Keeping your home warm without harming the planet is a notoriously challenging proposition. Modern technology makes it surprisingly easy to simply burn through resources.
But what if there was another way? Well, it turns out that there is. You, like everyone else, can live sustainably without freezing to death.
Here’s what to do:
Start With Insulation
You want to start by properly insulating your home. Getting this right will help you throughout the year, including the winter and the summer, whether you’re running the heating or the air conditioning. Insulation creates a barrier between your home’s internal environment and the outside world, preventing heat transfer.
However, it’s the sort of thing that’s notoriously challenging to get right. You need to adopt the proper approach.
Use Energy-Efficient Heating Systems
At the same time, you also want to use energy-efficient heating systems. If you can make a few strategic upgrades, that will often go a long way.
Upgrading your heating makes a difference for a lot of reasons, but the main one is that it just uses less energy. For example, you could use a heat pump to extract energy from the ground or the air and low cost compared to other methods.
You could also develop a net positive energy balance by using solar. While it requires a higher upfront cost, it can actually remove your reliance on regular energy services.
Use Clothing
While it might sound basic, you could also use clothing to your advantage. Clothes, like HeatHolders thermal socks, can massively reduce your energy budget. Why? Because you’re heating the person (i.e. you) and not the whole home.
Clothing is something that works well when temperatures are low but not excessive. It’s also a great way to keep your thermostat set a bit lower than usual, allowing you to burn less energy as you go along.
Use An Energy-Efficient Boiler
If you can also upgrade to an energy-efficient boiler, you’ll also find that that helps you, too. The more heat you can grab from your boiler every day, the better.
These days, many modern boilers actually just boil water on demand so it isn’t sitting around in a tank all day, going unused. This can lower your energy usage further and make your entire life so much more eco-friendly.
Create More Passive Heating Opportunities
Another thing you might want to do is to create more passive heating opportunities. For example, you could open the curtains in the day or leverage the power of thermal mass (like tile floors).
When you do this, you actually reduce your reliance on active systems entirely. Passive options tend to have less energy invested in them (for production) and, therefore, cause less harm overall.
Use Low-Energy Heating
Finally, you could explore various low-energy heating options, like heated blankets and hot water bottles. Adding these to your mix of options can make it far easier to deal with cold spells on your own terms. You could also use a space heater if you just need to heat an office or bedroom.
