Residential properties make up a large percentage of the UK's carbon emissions and with more people becoming more eco-conscious, it will come as no surprise that the demand for eco home improvements is booming.

Consumers are choosing to lead more eco-friendly lifestyles, with a holistic approach. They are carefully considering where they buy their food and clothing from and what transport they use. Eco home improvements are just another essential aspect to making sustainable living choices.

Not only this, but in making your home more eco-friendly, you will not only help to make a difference to the environment, but you will also save money.

Take a look at these eco home improvements that will benefit both you and the environment:

Choose natural paints

When you are decorating your home, make sure that you buy paints that use natural pigment and that are water-based. Most paints on the market are oil based and are less energy efficient.

Install underfloor heating

Underfloor heating is often overlooked, but it can use around 15%-40% less energy than wall radiators so it is worth considering installing. It also feels luxurious to walk on a warm floor, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens in the winter months. Although underfloor heating is usually associated with new build homes, it can also be installed in older properties.

Underfloor heating heats up the whole floor and so when compared to a wall radiator, the larger surface area that underfloor heating covers means that it doesn’t have to be turned up to a high temperature to heat up the room. Also, as heat rises, heat is more likely to be lost through the ceiling when it comes from wall radiators.

Buy second hand furniture

If you are looking to renovate your home and you are buying furniture, it makes eco sense to buy furniture second-hand. There is also a growing trend for recycled furniture and furniture made from reclaimed wood.

It can also be more impressive to buy an antique piece of furniture with a history that you can recount to guests, rather than a mass produced item from a chain store.

Insulate your loft

Installing loft insulation could slash your energy bills by up to £225 a year and will raise your home’s energy efficiency rating. When fitting your loft insulation, make sure that you use recycled or natural materials where possible, like sheep wool, hemp and wood fibre.

If you have converted your loft and use it as a room, you will need to insulate your roof. It is convenient to insulate your roof when it is being replaced, but if the roof is in good condition, it can be retro fitted.

Insulate cavity walls

Adding wall insulation is on the the most cost-effective eco home improvement that you can make. Many people insulate their loft, while forgetting that energy can be lost from uninsulated cavity walls. The savings that you make from insulating your cavity walls mean that this eco home improvement could pay for itself in nine months.

If your house was built in the last 10 years, it is likely that cavity walls are already insulated.

Install a food waste disposer

The disposing of leftover food waste is a global problem. When you throw away food waste it simply ends up decomposing in landfill sites adding harmful gases to the atmosphere.

Alternatively, by installing a food waste disposer in your kitchen sink, the food waste from your home won’t end up in a landfill. Not only that, but you can get rid of the smelly, unhygienic food caddy in your kitchen.

Replace your shower head with one that saves water

It is common knowledge that a shower uses less water than a bath, but not if the shower is a multiple head power shower! One small eco home improvement that you can make is to use a shower head with an integrated flow regulator like the Mira Eco Beat.

Install Solar Panels

Solar panels are not only an eco-friendly home improvement, but you can also make long-term savings and sell the excess energy on to the National Grid using the Feed in Tariff (FIT) system.This is a government scheme which will pay you for the energy you generate.

Make sure all your windows are double-glazed

Double glazing has come on a long way and now old properties can benefit from double-glazed windows which reflect similar styles and designs of a particular period.

Choose wood window frames, rather than UPVC

UPVC (unplasticised polyvinyl chloride) emits toxic compounds and ends up in UK landfull when it is disposed of. If you are choosing new windows, it is best fro the evironment to select wood window frames.

Use local tradesmen and building materials

When obtaining quotes for work to be done on your home, preferably choose local tradesmen and locally supplied or sourced materials so that it limits the petrol used to go back and forth to your home.

Renew your boiler every 10 years

The latest models of boiler are more efficient. So make sure that your boiler is regularly serviced and replace it every 10 years.

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