You're looking for a way to go "greener" this year as you renovate your home, and you're not alone. Research in 2021 showed that more than 60% of consumers in Canada planned to pay greater attention to how their actions impact the environment.
The question is, how can you go green while updating your home this year?
Here are three ideas for home renovations that can help you to create a more energy-efficient home right away.
Let's get started!
1. TOP GREEN HOME RENOVATIONS INCLUDE ECO-FRIENDLY LIGHTING
One of the top ways to make your home more environmentally friendly is to add eco-friendly lighting to your indoor spaces. Thanks to the introduction of more energy-efficient lighting products in Canada, household lighting constitutes just 3.5% of energy usage in Canadian homes on average.
Incandescent bulbs remain one of the worst types of bulbs to use if you're serious about saving energy. Instead, choose a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulb or a light-emitting diode (LED) bulb.
Between CFL and LED bulbs, though, LEDs remain the top choice for energy efficiency. They fit well in any space, including ambient lighting in the bathroom.
Also, consider installing skylights to allow more natural light into your home. The more sunlight you have coming into your house, the less likely you are to use electrical bulbs throughout the day. You can also make your home brighter without bulbs simply by eliminating your curtains and drapes, as well as painting your home brighter colours inside.
2. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WINDOWS
Consider upgrading your windows as part of your home renovation project to further take advantage of an energy-efficient home design.
Both cool air and heat are lost through your windows, so it's paramount that your new windows are professionally sealed and installed to prevent small air leaks, which compound with time. Multi-paned windows are a particularly great choice for providing optimal insulation in spaces ranging from living rooms to the kitchen.
You can also get your new windows treated with a special low-emissivity coating designed to keep heat out in the summer, as well as keep it inside during the cold months.
3. MORE INSULATION FOR AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOME
Finally, try to add some insulation to your floors, walls, and ceilings when renovating your home to make it greener. If your basement is relatively cold throughout the year, target it for your insulation project. Likewise, be sure to insulate a new home addition well.
Proper insulation provides protection against winter cold and summer heat. This will, in turn, help you to save on your energy bills.
You can choose bulk insulation to trap pockets of air in your home. Alternatively, you may choose foil insulation, which reduces the transfer of radiant heat across a surface that is enclosed.
HOW WE CAN HELP WITH HOME RENOVATIONS
If you're interested in freshening up your home's look in an eco-friendly way, the good news is that this is simple to accomplish.
All it takes is some green lighting, eco-friendly windows, and more insulation to reduce your home's footprint and increase its look and feel.
At Interiors with Elegance in Calgary, we can help you with this process by designing and renovating home additions as well as basements, bathrooms, kitchens, and more, with a focus on being green.
Get in touch with us to learn more about our home renovations, and let's start elevating your home today!