Our guide to being more sustainable at home | Grace Homes

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How to be more sustainable at home

Do you worry about environmental issues and want to take steps towards a more sustainable way of life? From recycling paper and reducing plastic and food waste to conserving energy and getting creative with your cleaning tasks, there are several eco-friendly ways that help make a difference.

However small you might think your efforts are, they can soon build up to impressive results that genuinely make a difference and become second nature to your life at home. At Grace Homes, we are committed to creating sustainable properties that contribute to a greener future. Tweak your lifestyle to match by following our top tips…

1. Support renewable energy

A great way to start becoming more sustainable at home is to choose renewable energy that generates electricity from natural sources, such as the sun, wind, water, waste and heat, rather than fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.

Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels - fitted as standard on Grace Homes properties - convert sunlight to generate electrical energy that can warm your home and power your devices or be stored in batteries.

Air source heat pumps transfer heat from the outside air to the water in central heating systems and can also heat water stored in a hot water cylinder for taps, showers and baths. They bring considerable savings and are well-suited to underfloor heating systems. They feature in our new build properties at Chestnut Edge in Stoke Albany, Windmill Meadow, Brigstock, and Hanwood Park, Barton Seagrave, all in Northamptonshire, and Sysonby Lodge near Melton Mowbray.

2. Recycle and upcycle

There seems little excuse not to recycle these days as nine out of ten of us have household recycling collections - do carefully check what your local authority says can be recycled. Pop in your empty yoghurt pots and recycle any paper, loo rolls and online shopping packaging. Take used batteries and unwanted electrical gadgets and phones to recycling centres or drop-off points. Use this tool to find your nearest.

Get creative with a spot of upcycling - transforming unwanted items into something useful to reduce landfill waste and save money. Learn new skills as you turn an old pair of jeans into a new tote bag, recycle tins into handy storage containers, create a new piece of garden furniture from unwanted wooden pallets, or redecorate an old set of drawers. You’ll find lots of tips online.

3. Make your own cleaning products

It’s not as hard as it sounds to make or adapt your own eco-friendly cleaning products. Use old toothbrushes to clean hard-to-reach nooks and crannies, swap synthetic cleaning fabrics for natural, biodegradable materials and chop up old T-shirts and towels to create new cleaning cloths. 

Take a leaf out of your grandma’s book by using baking soda mixed with water as a gentle kitchen cleaning product that works wonders on stubborn stains; while distilled white vinegar tackles limescale as a great alternative to harsh chemical descalers.

4. Reduce food waste

There’s nothing worse than having to throw away unused food that’s gone past its use-by date - more than 10 million tonnes of food are binned each year in the UK, says Friends of the Earth. Wasting food is bad for the environment because of the amount of fresh water, land and labour needed to produce it.

Before buying your groceries, plan your meals and write a shopping list of exactly what you need - and stick to it. Calculate your portion sizes (Love Food Hate Waste has a handy calculator) and freeze leftovers. In fact, the freezer is your friend - choose frozen fruit and veg - just as healthy as fresh - that will keep for longer.

5. Smart thermostats

Internet-connected smart thermostats can help to reduce energy bills by switching on the heating only when necessary. Costing from £150 to £280, with an additional installation cost of up to £100, the devices automatically adjust heating and cooling temperature settings via your smartphone, tablet or voice-controlled smart home system.

They are a flexible choice for people who forget to adjust the heating or are out of the home at different times of the day and night as they can control the temperature from anywhere, at any time.  In Grace Homes properties, our heating can be controlled via an app and programmed to suit.

6. Unplug electronics

We know how annoying it is to enter an empty room to find all the lights on, but it’s also important to switch our electrical appliances off to save energy too.

Leaving devices like games consoles, satellite boxes, desktop computers and microwaves on standby mode might be convenient but that can drain energy and increase your electricity bills, says the Energy Advice Helpline. Many gadgets continue to draw electricity even when they seem inactive. Individually, switching them off completely, might save small amounts on your energy bills - but that will add up over time.

Showcase your sustainability

Do you have any eco-friendly tips to making your home more sustainable? Share them with us on Instagram using the hashtag #MyGraceHome.

Call for more information 01536 740019

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