Top 5 Ways to Make your Home more Eco Friendly

This post was originally posted here: Top 5 Ways to Make your Home more Eco Friendly

The energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, recently announced details of a “green loans” scheme to help people pay for improvements to their homes to make them more energy efficient.

However, although many people want to improve their home energy efficiency we know everyone will not be able to afford this so we have outlined five changes which will have the biggest impact on how green your home is, from installing composite doors to changing your light bulbs.

1. Change your Light Bulbs

Energy efficient light bulbs are now available in all shapes and sizes so picking one that is suited to your home is no longer a problem. Energy efficient bulbs may be slightly more expensive than normal light bulbs but in the long run they will save you money because they use less electricity and have a longer life span.

2. Buy or Recycle 2^nd hand Products

If you can buy 2^nd hand goods or even recycle old products then it make sense to do so. Not only do you save money but you continue to reinforce the importance of sustainability. Re-using something second-hand let’s you keep valuable resources in use and ensures you reduce the energy and resources spent on creating new products.

3. Insulating your floor

The idea of replacing your floor might seem expensive but if you are already planning on laying a new carpet or putting in new wood flooring then ensuring you have insulation will dramatically reduce your energy consumption.  Reports show that around 15% of your homes heat is lost through the floor, something which wool insulation will dramatically improve.

4. Install a U Value door

In the UK October will see the government’s energy efficiency regulations for all new doors change. After October 2010 doors will be required to adhere to a U value (the measure of heat loss through a structure) of 1.8. Windows and doors are responsible for 10% of your homes heat loss so it is now up to door manufacturers to meet these standards. Not every company has planned for this but Yale Doors are leading the way in U Value Doors as they already have backing from the Building Research Establishment and are producing 1.8 U value doors.

5. Draught Proof your Home

An easy win to make your home more eco friendly is by draught proofing your home. Blocking the cold air that passes around doors and windows keeps your home warmer and reduces the amount of spend on heating. You can use a range of DIY products to seal your windows including self-adhesive foam strips, rubber strips and brush strips (which are useful on patio doors)

This article was sponsored by Yale Composite Doors who are one of the oldest international brands in the world and probably the best-known name in the locking and home security industry.

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