Changing one’s lifestyle in order to match their ideals is a pivotal step in order to make the world a better place or, as Gandhi put it, “be the change you want to see in the world”. Needless to say, there’s no better place to start than from your own household. Now, seeing as how eco-friendly home trends tend to conserve resources, any eco-friendly home improvement is also an investment in the household budget, in the long run. With that in mind and without further ado, here are the top six suggestions that you need to take into consideration if you’re dead set on making your home greener in the following year.

1. Replace your bulbs

The first thing you can do in order to make your home eco-friendlier is to replace your traditional incandescent light bulbs with LED ones. These bulbs spend 6 to 8 times less power in order to produce the same intensity of light. Sure, these bulbs are somewhat more expensive but when you consider the fact that they last about 25 times longer, the truth is that you’re still getting a great bargain. Their longevity also means that they produce less waste (once they finally burn out), which makes them even eco-friendlier.

2. Use natural light

The next thing you can do is figure out the way to utilize more natural light into your daily routine. You see, throughout the day, you can often replace the need for artificial light if you were just to open your blinders. The majority of people, however, find this task to be particularly troublesome, mostly due to the fact that it’s easier just to turn the light switch on.

Other than this, by opening your blinds, you can also heat up the place, thus reducing the electricity bill by as much as 10 percent. For the last part to be true, you need to get the most out of the daylight. This is another way to make an eco-friendly home.

3. Generate your own power

Depending on the amount of available roof space that you have, you can invest in a solar power system, thus making your household self-sustainable. In fact, this is something that brings you one step closer to the concept of zero-energy. This is a scenario in which your home produces the same amount of electricity as it requires to run all of its processes.

Other than just being cost-efficiently, this move also has a strong societal effect. Some studies have shown that once you install a solar power system on top of your roof, the likelihood that someone in the neighborhood will do the same practically doubles.

4. Turn your appliances off

One of the most shocking statistics about power consumption in households shows that the majority of TVs spend 17 hours per day on stand-by. You see, in the state of stand-by, they spend only a fraction of the power that they normally would and go into a state of hibernation in which they trick the inhabitants that they’re actually off.

The problem, however, lies in the fact that they still use power while doing literally nothing (other than being a tad quicker to turn back on). So, you need to develop a habit of turning these appliances off when not using them. This is yet another way to make an eco-friendly home.

5. Go with low-flow

Electricity is not the only problem with running a power-friendly household. By replacing your standard fixtures with low-flow ones, you will make massive savings on your water bill. You should definitely start with the toilet, seeing as how it’s responsible for as much as 40 percent of your household’s entire water consumption on a daily basis. Next, you should proceed to faucets and showerheads. These two fixtures are, in fact, so easy to replace, that you could replace them on your own.

6. Clean with homemade solutions

The last thing you can do is consider your household maintenance methods and opt for homemade solutions instead of toxic commercial cleaners. Sure, this is a slower, more labor-intensive way to clean the place but seeing as how it minimizes health-related risks for you and your family, it is definitely the right way to go. The majority of these solutions require ingredients and components that you already possess. We’re talking about things like baking soda, vinegar, lime, soap and similar other items. All in all, it’s not just eco-friendly but also a budget-friendly way of cleaning the place.

In conclusion

The very last thing worth keeping in mind is the fact that running a truly eco-friendly home requires you to combine home-improvement and lifestyle habits that fit this idea. Sure, home-improvements require financial investments which makes them difficult to pull off from a financial standpoint.

However, since they return money over time, this idea is more than viable, at least from the perspective of cost-effectiveness. As for the lifestyle, it requires a consistent effort, which means that you need to possess a no small amount of determination.

Author Bio: Liam Smith is a young and aspiring Australian blogger with a passion for everything related to home, design and lifestyle. He has a B.Sc. in Interior design and is an avid reader.