Going green doesn’t have to be a sacrifice. In fact, here are 5 ways going green will actually make living in your home more comfortable than before:
1. Solar roofing
What’s more comfortable than knowing you’ll never get a bill from the electric company ever again? That’s the reality U.S. homeowners experience when they unhook from the grid and upgrade to solar power.
Green Residential, a Houston-based property management company, explains that solar roofing is one of the fastest growing trends in the U.S., thanks to a 100x reduction in cost. In 1977, solar cells averaged $76.67/watt which was reduced to $0.74/watt in 2013. As of July 15, 2016, the average price of a solar cell was $0.26/watt.
2. The tiny house movement
It seems the tiny house movement became popular due to TV shows like HGTV’s Tiny House, Big Living and FYI’s Tiny House Nation. Regardless of why it’s popular, living in a tiny home is a fantastic way to cut your carbon footprint and increase your comfort at the same time. It sounds contrary, but here’s why:
· Less clutter: Nobody likes to live in clutter, not even hoarders. Moving into a significantly smaller space than what you’re used to forces you to declutter your entire life. You have to choose which memories to keep, and which to donate. You may need to replace your entire set of furniture with smaller pieces. In the end, you’ll end up with less clutter to kick around.
· Increased focus on your life: By decluttering your belongings, you’ll be spending less time fussing with “stuff” and more time focused on your life. What’s your hobby? What do you love doing in your free time? Living in a tiny home makes it possible to enjoy yourself more.
· Less cleaning: With rare exceptions, nobody enjoys cleaning a large house. How many hours of your life have you wasted scrubbing, dusting, sweeping, mopping, and tossing items back into the closet? A tiny home can be thoroughly deep cleaned in just a couple of hours. When space is valuable, you’ll feel less inclined to leave things lying around.
3. Smart home automation
Have you ever wished you could brew a pot of coffee without getting out of bed? With smart home appliances, you can. Brewing a pot of coffee from under the covers isn’t necessarily green, but other smart home appliances are. For example, a smart thermostat is fully programmable and controllable from your smartphone – anywhere in the world.
With a standard thermostat, you can only control the on/off function based on temperature and time. With a smart thermostat, you can program more complex scenarios. For example, Nest detects when nobody is home and will stop cycling through the set programs. Your thermostat will go into Eco mode, an additional customizable mode designed specifically to save energy.
You can also find smart freezers and refrigerators that will alert you when the door has been left open.
4. Appliances and features that conserve water
If your toilet hasn’t been replaced since the 1990s (or before), you’re due for a new one, and you may as well make it environmentally-friendly. Switching to a low-flow toilet, as well as other water-conserving appliances, is a quick way to help the environment and feel like you’ve just upgraded your home.
5. Upcycling
Upcycling is the practice of crafting something new out of used materials. For example, some people plant flowers in old wooden dressers and nightstands. Others create picture frames from old window frames.
Upcycling used materials to decorate your home will give you a sense of peace, knowing you’ve prevented something from being buried in a landfill or flowing out into the ocean.
Pallet furniture is especially popular, considering your only limitation is what you can imagine. People use pallets to make bed frames, cabinets, storage closets, tables, wall shelving, medicine and spice cabinets, and so much more.
Green is the new comfortable
Who said green living couldn’t be comfortable? Green living is all about reducing your consumption. To live comfortably with less is simply a matter of concentrating your need for comfort into what’s necessary and leaving everything else behind.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
