A home should provide safety and comfort but also look good. Research shows that a home’s environment and mental health are linked, so you want your home to look good and function well.
With this in mind, you must consider making your home a comfortable, beautiful space. This article will share how you can design your home to maintain comfort, keep it looking great, and promote energy efficiency. Read on to discover our home improvement ideas.
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Invest in Solar Panels
Solar energy is nature’s way of heating your home. Solar panels capture the sun’s energy (even on cloudy days) and feed it into your home, significantly reducing your heating bills and carbon dioxide emissions.
Solar panels are one of the best energy-saving home improvements you can make. They reduce your energy bills over time and eventually pay for themselves. If you’re considering upgrading your roof, you should consider installing solar panels simultaneously. Solar panels are an excellent long-term investment and one of the best ways to greenify your home.
As an added benefit, if you produce more electricity than you use in your home, you may be eligible to receive payments for the excess energy. You could even earn a little money to invest in our other home improvement ideas.
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Upgrade Your Windows
Did you know that 18% of heat loss occurs through the windows in your home, with heat being lost through single-glazed windows at twice the rate of double-glazed windows?
Installing double—or even triple-glazed windows will solve the problem of wasted heat, keep your house comfortable, and improve its curb appeal. So, if you’re looking to improve your home’s energy efficiency, updating your windows is one of the best home improvement ideas.
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Install Quality Shutters
In addition to replacing your windows with more energy-efficient models, it’s important to install quality shutters for windows to help regulate the temperature in your home.
Shutters are a great way to improve your home’s energy efficiency. They insulate the windows, reducing heat loss and lowering energy consumption. In fact, installing shutters on your windows can reduce heat loss through them by up to 33%. This means you can maintain a comfortable temperature indoors without increasing energy bills.
Shutters come in all shapes and sizes, and there is a wide range of colours and patterns to choose from. So, whether you want a minimalist home aesthetic or a cosy cottage vibe, you will indeed find shutters that complement your space.
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Bring Plants Indoors
Introducing plants into your home is increasingly popular, not just for aesthetics but also for improving energy efficiency.
Plants release moisture into the air, which helps cool and purify it, lowering the temperature by almost 10 degrees. This keeps your home at a comfortable temperature, reduces the load on your indoor heating system, and saves you money.
Potted plants can also remove toxins from the air and regulate humidity levels in the home. This helps create a comfortable environment that you enjoy spending time in, and it also means you don’t need to run a humidifier or air purifier to breathe easily.
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Install LED Lighting
LED lighting is one of the most energy-saving home improvements you can make. According to research, “LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.”
Whatever aesthetic you aim for in your home, LEDs are a flexible lighting choice in many different styles and colours. From LED strips and spotlights to grid lights and panels, you will find something that suits your home aesthetic.
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Opt for Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring is becoming increasingly popular. It has the same look and feel as hardwood following but is a more energy-efficient alternative. Bamboo flooring looks beautiful, is inexpensive, and makes for one less thing to keep up with on your home maintenance list.
Using bamboo in your home can reduce carbon emissions compared to traditional building materials such as timber. This creates a long-lasting and durable aesthetic in your property, meaning you need to replace your flooring less often, and your home has a lower carbon footprint.
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Play Around with Wall Colours
If you don’t have the budget for energy-saving home improvements, you might want to start small. Did you know the colours you paint your walls can impact your home’s energy efficiency?
Research suggests that “strategically choosing the colour of your home’s interior and exterior can significantly affect its temperature. It’s been suggested that light-coloured paints absorb less heat compared to darker shades, which can absorb more of the sun’s heat, raising the internal temperature.”
So, if you want a more budget-friendly way to improve your home’s energy efficiency while keeping your decor on-trend, try different wall colours.
Energy Saving Home Improvements Start Here
As you can see, there are many changes you can make to your home that improve its energy efficiency. We hope our tips help you make future-proof changes that work with your decor.
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