Once considered an alternative option reserved for hippies and the like, eco-friendly homes have since moved from a fringe idea and into mainstream collective.

While most people renovate their home either for their own enjoyment or to increase the resale value, it doesn’t always have to be about the latest styles and cool designs.

Simply by ensuring your home renovations are environmentally friendly, you can save money on bills while reducing your eco footprint, as well as increasing the value of your property by making it more attractive to buyers. So if you’re gearing up to start making some renovations on your home, here are some of the most effective changes you can make.

Solar Panels

Everyone knows the sun is the ultimate source of clean energy, so adding solar panels to your roof is one of the most obvious eco-friendly improvements you can make to your home.

Not only is the impact on the environment reduced, but prospective buyers can tell at a glance that they’ll save money by using less power. It’s little wonder then that solar powered homes routinely sell for more than homes without renewable energy, and are on the market for half the time.

While installation can cost a lot up-front, solar panels are one of the most sustainable home improvements to consider which can also have a huge impact on the value of a property.

Once you start generating more solar energy that you need, you can then start on selling some of it back to your utility provider for use on the local power grid. And if that isn’t enough, there’s also a number of government incentives available for installing solar power at home.

New Bathroom

Bathrooms are generally responsible for around half of all household water use, with the vast majority of it wasted and literally going down the drain. It’s little wonder that many homeowners are deciding to renovate their bathrooms in order to dramatically reduce their utility bills as well as their eco-footprint before putting it on the market.

By installing more efficient water conservation systems such as low-flow faucet aerators, waterwise shower heads, and dual-flush toilets, you can save more water while also reducing the cost of bills.

Even swapping out any old style lights with energy-efficient bulbs can help with the sustainability levels of your bathroom. Whether you’re looking to make some minor changes or taking on a complete bathroom remodel, making the right choices will help your home stand out in the market as an eco-friendly selling point.

Battery Storage

As the price of rooftop solar decreases and popularity grows, installation of battery backup-systems for in-house power storage are also becoming an attractive option.

While battery storage was initially used in conjunction with rooftop solar to store any excess energy produced, they can now also be installed independently. This allows you to use the battery to store energy from the grid during off-peak hours which you can then access during peak hours at no extra cost.

With the greater energy independence of a battery backup, you’ll never waste energy and you'll never run out of it either. That means you’ll be able to increase sustainability and reduce bills while also ensuring constant access to power at all times. Whether during power brownouts, total blackouts, and the increasing threat of other climate-related incidents.

Eco Lighting

When you want eco-friendly lighting in your home, it usually starts with fitting the latest green energy bulbs. But when you’re renovating your home, it’s also a good idea to replace any old, damaged, ugly, or outdated light fixtures, because they also have an effect on your energy use.

Dimmer switches are another good idea to install in a green home as they allow you to control the brightness of lights to suit your needs, for a significant reduction of energy costs over the long term.

You should also consider how you can use natural light to your advantage so you can reduce your energy use from lights during the day. From installing additional windows, replacing wooden doors with new sliding ones, or fitting skylights in your roof can all help create a more comfortable, inviting, and energy-efficient home.

Reclaimed Materials

Rather than using conventional building materials for your home renovation projects, you can use more sustainable materials that have been reclaimed or recycled to dramatically reduce your impact on the environment.

Old timber planks from a factory floor can create a rustic feel, old barn siding can add visually interesting character, and pieces of an old wooden boat can bring some history into your home.

So, whether you’re looking to replace the front door, a window frame, or all of the flooring inside your home, using unique and salvaged second-hand materials saves landfill space for much less environmental impact than anything brand new.

There are many other durable, strong, and high quality recycled building materials apart from reclaimed wood, such as glass, bamboo, aluminium, and recycled steel.

Final Thoughts

Environmentally friendly housing has certainly come a long way over the past few decades. And as green homes have continued getting greener, it’s now possible to save yourself some money while saving the planet at the same time.