Environmentally responsible living
Wednesday 22 June 2022
Environmentally aware, sustainable, co2-neutral. These are terms that you come across more and more these days. Living more environmentally aware and sustainable offers many advantages. So be sure to read this blog. It's better for the environment and your wallet.
Start with sustainable living
Living in a more environmentally aware way is not as difficult as you think. You could start with sustainable and energy-efficient living. You don't have to follow strict diets or radically change your (living) habits.
Insulate
By insulating your home, you keep the cold out in winter and the heat out in summer. You can insulate your house in various ways and places. Think of cavity wall insulation, replacing single glazing with HR+++ glass or installing floor or roof insulation. If you take two or more insulation measures, you will probably also be eligible for a subsidy. Check via Verbeterjehuis.nl which schemes apply in your area. Also check whether there is still sufficient subsidy budget available and, if necessary, bring the job forward or postpone it until next year. Investments made will certainly earn you back (most of it) because they will lower your energy bill.
Saving on electricity
It can be interesting to buy solar panels to generate your own electricity. Unfortunately, the national subsidy for purchasing solar panels has now expired, but you can reclaim the full VAT on the purchase price. Of course, your energy bill will be a lot lower, which is nice with the current price increases.
Saving on gas
Consuming less gas, that's what we all want when gas prices are skyrocketing. With the tips below, you can save a lot of gas and money.
Draught strips
Draughts in the house are unpleasant and cold. Without cracks and seams, the heat stays better in the house. You can achieve this by fitting draught strips. Check all your windows and frames for draughts and don't forget the front door.
A relatively cheap investment.
Radiator foil
Heat escaping through the outer wall is of no use to anyone. Yet that is what often happens. Installing radiator foil behind your heaters will prevent that from happening. There is even radiator foil available that you can attach to the back of the heater with magnets. The radiator foil will be invisible after installation. Another simple and inexpensive investment.
Replace the shower head
By installing a so-called water-saving shower head, you use less water. Because you use less heated water, you use less gas. The investment, a few pennies, is not an unnecessary one. You will earn that amount back fairly quickly. If you also shower for a shorter time than you used to, you will save even more.
Cook differently
This tip only applies to those who cook on gas. Use smaller pans and make clever use of the delayed cooking of vegetables. Try switching off the fire under vegetables five minutes earlier. You'll be amazed at how long vegetables can cook without a flame. Do you have a steamer basket? If you put it on top of another pan while you are cooking, you will kill two birds with one stone.
Lower the heating during the day and night
If the heating during the day is structurally a few degrees lower than what you are used to, this will reduce gas consumption. In any case, turn the thermostat down at night as well. It is now outdated that you should leave the heating on at night because your home would otherwise cool down too much.
Save even more gas, replace your old central heating boiler
You don't have to wait until your boiler breaks down to replace it. It can sometimes be much cheaper to replace your old boiler with a high efficiency one. A high efficiency boiler is a smart investment and is economical in use. The costs for a new high efficiency boiler amount to an average of € 1,400.
Insulate your home
A badly insulated house means using a lot of gas for nothing. See also the previous heading "Insulate".
A number of other tips for living more sustainably
Second-hand
There is often nothing wrong with second-hand goods. They can still be used for a second or even a third time. This certainly applies to furniture. Currently, vintage is very hot. Bicycles and children's toys can also be bought cheaply via Marktplaats or the charity shop. You can often get second-hand clothes for next to nothing and there are shops that sell expensive brands. Join groups on Facebook like "free at ...." and get the best items for free.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)