A study by NielsenIQ and reported by McKinsey & Company found that 78 percent of American consumers say that a sustainable lifestyle is important to them. In other words, most people do care about sustainability, regardless of whether they actually engage in sustainable practices or not. With this in mind, here are a few tips that should help make your living space more sustainable.

 

1. Use solar panels whenever possible

You are likely aware that most of the energy we use comes from oil, carbon, and gas. The exploitation of these resources is harmful to the environment and often makes nations susceptible to political blackmail coming from countries that are rich in these resources. By using solar panels, you will not only contribute to the development of industries that collect energy sustainably but also experience a significant drop in energy costs.

Moving from traditional energy suppliers to solar panels can sound intimidating to some but it is quite a straightforward process. Professional installers can provide personalized configurations based on location, energy needs, and property features. It is recommended that you avoid the cheapest services and products, as you will otherwise end up paying for products that underperform.

To find a reputable installer, search for company reviews on Google and other relevant platforms, such as search websites. On Leadar, for example, you can search for business contacts by various relevant criteria, including location, name, job title, company, and more.

 

2. Use high-quality insulation

Older buildings are often poorly insulated, as they were built before building regulations started to take into consideration energy waste. If your building is not built at contemporary standards, investing in insulation may help you reduce your energy consumption and, as such, save money.

Having extra insulation during winter should mean your home will lose heat at a slower pace and be free of humidity, lowering the need to use heating appliances. If that is not good enough, you will be happy to know that insulation also helps keep the cool air inside, meaning you can see better results out of your AC system during the summer.

 

3. Do not use more water than necessary

When you think of domestic water consumption you think about things such as hand personal hygiene, dishwashing, plant watering, and clothes cleaning. However, most of the water consumed by an apartment is usually used by toilets. Most toilets consume as much as 1.60 gallons per flush while eco-friendly toilets only use around 1.28 gallons per flush. By investing in an ecological toilet, you will contribute to sustainability while also paying less for water.

If you are unable to install a new toilet, you may want to consider some cheaper alternatives. For example, you can insert a cup or container filled with rocks in the toilet tank. If you do so, the tank will need fewer gallons to be refilled and you may end up serving as much as 10 gallons per day.

 

4. Do not let your devices consume more energy than needed

It is no secret that most appliances use up energy just to be plugged in. The list of such devices includes laptops, desktop computers, and TVs, to name a few. By switching off all appliances when not in use, you may end up saving more than 10% of your overall energy consumption.

 

5. Drink tap water

For some reason, companies producing bottled water have convinced us that they are giving us a better alternative to tap water. In reality, in the U.S. and many other countries, tap water is typically just as safe or even safer than bottled water and a much more affordable option.

By consuming bottled water, you are not only paying about 90% more than you would for tap water but you are also supporting an industry that mostly uses plastic bottles which are very harmful to the environment and our health.

 

6. Use energy-efficient light bulbs

According to Energy.gov, using LED lights as opposed to incandescent bulbs can help you use up to 75% less energy. Even better, LED bulbs will typically last 25%, which means less time spent on replacing them. Consequently, using light bulbs that last longer minimizes the environmental impact associated with manufacturing, packaging, and disposing of light bulbs.

 

7. Give shampoo bars and soaps a fair chance

Finding shampoo bars is not as easy as finding standard ones but that does not mean you should not give it a try. Shampoos, like body wash products and conditioners, are typically packaged in plastics and some also contain microplastics. If you are determined to make your living space more sustainable, you might find that searching for shampoo bars and soaps is worth the effort.

8. Clean your home with household products

You may not be aware that the products we typically use to clean our homes often contain plastic compounds that are harmful to the environment. Given that there are more and more cleaning products on the market that are free of harmful compounds, it is relatively easy for you to avoid harmful products by reading the products' labels.

 

9. Use eco-friendly materials

As you might know, synthetic materials are often harmful to the environment. Such harmful materials can be the ones from which your clothes and your furniture are made. By learning what materials are harmful and which are not, you can opt to use furniture and clothes made of ecological products.

 

Bottom line: Sustainability requires little effort and will save you money

The media has occasionally portrayed individuals who make their homes sustainable as eccentrics who are willing to give up on much of modern-day comfort in exchange for nothing tangible. In reality, you do not have to take extreme measures to make your home more sustainable.

Investing in sustainability will give you more than the psychological comfort of knowing you are doing something to protect our planet. Since many of such investments are meant to reduce energy consumption, it follows that an eco-friendly home saves money which can be used for something better than energy bills.