Tips for eco-friendly Housing
Building in eco-friendly products into your home is becoming common and in fact some are becoming law for new buildings. Not only does it save the impact on the planet and the local environment but each household will save money over the long term that will more than pay for the eco changes. These eco-friendly tips involve insulation, solar power, water efficient taps, water tanks, dual flush toilets, and grey water systems.
Insulation
One of the easiest ways to make your home more eco-friendly is to add insulation. Insulation can be added to an existing home or built in during construction. Adding during construction is starting to become law and in fact for renovations over a particular size. Insulation is the most important factor in conserving energy for a house. It works by keeping the warmth in winter within the house and cold air out. In summer the cool air within and heat out making air conditioners more efficient or you do not need an air conditioner at all.
To apply insulation to Eco Grants your home there are three main areas. The most important of these is the roof insulation to block the summer heat and the winter cold or frost. Insulating the walls and floor make the house very energy efficient, however this is mainly done during building. Thus if you are building a home you can add all of the insulation you like while you build to help the energy efficiency of the building. This will lower your over all energy costs over many years. If you are insulating an existing home it is easy to insulate your ceiling attic space, however it can be fairly difficult to do because of a lack of access.
Solar Power
Solar power, via panels installed on your roof, is a great option to provide a house with its own power for lighting or the full power requirements of the house. Solar power can be expensive and the cost starts around $10,000 for a small two bedroom home to $40,000 for a four bedroom large size home. However the costs depend on the energy use of the family and the amount and size of the appliances used. However with the panels still working well beyond 20years old it is a long term investment. Solar power makes a great choice for the eco-friendly house and with electricity prices continuing to rise; solar power is a great way to stop these prices from affecting your household budget. Grid fed solar power is the most efficient way to have an eco-friendly house, feeding the extra power into the grid and draw power into your home when you need it.
Water efficient taps
It is easy to add a water efficient shower head and taps with the cost only around $100 for the average three bedroom home. The bathroom and kitchen taps can also have aerators fitted to them mixing the water with air and thus reducing the water usage. These small changes bring an average saving of $100 dollars per year thus saving the eco-friendly house owner over the long term.
Rain Water tanks
Rain water tanks are a great way to have an eco-friend house saving you both money and water year by year. Your state government may also have eco grants in place to help you purchase a new rain water tank. The water from a rain water tank can be connected to toilets, showers, washing machines and other appliances not just the garden. The cost depends on the size and shape as well as the installation position and water application. Costing starts around $700 plus a pump and plumbing.
Dual flush toilets
Dual flush toilets are another great eco-friendly tip that will save water and money for many years. These can be added to an existing toilet by add a new dual flush cistern or install as part of a new complete toilet. Most local government or building authorities require that all new houses have dual flush toilets fitted at the time of building.
Grey Water System
Grey water is a fairly huge amount of water per household over a year. However there are now many grey water systems that will deal with the water and pump it on to the garden or trees. Note that this is not a black water system which is sewer including dishwasher and kitchen sink waste. Thus black water must be treated with a sewer system. Grey water is water from:
-Washing Machines
-Shower and bath
Most grey water systems filter the water and treat the Bactria in the water and then pump it out to be used by plants. However not vegetables as the water is not fit for drinking.
All of the above eco tips will save you money over the long term however while most require a cost to set up, However, the long term benefits out weight the costs. Saving money and the environment does require an investment however with electrical and water costs on the rise each household can out weight theses cost and help save the impact on the planet.
