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The Key to Green Living: A Guide for Australian Households

Across Australia, more households are making the switch to sustainable living, adopting green habits that aid in reducing their carbon footprints. This collective action may help combat the effects of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions both nationally and globally. Yes, change is happening gradually, with governments committing to lowering emissions and everyday people doing their part, too.

But what exactly is your part, you may ask? How can you make a difference? Well, this helpful article will share  three foundational methods for green living as a practical guide for Australian households looking to lower their carbon footprint and go green. Continue reading to learn more.

Install Solar Panels and a Solar Battery

Transitioning from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is largely considered to be the perfect foundation for green living. You might think about installing solar panels on your roof and a solar battery to power your home. With this, you aim for self-sustaining power for your property, which can greatly impact your household’s relationship with its own energy consumption.

Solar panels on your roof provide renewable power for your home, reducing the amount of coal-powered energy your home uses and reducing your property’s carbon footprint. At the height of summer, when the days are long and hot, you may even be able to totally power your home from your rooftop solar panels, ensuring fully sustainable energy. Installing solar panels on north-facing rooftops can also help maximise on solar exposure in the southern hemisphere, allowing Australian homes to generate optimised levels of solar energy that they can use to power their homes.

And what about during winter, when the days are shorter, grey and overcast? Well, that’s where a solar battery comes into play. Although solar batteries provide energy-storing benefits all year, investing in a solar battery in autumn, in particular, can assist your household in retaining renewable energy even when the weather is poor and when your solar panels struggle to gain enough solar energy to power your home, such as during the depths of winter. 

As well as reducing your reliance on fossil fuels, installing solar panels on your home may also help you save money on your utility bills, allowing you and your family to enjoy better financial freedom over the long term. If you create enough energy via your rooftop solar panels, you may even be able to sell some electricity back to your energy retailer and have a bill in credit. Sustainability benefits aside, solar panels are definitely an excellent investment for any budding green home. 

Upgrade Your Home to Smart LED Lighting

Upgrading to smart, programmable LED lights is another excellent way to boost the energy efficiency of your home whilst also adding a lovely pop of colour to your modern home. Not only do LEDs make great alternatives to traditional inefficient halogen or incandescent light bulbs, but they also allow you to take total control over the look and vibe of your interior space. 

LED lights are also incredibly easy to install, as they’re available in a wide range of different bulb styles. You can find smart LED downlights, high-intensity security flood lights or even LED work lights that are capable of illuminating outdoor spaces or garage spaces with superb intensity – and with fewer energy requirements than traditional halogen alternatives.

And speaking of these traditional lights, LED lights were actually developed specifically to use far less energy than traditional light globes, allowing you to keep your home well-lit without having to compromise your commitment to greener living. So if your home does happen to still have outdated halogen or incandescent lighting, you could consider swapping out your older globes for modern  Smart LEDs or perhaps even hiring an electrician to install LED downlights for you. 

Compost Your Food and Garden Waste

Composting is a great way to adopt sustainable habits in your garden and reduce the amount of organic waste your home contributes to landfills. This is particularly important as decaying organic matter in landfills creates methane, a greenhouse gas that directly contributes to global warming.

 You can compost most organic matter from your kitchen and garden, apart from meat. Coffee grounds, vegetable scraps, fruit peels, egg shells, bread and more make for great composting. We also recommend investing in a kitchen compost tub, which you can then empty into your garden compost bin. 

A top tip here: get yourself a raised, tumbling compost bin. There are a few reasons for doing this. One is that rodents love compost, and a raised, closed-lid tumbling bin will keep them out of it. The other is that tumbling your compost regularly will help it aerate, which can assist with the natural decomposition process.  Once your compost has decayed to a rich, dark soil-like substance, you can spread this nutrient-enriched matter on your garden and flower beds to give your plant friends a much-needed nutrient boost or include it in potting mix when you’re potting new seedlings. The nutrients in the compost are excellent for growing all types of vegetables and other plants, making your gardening more sustainable and perhaps even allowing your family to take steps closer to total self-sufficiency by producing your own supply of organic veggies.

Making The Switch To Green Living

The most important thing to keep in mind when looking to adopt green living practices is to ensure your new habits are being introduced sustainably to your household. It’s all about lowering your carbon footprint over the long term, so don’t be afraid to phase these new practices or go at your pace rather than expecting you and your family to adapt or action on all these changes overnight. 

This is also by no means an exhaustive list, as there are plenty of other sustainability initiatives you can achieve at home. So if you’ve already made all these switches in your own home, why not continue on your greener living journey by doing some research and finding out what else you can do to make your home increasingly greener and cleaner?