It’s likely something you don’t often think about, but your energy bill can really do a number on the planet, not just your bank account. Because of the reliance on fossil fuels for the production of electricity, there is an environmental impact on our air, water, and land as a result. However, you can help do your part in limiting this by using less energy in your home.
If you’re really serious about limiting your emissions, use the EPA’s carbon footprint calculator to best target how you can do your part. That said, here are a few ways you can do just that within your home.
Go Solar
Though solar panels for your home is a more expensive decision, the industry is only getting cheaper. Not only that, but solar panels add good return value to the home, as well. Most importantly, in 30 years, the average rooftop solar panel system can reduce pollution by 100 tons of carbon dioxide. Even if you’ve only had a solar panel system for a few years, you’re eliminating tons of carbon from the air, which is incredibly valuable. Especially if you and a few of your neighbors have solar, too.
Relying on the sun for energy is a perfect solution. The sun is a powerful resource we haven’t begun to fully harness. Becoming more reliant on solar energy is how you can do that. Shifting the demand from fossil fuels to renewable resources is one of the most impactful ways we can combat climate change.
New Windows and Doors
Another (cheaper) way to help lower your energy usage is by investing in new windows and doors for the house. Approximately 30% of a home’s heating energy is lost through its windows. That’s about one-third of your bill that is completely wasted. As a result, it’s unnecessarily polluting our environment.
But you can help reduce that percentage by getting energy-efficient windows and doors that lower the possibility for air to seep out through cracks. Using less energy for heating and cooling will result in a lower bill for you and less of an impact on the environment.
Watch Your Water Usage
Similarly, another way you can lessen your carbon footprint is by limiting your water usage. Water requires a lot of energy to be made ready for us to use in our homes, and limiting how much water you waste and use in general can help to lower carbon emissions as well.
For reference, the average daily water usage in a home is around 80-100 gallons of water. 1 million gallons of water can fill 1,000 fire truck tanks or a thousand gallons can fill 100 fire truck tanks, which is a lot of water for not a lot of time.
There are a bunch of options for water-saving mechanisms that you can buy for your home. For instance, buying a toilet flapper can help save water with each flush. Similarly, you can buy energy-efficient appliances like dishwashers to help save water as well.
That said, some of the easiest ways you can limit your water usage is by taking shorter and colder showers. Similarly, using the dishwasher rather than washing dishes by hand can help save water. Another example could be only running the washing machine for full loads of clothes or turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth.
Though these things may seem tedious or too expensive to commit to, it’s incredibly important for the future that we start taking climate change more seriously. One of the best ways you can personally do that is by making changes in your daily life at home. Reducing your energy usage is one way you can help limit dangerous carbon emissions.
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