The green home movement has been spreading throughout Canada, but many homeowners still believe that it is a lifestyle only available to the super wealthy. This mentality is not just untrue, but it is also hurting an otherwise world-changing industry. What most homeowners don't know is that there are hundreds of affordable ways to improve your home's environmental impact. From simple lighting to reusable plastic products, every homeowner has access to green home solutions.
Solar Powered Candles
Installing solar panels that will power your entire home can be expensive and out of reach for many families, but that does not mean that you should avoid all solar powered devices. Hanging solar powered candles are a hot new trend. They can be seen hanging from porches across the country. These candles require such a small amount of solar power that it makes traditional non-solar porch lighting products seem primitive and wasteful. A hanging solar candle will usually cost no more than $30 to $40, but they require no electrical power and will last for many years to come.
Low-Flow Showerheads
Low flow showerheads not only save water, but they save energy as well. Using a low flow showerhead will provide you with the same quality showering experience while using only half the water of a traditional showerhead. This adds up over time, cutting out a huge percentage of your yearly water consumption. Now figure in the amount of energy that it takes to heat that water, and your savings will skyrocket. Water heating usually makes up for a large percentage of a home's energy consumption, but it does not have to be that way. Low flow showerheads are inexpensive and pay for themselves in no time.
Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Cleaning products have been a major burden on the environment since their conception. However, there are plenty of innovative new companies developing natural products that work well and have little or no negative impact on the environment. Natural laundry detergents have advanced a lot since the idea first came about. New formulas are being developed every year, using all-natural ingredients that manage to clean as well as their chemical filled counterparts. The same goes for wood and counter cleaner sprays and stain removers. Some of these products may cost a little more than their dangerous competitors, but you will be doing the world a favor by making the switch.
Various Kitchen Items
There are tons of little items we use every day that often go unnoticed. From coffee filters to plastic wrap, everything that goes into the trash can will end up in a landfill. Luckily, most of these products can be reusable. Instead of using plastic wrap to store uneaten food, get a reusable container. Rather than throwing out a coffee filter every morning, there are durable filters designed to be reused for years after purchase. These are the little things that many homeowners forget about, but they add up over time. Pay attention to what you use on a daily basis and decide for yourself what you should change to have a green home.
Tim Smith writes for Modernize.
Bo Kauffmann is a residential real estate agent with over 18 yrs experience in helping buyers and sellers achieve their goals. Inducted into the REMAX Hall of Fame in 2010 and receiving the REMAX Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, Bo has sold over 500 houses and condos in the Greater Winnipeg market. He is an accredited buyer representative (A.B.R.) and a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist.
Bo provides exceptional service to First-Time Home-Buyers, Seniors looking to downsize and Home Sellers of all ages.
He can be reached easily By E-Mail or call/text him Call/Text Here Our Latest Web-Stories
Never miss an episode of our real estate podcast.
Install our FREE Podcast App available on iOS and Android.
For your Apple Devices, click here to install our iOS App.
For your Android Devices, click here to install our Android App.
Check my videos on Youtube
To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
