to have it assessed first to get an energy efficiency rating. This will look at the amount of energy your home uses and how much is wasted. Our homes waste a lot of energy, often through lack of insulation, and this brings the efficiency down and means you’re using more power.
When completing the renovation work, look at areas where you can improve energy efficiency and try to focus on those. Improving insulation and reducing the amount of heat lost is one of the fastest ways to improve your home’s efficiency rating. Not only that, but this will also save you money on heating costs in the long run.
The best way to improve insulation is by using blow-in materials inside the exterior walls of your home. Make sure you opt for eco-friendly materials rather than fibreglass. Good options include castor oil and cellulose.
Heating and Cooling
If you’re doing a whole home renovation, you should also consider updating the heating and cooling systems of your property. Most homes in the UK don’t have very good cooling, and many central heating systems are also outdated. Heating your home will account for around 55% of your total energy bill, and an electric heat pump is a great way to save costs.
Heat pumps absorb heat from the air and use it to heat and pressurise a liquid, which then turns into a gas and provides heat for the home. It has the added impact of providing cooling too, although you need to make sure your home is very well insulated for it to be effective.
Another thing to think about is installing solar panels on your home. The costs involved are reducing every year, and they’re an excellent way to minimise your energy usage. Additional power will be sent to the grid, but you can also store it with the right battery system.