How to Make Your Home More Sustainable in 8 Ways

With sustainability and environmental awareness becoming more important in our day-to-day lives, one of the easiest and most accessible ways to improve your carbon footprint starts in your home.

As our understanding of what it means to be green changes and develops over time, we have access to a wider variety of ways we can lower our impact on the planet, from better recycling to smarter energy choices. To help you get started, we've compiled a list of eight ways you can make your home more sustainable.

#1: Eco-Friendly Fixtures and Installations

There are so many ways you can make your home sustainable by making the right choice with fixtures and installations.

Your first step should be to get a smart meter installed. These handy devices can give you real-time information about your energy usage, and you can use this data to measure the changes you make around your home. These changes can include things like using energy-efficient lightbulbs, blocking up drafts in winter, adding energy-saving windows, and more.

#2: Try Out Solar Panels

To clear up a bit of a misunderstanding, here in the UK, we do get enough sun for solar panels to be worth the installation. Since these handy power generating panels were first introduced, engineers and scientists have worked to make them cheaper and more efficient so that everyone can have access to the free, green electricity the sun has to 
offer. With energy that comes straight from the natural world, you'll see a significant dip in your bills from month-to-month too!

#3: Fix Any Leaks in Your Home

Ask anyone, a leak in your water appliances at home is a real nuisance. However, leaks are also one of the leading causes of water waste, with non-watertight plumbing seeing large amounts of water simply disappear. For this reason, it's important to get straight on any leaks that happen in your home, whether in your taps, shower, toilet or pipes.

#4: Pick Used Over New

It can be tempting to always go for the brand new option when buying furniture, clothes, electronics and gadgets for your home. But the sad truth is that the more we buy new, the more we harm the planet. More new purchases push up demand, which means more products are produced and packaged, resulting in more waste.

Thanks to the internet, there are enormous markets for second-hand, quality goods that are still in excellent condition. You'll get access to some of the best bargains out there and help make your home more sustainable at the same time.

#5: Watch What You Eat

Have a careful think about the food products you bring into your home. Try to pick local produce wherever you can to minimise its travel footprint, and if possible, try to go for organic foodstuffs. This is food grown as naturally as possible, using the smallest amount of pesticides and chemicals, which can prove harmful to local flora and fauna. All of this information can be found on the label for most products, so keep an eye out when shopping.

The meat farming industry has an impact on the environment, contributing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and playing a part in the deforestation that's reducing natural habitats across the world. Consider switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet (consult your doctor first), and be a part of reducing the effect of the industry.

#6: Grow Some Houseplants

Houseplants are experiencing something of a revival at the moment, and with good reason! Nature in your home is a delight to have around, so it's well worth investing in potted plants and flowers that will do their bit in converting carbon dioxide back into oxygen for cleaner air. Start with relatively easy plants to grow, like monstera or hedgehog aloe, and then move on to more challenging choices like Venus flytraps and peace lilies.

#7: Help the Bees

Bumblebees are great, aren't they? Small, fuzzy, dashing and colourful, these little guys are sadly having a hard time of it at the moment, with populations falling across the country. You can help them out and support the environment at the same time by planting pollinator-friendly plants in your garden. These plants are bright and beautiful to attract bees, so they'll look great in your flowerbeds or yards.

#8: Drive Less

This is one of the most obvious things you might expect to see on this list, but it's always worth mentioning. Driving less is a sure-fi re way to reduce your environmental impact—you don't have to get rid of your car completely, but for manageable distances, try to choose alternative, greener ways of getting around like a bike, for example, an electric scooter or even just old-fashioned walking. If you rely a lot on your car, out in the country for example, consider trading in for an eco, electric model.

Sustainable Living With Berkeley

Learn about how we at Berkeley Group are working to level-up our approach to sustainability, and discover how we work with the environment in mind. Get in touch to find out more.