This is a guest post from Molly Milson a contributor at Smooth Decorator
Sustainable living is not something that you should worry about in the future because in this case, the future is now.
There are a lot of things you can do to minimize your carbon footprint and prevent energy waste. In that respect, eco-friendly doesn’t only mean smart consumerism and buying organic food. In fact, your home itself can be the biggest source of energy consumption. However, there are easy solutions to this problem.
Take a look at the following gadgets that can help you live a more sustainable life in your home.
1. Use LED or CFL lights
If you want to minimize your energy consumption at home, start with the obvious – lighting. Since you have to turn your lights on every single day, lighting can be the biggest source of energy waste. In that respect, it would be best to replace your regular bulbs with LED or CFL light bulbs. Both of them have their own pros and cons but they are still very energy-efficient. Whatever the choice you make, you will definitely minimize your carbon footprint this way.
2. Power strips to the rescue
If you want to make sure that you’re not consuming more energy than necessary, it’s advisable that you turn off your electrical appliances when you’re not using them. However, turning every single gadget in your home can take a lot of time, especially when you’re preparing to go to bed. Therefore, make use of power strips! Plugging in several of your appliances into one power strip can help you minimize energy consumption simply by flipping the switch on it.
3. Programmable thermostat
Heating and cooling your home can lead to serious energy waste. Of course, you can’t control the energy consumption of your heaters and air conditioners all the time. With this in mind, a programmable thermostat can come in handy and save you both money and energy. Moreover, you can program this kind of thermostat so that it changes the settings when you’re not at home, during the night and during the day.
Also, you can do the same thing with your water heater. You definitely don’t need your heating and cooling appliances on the highest setting all the time.
4. Floor insulation
Proper insulation of your home is mandatory if you want to make sure that warm/cool air doesn’t escape your home. This can effectively lower your energy bill as well as energy consumption. There are various ways to insulate your home.
Your floor is the biggest surface you should worry about since it can trap the warmth or coolness of the air. In that respect, covering your floors with thick rugs or quality rubber mats can help you insulate this entire area efficiently and keep the temperature in your home at a desired level without any additional expenses and energy use.
5. Weatherstripping kit
Sometimes, you don’t only have to worry about the insulation but the air leaks that occur around your windows and doors as well. This can increase your energy waste even more during the periods when you have to actively warm up or cool down your home interior. Therefore, weatherstripping your doors and windows can provide you with a pleasant personal environment as well as prevent any unnecessary energy consumption that can happen because of the leaks.
If you want to care for the environment, don’t wait for others to join you. Saving the planet starts with every individual and their single efforts. If you can recycle and pay attention to the things that you buy, it’s not at all difficult to make your home more sustainable as well.