How Low is Your Carbon Footprint? How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at Home in 5 Easy Steps
Apr 10, 2020, 2:53 PM | Updated: Jun 25, 2020, 12:49 pm
Photo: Ivory Homes
This article about how to how to reduce your carbon footprint in your home is sponsored by Ivory Homes.
There are some incredible ways to make your house greener and lower your carbon footprint. Here are a few tips to have a green home in 2020.
1. How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint? Start by Changing Your Thermostat
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One great way you can make your home a green home is by installing a smart thermostat. These can be programmed from your phone to maximize the time you are home and the time you are away. Some even learn your behaviors and modify the scheduling based on your regular schedule. You can also make a pretty big change by not making your thermostat work so hard. It’s super in the cooler seasons to have your house as cozy and warm as possible. But instead of setting your thermostat to 75°, try dropping it a little and set it around 68° when you are home, and 10 degrees less when you are away if you can. The opposite is true for the warmer seasons. Set your thermostat to 78° when you are home, and as close to the outside temperature as possible when you are away.
2. Check Your Home’s Insulation
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Standard housing code requires a minimum of R20 insulation. You are fine to just have the minimum, but upgrading to even R23 insulation can vastly improve how much of the climate that you’ve set in your house stays in your house. Also, seal any and all doorways where you could potentially have air exchange. This can be done by using foam weatherstripping around the inside of your doors to create a seal. As a short term solution or for interior doors you don’t want to have drafts between rooms, you can use double door stoppers.
3. Swap Your Windows
Photo: Ivory Homes
Definitely a step up in price, getting new windows can help even more than upgrading your home insulation. You’ll want to buy windows with a low UV rating. A UV rating measures how well the window prevents heat from escaping. Typically the ratings are somewhere between 0.15 to 1.20. The lower the UV rating, the better the window is at keeping heat inside. And while you are focusing on your windows, try different window coverings as well. While good windows are probably going to get you a very consistent temperature in your home, some thick curtains will help even further. If the curtains aren’t an option because you want to make it brighter in your home, try some cellular shades, that can vastly help with keeping your internal climate contained.
4. Buy an Electric Car
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It’s probably no surprise that electric cars are on this list considering the environmental impact they can have. They will easily you and your household’s carbon footprint. Of course in Utah, there is an even bigger thing to consider with owning an electric car: pollution. The inversion in Utah has been something that rears its head every winter. But with an electric car, you spend less on gas and also contribute to better air quality.
5. Buy an Ivory Home
Photo: Ivory Homes
Owning an Ivory Home in Utah is one of the best ways to go green. First, every Ivory Home is built with a standard outlet for electric vehicles. In collaboration with Rocky Mountain Power, homeowners are eligible for a discounted EV Charger. The houses have been designed to be water-friendly as well with new water-wise landscaping and fixtures in the houses that can reduce water use by 2/3. You can save up to $1200 a year in utilities alone between the water and other efficient appliances and devices. Ivory Homes can be designed for any budget
Help Your Community with the Spring of Hope Wall
KSL and Ivory Homes would like to honor heroes in our community who are doing good during this challenging time. You can submit an individual or organization to KSL and Ivory Homes‘ Spring of Hope wall, and we will plant a tree in their honor and recognize them by placing their name on our Spring of Hope wall!
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