5 Simple Steps To Renting An Eco-friendly Home
Building a green home, when your names only on the lease.
Rising living costs are becoming the bane of our lives, especially for those of us who are paying for a house we don't even own. Here are a few small, cheap eco-friendly hacks fellow renters can make to your homes to better the environment - and your wallet.
STEP 1 - LAYER UP
Layers, layers and you guessed it LAYERS.
Ditch the electric heaters this winter and trade them in for some warm thick blankets, sweaters and underlays. These are guaranteed to keep you toasty and warm inside the coldest of flats. Better still, delve into your nearest and dearest thrift shop to pick these up. With fast-fashion being a big fat NO-NO in our books, sustainable thinking is all in right now. Vintage furniture, bedding and clothes not only tend to be better quality but last much longer than those of what you’d find in mainstream shops.
STEP 2 - GET INVENTIVE
Get inventive in the kitchen. For those renters with the luxury of their own balcony or garden this is the perfect spot to begin growing your own veggies and herbs for the pantry. For those without, fear not! Window sills are also great alternatives to a makeshift greenhouse.
If you’re sharing your flat with others, great! Cook together, at the same time and get used to sharing the necessities - put a stop to the 8320 different milk cartons festering in the side of the fridge.
STEP 3 - DIY-ING
I'm sure renters are no stranger to the landlord from hell dumping you with two measly sheets of fabric, to what they claim to be sufficient ‘curtains’. If this is you, listen up! Another low-cost alternative to insulating your home would be to install non-permanent window tints. Keeping your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, the quick-fit-trick can make drastic changes to your flats energy bill.
STEP 4 - SAVE WATER
“When it’s yellow, let it mellow. When it’s brown, wash it down.” Stop flushing the toilet everytime you go to the toilet is a great way to save water and I promise not as bad as it first sounds. Simple acts of showering over bathing; scraping your plate before the dishwasher; hanging clothes out to dry; and not letting water run whilst brushing your teeth are all small changes with big results.
STEP 5 - VAMPIRE POWER
Final step to our guide, but by no means the least important, watch out for ‘Vampire Power’. Often referred to when gadgets and appliances are plugged in, but not in active use. Unknown to many, this undercover killer can suck the life out of anyone’s energy bill, with an average of $3 billion in power costs per year. Best way to attack this killer is to simply UNPLUG.
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