It is often assumed that in order to create a green home you have to renovate extensively or rebuild your home from scratch. In today’s economy money is tight and these are expensive exercises to undertake. Not everyone has the resources to spend, no matter how positive the end result will be.
If you are interested in greening your home without launching into massive renovations, consider using energy-saving products in your home. Energy-saving products for the home are certainly an excellent starting point to becoming an eco-savvy homeowner.
Consider these top ten energy-saving products that you can incorporate into your home.
1. Geyser blanket:
Around 40% of electricity consumption in the average household is from the generation of hot water. Electricity is used constantly to maintain the optimal temperature and by using a geyser blanket you can cut that energy usage in half.
2. Low-flow showerhead:
The average household uses up to 15 litres of water per minute per shower. By using a low-flow showerhead, however, those 15 litres are reduced to just nine to ten litres per minute per shower.
3. Energy efficient fridge:
As far as standard appliances go, your fridge consumes a vast amount of electricity. By installing an energy efficient fridge, you will be saving on your electricity bill quite extensively. If you are already running your home off solar power, then choosing an extremely energy efficient fridge is ideal. Any retailer who stocks fridges will be able to guide you to the most energy efficient fridge available as they are graded. A new fridge may seem like a large expense, but it will significantly reduce your home’s carbon footprint.
4. LED lighting:
LED lighting is the most energy efficient type of lighting available for the home. They produce more light per watt than regular incandescent bulbs and last longer, which makes them a more cost-effective option too. Your average light bulb lasts for around 1 000 hours, while an LED bulb will last between 40 000 and 60 000 hours. They operate at a lower temperature than normal light bulbs, which means less energy is wasted in heat production.
5. The Power Guardian Smart Switch:
This smart little efficiency device switches off all appliances when no one is in the room. It is an automatic switch that is applied to each room individually. It is directly linked to occupancy in a room and not to time spent in the room. It detects that a person is in the area in a similar way to a house alarm’s infrared sensors. This detection activates the appliances and once the space is vacated it automatically switches all the appliances off.
6. Unbleached toilet paper and serviettes:
Unbleached toilet paper and serviettes are free from chlorine, FSC Certified, locally manufactured, 100% biodegradable and recyclable. This product is suitable for compost bins and will completely biodegrade within weeks. While this is not specifically saving electricity it reducing your carbon footprint and protecting our water, a scarce resource in South Africa right now.
7. Spindel (specialist laundry dryer):
This is the green option if you use your tumble dryer regularly. The spinning dryer uses centrifugal force instead of heat to dry laundry. It quickly removes moisture from the clothing and linen. It can be used with machine wash or hand-wash laundry.
8. Worm factory:
This is the practice of using earthworms as a composter for your home. You can efficiently convert kitchen offcuts into compost that is then used to feed your plants and garden. Also, you can use your junk mail as bedding in the worm factory.The bacteria inside of the worms break down the kitchen scrapsand add enzymes to the compost, resulting in a nutrient-rich feed for your garden. By using worm composting you reduce your environmental impact and feed the land you occupy.
9. Watercon Superhead rainwater tank filter:
Rainwater is an easy way to recycle water. It can be safely recycled for drinking, cooking, flushing toilets or your home irrigation system. A device such as the Superhead rainwater filter is designed to flush the polluted water that comes off the roof and then directs the clean water into your rainwater tank.
10. Frosted window vinyl:
Frosted vinyl decals, as offered by Window Art, are energy efficient window treatments. These window treatments maximise the use of natural light in your home and insulate the interior of the home. In this way your need to use artificial lighting and temperature control devices is lessened. Frosted window vinyl will also protect your family and your furniture from the sun’s harmful UV rays.