How To Make Your House More Sustainable For Working From Home

Julie Starr • Jun 28, 2021



With more people now working from home and this now becoming a standard practice for companies. You may be considering how to adjust your house to make it more sustainable and to make your house more eco-friendly to support this new permanent working location. 

Of course, you may choose to move and buying new eco-homes being built which offer fantastic steps towards making the country more carbon friendly. But, of course, this isn’t always the preferred option, especially with many gorgeous homes already built.  So when it comes to renovating and making changes to one of these pre-existing houses from taking pre-construction planning , perhaps even adding an extension to house your home office, there are so many eco-friendly suggestions to bear in mind. 

Upgrade Your Insulation

Having good insulation is the first step to making your home sustainable. There is very little point in making further changes to your home if heat is being lost constantly due to poor insulation. It really is an easy change to make as well. With a few materials from sheep’s wool to foam, you can insulate your walls and loft quite cheaply, which will stop heat the leaving your home and saving your energy costs. Alternatively, if your building is not compatible with this insulation you could consider external insulation which is fixed to the existing external walls and then rendered. 

Upgrade Your Windows

With more people working from home finding sustainable home practices isn’t the only consideration to be made. With more time being spent in your home surrounding it is now more important to ensure that the energy you are using is being used wisely. With that in mind, it is important to check your windows and upgrade them to ensure the heat is staying in the house and not escaping and more energy is being used than needed. With options such as double and even triple glazing, your home can become more insulated and less heat waste will be lost. 

Turn Down The Thermostat

By having a better-insulated house your home will stay warmer for longer, even in those colder months, but by putting your thermostat slightly lower, you will instantly be cutting your carbon emissions and also your bill. Another benefit when working from home is that you have the luxury of being able to layer up and apply additional clothing to keep you warm and to save on the need to put the heating up. 

Store Documents Electronically

By opting now to print documents and choosing to store them electronically is an easy way to make your working activities more eco-friendly. Not only will it save on electricity usage, paper waste but it all saves on the cost of printer cartridges. Of course, there may be occasions where you need to print, just ensure that you can consider all available alternatives firsts. Electronically storing documents is just as effective as having a paper copy and sending emails is quicker than printing and posting letters. You may be surprised at how these changes are not only eco-friendly but can save time as well.

Simple Steps To Make Your Office Space More Eco-Friendly

By Julie Starr • 07 Oct, 2024
Becoming more eco-friendly and running a greener business is a responsibility that business owners really need to think more about. The good news is that if you spend a lot of time in your office, there are plenty of ways to make it more eco-friendly without having to overhaul everything and start again (which isn’t just disruptive, but expensive too). So, if you’re ready to get started, here are some simple steps to make your office space more eco-friendly; read on to find out more. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting This idea is a simple one that you can do no matter what else might be on your list of tasks - it’s quick, easy, and really makes a difference; change your light bulbs to something more energy efficient. If you’re still using traditional fluorescent bulbs, it’s time to upgrade to LED which doesn’t just last longer, but also uses a lot less energy. They’re easy to install and they’ll help you cut down on your office’s energy usage almost instantly. If possible, you should make the most of natural light too, so think about rearranging your workspace to let in more sunlight, which saves energy and can boost your mood - it’s a win-win that you can do right away. Prioritize Air Quality The air you breathe matters, and keeping it clean can do wonders for your health and the planet. One way to improve air quality is by adding plants to your workspace because plants are natural air purifiers, and as a bonus, they’ll make your office feel more inviting. Another great idea is to make sure your office’s HVAC system is working efficiently, and having air duct cleaning done by professionals is an easy step you can take to improve air quality and ensure your heating and cooling systems aren’t wasting energy. Clean air ducts mean cleaner air, less strain on your system, and even lower energy bills, so it’s a simple but really effective thing to do. Switch To Reusable Products If your office is still stocking up on single-use plastic items, it’s time for a change - swap your disposable cups, utensils, and plates for reusable ones and you’ll be surprised at how much waste to eliminate. And what about encouraging people to bring their own mugs and water bottles to work? Give them tea, coffee, and water to refill everything with, and you’ll be doing your bit to help the planet and have less waste to deal with as well. And don’t stop with these things either - there are loads of reusable products that could be useful in your office. You could have refillable pens and ink cartridges for your printer, for example. Go Paperless Speaking of your printer, is that an office machine you actually need? If you were to go digital and aim for a paperless office , you might be able to do away with the printer, which means less money spent on ink and paper, and less energy used altogether. You should be able to set up a system where documents can be shared online and stored electronically, and there are plenty of tools around to help you do exactly that (and much more). If you don’t need to print something and you don’t need a physical copy of a document, don’t make one - just use the digital version instead and you’ll be a lot more eco-friendly.

3 Most Unsustainable Industries & What They're Doing To Be More Eco-Conscious

By Julie Starr • 04 Oct, 2024
Sustainability often gets pushed on the common person. Joe Public is told to be more sustainable with their daily habits as the government pushes for more eco-friendly measures. This is all well and good - but does it really matter when 71% of greenhouse gas emissions come from just 100 companies around the world? Small business owners are desperate to prove their sustainability, but what are bigger companies in some of the most polluting industries doing to help? We’ve taken three of the least sustainable sectors on the planet and explored the unique ways they’re trying to cut down on emissions and be more eco-friendly. Mining Any industry revolving around drilling underground will not be very environmentally friendly! Mining causes a lot of pollution, but its unsustainability often comes from the way it damages local environments and ecosystems. So, what is this industry doing to change things? It’s largely focusing on more responsible mining practices to reduce waste and mitigate the impact on local environments. This is done through mining dust suppression systems to prevent airborne pollution, reforesting mining sites when they’re no longer in use, and recycling as many materials as possible. Is it perfect? No, but it’s a step in the right direction. Fossil Fuels Shock horror; the fossil fuels industry is the most damaging to our environment. Finding ways to change the scope of this sector is the key to ensuring a better future for all. Some companies in this industry are trying to do this through carbon capture and storage. This is a technique where CO2 emissions are captured before they’re released into the atmosphere and stored underground. Realistically, the main thing fossil fuel companies should be doing is pushing for more renewable energy sources. Many are doing this - though reports suggest they’re not investing as much as they should. If fossil fuel companies dumped more money into developing biofuels and other renewable sources, pollution from this industry would drop dramatically. Fashion The most unbelievable stat to take from this post is that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of our global carbon footprint . That’s remarkable (and worrying), considering how most of us don’t view it as a “dangerous” industry. Fast fashion is the main problem; poorly-made goods are pumped out at a rapid rate, and consumers constantly buy new things. Fashion companies are trying their best to resolve this. Most big brands will now have sustainable lines using recyclable materials. Consumers also hold the key to solving this problem: stop buying new clothes all the time and wear yours for longer. Or buy pre-owned clothes to slow down the fashion production line. Companies can still do more as well: they are trying to adopt more eco-friendly production processes that use less water and energy. The moral of this post is that everyone can do their bit to fight for a more sustainable future. Keep this in mind for your small business . It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; there will always be ways to promote eco-friendly practices.
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