Here are a couple of ways that Earth-smart interior designers save energy in your home:
Conservation by colour:
Choosing paint in a lighter colour will cool down your home as it reflects heat from objects or walls that retain heat. Choosing paint in a warmer colour, such as reds, yellows and oranges, will absorb heat and warm up your home. Controlling your interior temperature in this way curbs the use of air-conditioners, heaters and fans, which use up a lot of electricity when in use.
Sustainable fixtures result in a sustainable home:
The most popular and most sustainable material to use for fixtures in your home is bamboo. Fixtures such as flooring, doors, cladding and countertops can be created out of bamboo. It has the look, feel and durability of wood and yet it is a grass, which means that it is renewable and therefore a sustainable material.
Less artificial lighting, more natural sunlight:
Smart interior designers recognise the value of maximising the natural light in your home. By using less artificial lighting, you can save energy and a substantial amount on your electricity bill every month. Using an energy-efficient window treatment such as frosted vinyl decals will allow for up to 93% of natural light to stream inside while still protecting your privacy.
Grey water is still good water:
There are a number of solutions on the market that will capture your used sink, bath tub and shower water for reuse in your garden or for other cleaning activities, such as washing the car or scrubbing down your driveway. It is not suitable for drinking but worth saving for these other uses as water conservation is a priority in our water-scarce country. Your green interior designer will be able to find a subcontractor who can install a capture system for all your grey water.
One power strip to save energy:
We all know that we should turn off the power at the wall socket to save energy from continually running through the cables, even when not in use. This can be difficult to remember to do when you have numerous power sockets all over your home. Energy efficient interior designers tidy up your untidy wires by gathering them into one power strip (where possible). This means that at bedtime its take only the flick of one switch to save energy from streaming through your power cables when not in use.
