The Environment and Your Home

Global warming is a pretty commonly used term in our modern society. I think majority of people these days have a general idea of the concept. Excess greenhouse gases produced from burning fossil fuels are trapped in the earth's atmosphere and creates a warming effect. Although this may seem like a potentially fantastic endless summer, in reality global warming is having catastrophic effects. The people of low lying island nations are slowly loosing their home to the sea, as are the animals living on the poles who's survival is dependent on the melting ice and there has been an undeniable increase in weather disasters in recent years. Global warming is a global issue and we all have to do our part to help reduce its effects.

Now I'm not suggesting revolutionary stuff here. I'm not saying throw out your phones, sell your cars and start using candles, but I thought I'd share some tips to get your home environmentally friendly. Not only will it help save the environment, in the long run it will help save you money.

Lights

Install energy saving light globes. They provide great lighting without using as much energy.

Separate your lighting. This way you can switch on only the lights you need, saving power.

Buy and use lamps. If you only need a small amount of light lamps are ideal as they use much less energy than lighting up a whole room.

Switch your outdoor lights over to solar power. This way you can light up your backyard using only the power of the sun.

Water

Install water saving shower heads. This reduces the amount of water you use per shower, therefore also reducing the amount of energy used per shower to heat the water.

Buy and use a dishwasher. A full dishwasher uses much less water than filling the sink and washing dishes by hand. Not only will you save water, but you will save time.

Heating/cooling

Invest in a good air con/heating system and ensure all doors are closed when using it.

Installing curtains will also keep your house cooler in summer and warmer in winter through insulation. A very good investment!