The green factor has been the stuff now and then. It is good for you and for the surroundings. Making “green” of your home might seems expensive up to now, but here we want to show you some idea to make it happen. It is not just as a personal satisfaction but also become somewhat a service to the community. You promote the sustainable development and you show it right away! Childrens will also learn the concept on-hand too.
However, you need not to worry on how to make this happen. All the difficult stuff that you might have heard actually is not that hard. Let us show you how we do it. Perhaps as a project that you can finish before christmas!
1. Draught-proof your home
Research undertaken by the Australian government shows that draughts in the home could add up to 25 per cent to your winter energy bills. The solution is simple: ensure your home is draught-proof. External doors and windows and internal doors that lead to ventilated areas are the most common sources of draught. A simple way to check for draughts is to feel for moving air around doors, windows, fireplaces and gaps. Here are some handy tips provided by the Australian government’s SavePower initiative:
- Install easy-to-fit draught excluders on the bottom edge of doors
- Add sealing strips around doors and windows
- Fit automatic door closers to sliding doors
- Seal any gaps between walls and skirtings and fix large gaps around doors and windows
2. Add more plants to your home
Aside from bringing natural beauty into living spaces, plants help to improve the indoor air quality of the home. Plants clean the air that we breathe by absorbing harmful toxins and releasing oxygen into the air. Furthermore, studies show that in addition to calming your heart rate, plants lower blood pressure and minimise muscle tension that is related to stress. They also help us relax and focus, which leads to increased productivity.
3. Install water-efficient showerheads and taps
A poorly performing showerhead can use up to 25L/min. This equates to 125L down the drain during a five-minute shower. Water-saving showerheads will decrease the flow rate to at most 9L/min, saving approximately 40 per cent of water per shower.
The same goes for taps; a usual tap will discharge between 15L/m to 18L/m, and some can reach up to 30 litres. By just installing a low-flow or aerator tap, you can lessen the flow rate to 2L/min.
If you wish to know how much water your taps and shower use per minute, try this handy little trick. Place a bucket under your shower head and tap for 20 seconds and measure the water that is collected. If you multiply the amount collected by three, you can calculate the flow rate in L/min.
Be aware that water-efficient showerheads and taps are compulsory for new homes.
Here we are finished with the first three part of our green house. we have discussed water efficiency, more plants both inside and outside and better “sealing” of the whole house…. Keep on reading on the next chapter for another ideas.