Eco-friendly homes do more than just help the environment. While their clean, green properties are extremely beneficial to our earth, they also help us in other ways. From saving you money to creating a healthier living environment, a few small changes can make a big impact - here's how.
A well-insulated home can stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter, thanks to the material acting as a seal between the inside and outside of your house. This means heating and cooling bills are reduced in properly insulated buildings, which, in turn, can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Weather sealing homes can provide dramatic savings in energy efficiency while maintaining healthy indoor air quality. It's believed Australian buildings are particularly bad when it comes to leaking air, resulting in draughts that not only drive up heating bills, but also directly contribute to unhealthy living conditions.
Many solventborne paints contain harmful chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are emitted as gases and can damage the ozone layer. VOCs can also contribute to short-term and long-term health problems, and they are often in higher concentration indoors than they are outdoors.
Health effects can include irritation of the throat and eyes, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nausea and damage to vital organs. Thankfully, you can minimise your risk of exposure by choosing low-VOC or VOC-free paints to update your home's colour schemes.
Australia now has a mandatory energy efficiency labelling scheme that means labels must be displayed on all new refrigerators, cleaners, clothes washers, dryers and other appliances. A star rating gives a comparative assessment of how efficient the model is: the more stars it has, the better it is for the planet and your wallet, as your power bill will likely reduce.