Sustainable Ideas For Home Improvement

he market for home improvement products continues to grow every year. Part of the trend towards sustainable home improvement is being driven by businesses implementing practices that can then be followed by consumers. Many sustainable ideas for home improvement also allow the homeowner or tenant to save a great deal of money.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Many people forget the garden when talking about home improvement, however in terms of sustainability this is perhaps the best place to start. There are many initiatives you can undertake outside of your home which will be equally as lifting to the building itself.

The biggest change you could make immediately is to make your garden completely organic. Grow your own vegetables, use a water butt, and buying a composter are three huge steps you could take to add to the sustainability of your garden.

ETFE foil is a material widely used in the design and construction industries for making buildings with greener credentials. It is now possible to construct a greenhouse using ETFE foil. ETFE weighs only 1% of the equivalent area in glass, and will give a much more pleasant look to your garden. ETFE also works as a natural insulator, so the “greenhouse effect” inside will be much greater, excellent for keen gardeners looking to grow warm climate fruits and vegetables. Much more light can also get through ETFE in comparison to glass, so the plants growing inside will benefit from a vastly increased brightness level and be able to grow quicker and larger.

Heating Your Home

No doubt you have had a salesman from the energy company at your door at some point trying to sell you “cheaper” electricity or gas. Do this yourself by investing in either cavity wall or loft insulation. This work will have been carried out on many new homes as standard, however if you live in an older building you will most probably need to check.

Everyone is familiar with the “energy maps” which show the vast majority of a buildings’ energy lost through the ceiling, so starting at the loft will be the best idea. This will make your home much more energy efficient, reduce carbon emissions, and save you a truckload of money in the long term.

Painting

This sounds a strange one, but there is a huge and still growing market for environmentally friendly paint. This spreads from your normal, decorative paint that you would use around a home, to specially formulated and engineered paint which can be specifically applied to wood to make it last longer. This can be especially useful to those living in country-style homes with exposed wooden beams, or those with natural wood floors.

Make your home better, be greener and save money, with such a desirable combination, what are you waiting for?