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Spring is coming and that means it’s project time. If you’re looking for a way to improve your home this season, you should make some eco-friendly home improvements by bringing in some house plants like dracaena varieties etc. Eco-friendly living is on the rise and two-thirds of Americans say they value eco-friendliness in their lives.
With that statistic in mind, it’s not surprising that many states have started rewarding their citizens for making green home improvements. In South Carolina, for example, you can take advantage of tax incentives for having solar energy or buying energy star appliances. Incentives like this are part of the reason people like you are doing more green improvements.
If you want to join the eco-friendly home improvement party, here are five ways you can make your home greener.
1. Use Recycling And Composting Bins
Composting and recycling bins are great additions to your home. You probably don’t realize just how much you throw out every day. Food packaging, paper products, and food waste all add up, and the numbers are shocking.
Approximately 80% of items that end up in landfills could be recycled or reused in some way. That includes food waste, which makes up 24% of landfill contents. A recycling bin will allow you to ensure your paper, glass, and cardboard products go on to lead another life.
Leftover food can also be recycled. When placed in a composting bin, it can be reused as fertilizer for plants and gardens.
Installing recycling and composting bins in your kitchen is a simple home improvement that packs a lot of value for the environment.
2. Upgrade To Clean Energy
One of the most valuable green home improvements you can make is adopting solar energy. It’s valuable both in that it helps the environment and saves you money. Solar energy is a completely renewable resource, and it is the least environmentally disruptive to produce.
Over 2% of the world is currently solar-powered, and depending on where you live, it can come with major benefits. For example, if you’re in South Carolina and you purchase residential solar installation today, you can qualify for four different solar energy incentives.
You can also qualify for a federal tax incentive when you sign up for solar anywhere in the United States, and that’s not the only way it saves you money. Over 20 years solar energy can save you $10,000 to $30,000.
That’s a lot of money to keep just for helping the planet.
3. Install LED Lights
LEDs are the most efficient lighting option currently on the market. They use less energy than traditional light bulbs and have a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. That’s 50-times as long as a traditional lightbulb, 20-times longer than a halogen, and 8-times longer than a CFL.
When paired with other energy-saving practices like efficient appliances and solar energy, they can drastically reduce your home’s environmental impact. Ideally, you want to lower your impact as much as possible when making improvements.
Being greener isn’t the only reason they’re a great home improvement choice. They come in all sorts of colors and designs so you can find the perfect option for each room in your home. This lets you customize the look of your lighting, making each room unique.
If you want to show your creative side while making green upgrades to your home, this is a great option.
4. Get A Thermostat That’s Smart
Smart thermostats monitor your home’s overall temperature and make adjustments based on your preferences. They can be set to turn off heat and air when no one is home and flip it back on before you arrive. They can also be completely controlled through your phone.
In addition to its ease of use, it’s incredibly cost-efficient. It can lower heating costs by 10%, cooling costs by 15%, and save you over $100 a year. What makes it green is its energy efficiency. Turning on and off when you’re not home prevents energy from being wasted, and that’s always the goal.
A professional can install it for you so this home improvement takes no time.
5. Look For Energy Star Appliances
Energy star appliances operate at the same standard as regular appliances but use less energy to do so. On average, they lower energy use by 10% to 50%.
Saving energy is an important part of being green because it lowers the number of greenhouse emissions going into the atmosphere. Greenhouse emissions are the primary contributor to global warming, so it’s important to prevent them when you can. Thanks to energy-saving practices, they have begun to decrease.
Anything that saves precious energy is always a good idea when it comes to making eco-friendly home improvements. That being said, it’s not the only reason you should get energy star appliances. They can save you over $100 a year in electricity fees, and some states, like South Carolina, give you rebates just for buying them.
Be sure to check in and see what incentives you can find to help offset the costs of your sustainable home improvements.
If you’re ready to get eco-friendly today, these five home improvements can turn your home into a green dream.
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