Living in a shipping container home is the newest trend due to its multiple benefits, including its significance for the environment. In fact, several container house China manufacturers are now hitting the global market trend because of excessive demands. But do you know that you can practice a more sustainable living within your homes?
We prepared a list of things that you can do to fulfill a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Are you ready? Here we go!
Conserve Water
Water is among the topmost important elements for the preservation of life. Conserving our water sources is crucial because it is a finite commodity. And if not properly managed, it will result in water shortages that can lead to other worldwide problems. By just being at home, you can lessen your water consumption by doing the following:
- take shorter showers
- install water-saving showerheads
- switch off the faucet while brushing your teeth
- check faucets and pipes regularly
- use the automatic dishwasher or clothes washer for full loads only
- water your lawn only when needed
- plant drought-resistant trees and plants
- use a broom to clean driveways and sideways
- avoid running the hose while washing your car
- do not leave the water running when rinsing fruits and vegetables
Use Lower Temperature
Countries that are not blessed with tropical weather, for example, some regions in Europe and America, use up a lot of heat, especially during winter months. Excessive usage of heating equipment not only increases your electricity charge, but it also increases your carbon footprint on the environment. So what can you do? In line with the U.S. Department of Energy, households can save between 5%-15% on electricity bills once the thermostat is lowered by 10°F-15°F for eight-hours. An eight-hour period may seem a long time, but this is plausible to do, like when kids go to school at 8 A.M. and come home by 4 P.M. Doing this is a good cost-saving measure plus you get to help reduce carbon emissions.
Utilize Your Appliances Wisely
Are you aware that leaving your appliances and devices on standby mode can eat up as much as 10% of your monthly electrical bill? Shocking, but it is true! What you can do moving forward is to be a smart user, and make sure that you fully turn off the TV, computer, and other devices after using them. Nevertheless, if you are more concerned about reducing carbon emission, then you can upgrade some of your old appliances. You can check out many smart appliances in the market that guarantee energy efficiency, such as smart thermostats, washers, refrigerators, and tubs.
Recycle
By recycling glass bottles and plastic materials, you reuse waste resources and enhance their usage. Just like you did when you chose to live in a container house. Keep in mind that recycling will benefit not only you but also mother nature.
Make a Compost Pile
Did you know that about 30% of garbage we toss each week is viable for a compost pile? You can definitely create a compost pile either in your kitchen or in your garden by using a compost pail or bin. Doing this can lessen the garbage thrown in landfills that emit methane gas. Besides, having a compost pile can help your garden grow healthy crops that can save a considerable amount of carbon dioxide emissions.
Install Solar Panels
Having a solar panel system at your residential place can help you reduce your electricity bill. When installing a solar panel, make sure that you place it on a site where it directly faces the sun to get the best value. Solar panels are already emerging worldwide because of the benefits they provide. This is the reason why several innovations, such as outdoor solar lights, solar inverter, solar furnace, are now utilizing them for electricity generation.
Make Use of Efficient Light Sources
You must have heard about the energy-efficient light bulbs and their advantages. But before the rise of light-emitting diode (LED) products, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) were already in demand. LED products, such as LED bulbs, LED strip lights, and RGB LEDs, were quite pricey way back. But the price factor did not hinder the products’ success due to their promising result of almost 85% energy savings compared to the conventional incandescent bulbs. Now, nearly all households are using LED lighting, so why not you?
Prefer Eco-friendly Insulation
Proper insulation is a vital part of any dwelling, especially if you are living in a container house. It does not only retain heat during winter, but it also reduces the cost of cooling and heating throughout the year. Fortunately, there are several eco-friendly insulators that you can opt for a greener residence. They are the following:
- icynene
- sheep’s wool
- cotton
- polystyrene
- aerogel
- cellulose
- thermacork
Conclusion
And that ends our list! Sustainable living guarantees the next generation a habitable world that they can enjoy. Bad habits are had to break, but by practicing to do the right thing will surely yield desirable results.
