You will have better luck lowering your home’s carbon footprint if you take it into account during the design stage. That way, you get to install the most efficient home system and lower your monthly bills.
If you’re keen to conserve the environment, then you might be a tad hesitant about installing a standard septic tank in your home. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean that you have to make do without such modern comforts. You can have your pick from several septic tank alternatives and lower your home’s carbon emission. Here are some additional ways to reduce your carbon footprint:
Install an efficient HVAC system
The air conditioning unit accounts for more than 40 percent of the carbon emissions in a home. Installing efficient air-conditioning systems and keeping them in great shape reduces the home’s carbon footprint. Installing a programmable device gives you greater control of your home’s power consumption.
To avoid taxing your heating unit, you need to pick the home’s ventilation unit carefully. Most homes have ventilation systems that use outside air to keep the indoor air fresh. Unfortunately, this wastes a lot of energy because the incoming air has to be heated or cooled. Using indoor air quality sensors can help you determine how much ventilation the home needs. That way, you get to lower the power consumption, reducing both your energy costs and the home’s carbon footprint.
Embrace daylighting
Daylighting involves harnessing the light from the sun to lower the amount of artificial energy that you use in the home. That helps you reduce your electricity bills as you tend to use more natural light than electricity. A daylighting system has photosensors that regulate the amount of artificial light necessary to light up a room.
Since the entire system depends on sunlight to work, it means that you need to position the daylight apertures, such as windows and skylights, strategically. They should be placed in such a way that they don’t admit direct sunlight into the home. The direct heat will increase the ambient temperatures in the room, causing the AC unit to work a little harder.
Install efficient water systems
The amount of energy used to treat, supply, and use water in a building determines its carbon footprint. Designing a water-efficient plumbing system reduces greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. The best systems account for water conservation and efficiency.
In addition to using quality materials to prevent water leaks, you can install water-efficient fixtures and appliances in the home. Water-efficient toilets have a lower flush volume than standard ones. The same case applies to the use of low-flow faucets and showerheads.
Harvesting rainwater is also instrumental in reducing your home’s carbon emissions as it can help you save up to 50 percent of your outdoor water use. Since it’s not pumped over a long distance, such water has a low carbon footprint. You can use rainwater to flush the toilets, water your garden, and do your laundry as these activities don’t need potable water.
You will have better results if you get it right from the get-go. Installing the most efficient systems not only conserves the environment but also lowers your energy bills.
