by Ben Weiner

Whether you have a family or not, there are plenty of quick and simple ways in which you can begin to save money and energy, starting from today.

One of the easiest ways to save money and energy is with the household chores, in particular, the washing up. If you have a family you probably sometimes feel as though the washing up never ends! And washing-up liquid is hardly the most exciting thing to spend your hard-earned money on, so it can be very tempting to simply go for the cheapest brands, or whatever is on offer at the time.

It can be a false economy to do this however. If you buy cheap washing-up liquid, you will often find that it is in fact less effective than a trusted and reliable product such as Fairy Liquid. Cheaper versions may seem like they are saving you money at first, but you are likely to have to use a lot more to get good results, and therefore end up buying it more regularly than with a quality brand, thus spending the same amount of money (or even more) in the long run.

On top of the money you will mistakenly be spending by choosing cheap brands for the washing up, you will end up using much more energy in the kitchen trying to get those dishes clean with a product that simply is not up to the task.

A quality product such as Fairy Liquid will cut through the grease and dirt on the dishes much easier, leaving you a lot less flustered and using a lot less elbow grease trying to get everything clean. And when you’re a busy parent, that’s priceless.

Photo: ooh_food

When it comes to choosing the flooring for your bedroom, you’re bound to be able to find some environmentally-friendly products. If you’re going for wooden flooring, the best thing to look for is bamboo. This is actually stronger than oak and it is far more sustainable than hardwood, making it a great option. Cork is another good option and it can often be quite attractive. Once you’ve chosen your flooring, you can start looking for eco-friendly beds for sale. You want to find ones which use materials from sustainable sources and look for a mattress and bed linen which do too, in order to really boost your green credentials.

When you’re decorating, you need to try to find an eco-friendly paint to do so. There are plenty of different ones on the market nowadays, so you shouldn’t struggle to find the colour and style you want. Eco-friendly paints tend to contain far fewer chemicals and they’re usually made from plenty of natural ingredients, so you can be sure your decorating project will be as green as possible. You should also be able to find environmentally-friendly accessories for your bedroom as well, in the shape of curtains and textiles. Organic materials are available – you just might have to hunt quite hard for them – and if you’re good at sewing, you could even try making your own using the materials on offer.

With a bit of effort, it’s easy enough to make sure you manage to decorate your bedroom in as green a way as possible.

Photo: favaro JR.

If you want to embrace a more eco-friendly living space, here are some simple tips to help you out.

Look for energy-efficient appliances and devices to go in the room. When it comes to choosing a TV, go for an LCD or LED one instead of a plasma screen. Tests have suggested that plasmas use more energy when turned on and if you use your device often, you’re likely to really notice the difference.

The accessories to go with your TV, such as DVD players and digi-boxes, can also have varied green credentials. Since they all need electricity to power them, it’s worth looking for the most energy-efficient devices on the market in order to save some much-needed money on your bills each month. Some things, such as Sky boxes, have a button you can press which makes it inactive when it’s not in use, and doing this can help the environment.

If you’re really trying to save the planet, you could look for a sofa or sofa bed for the room which is made from sustainable or renewable resources. While this is unlikely to save you money, it’ll help you do a little bit more for the environment.

Photo: elif.portfolio

Try and find energy-efficient lightbulbs for your room as well, in order to make some savings on your consumption. Something like 15 per cent of your electricity bill is accounted for by lighting, so you’d be wise to make the switch to eco-friendly options here. Energy-saving lightbulbs last longer as well, so you really will make some savings in the long term.

Whether you’re trying to be more eco friendly to save money on your bills, or help the environment, these tips are bound to help you achieve your goal.

Let’s say you live in a region where it is cold most of the year and your biggest concern is losing heat. If correctly installed, window shades can be one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent heat loss. Shades that are mounted as close to the glass as possible with the sides of the shade close to the wall create a sealed air space, making it difficult for the heat to escape. During the winter, shades should be raised on the south side of the house in the daytime to let in the heat from the sunlight and then lowered at night. Dual shades are even more effective for insulating as they are reflective on one side and heat absorbent on the other. These types of shades must be drawn all day to be effective and the reflective side should always face the warmest side. Draperies are a very common form of window treatment, but it is difficult to generalize about their energy efficiency as it relies on many factors. Draperies can reduce heat gain by up to 33% if they are medium-colored and have white plastic backings. They are also perfect for summer weather as their pleats and folds lose heat through convection. Unfortunately, most conventional draperies can only reduce heat loss by 10%.

However, if they are hung as close to the window as possible with a cornice installed at the top and the drapery is sealed at both sides and overlapped in the center, you can push it to about 25%. If heat gain is your primary concern, it might be best to go with blinds. Because of the numerous openings between the slats, blinds are much more effective at reducing heat gain in the summer than heat loss in the winter.

But, the advantage blinds have over shades is that these slats and be adjusted to control light and ventilation. Heat gain can be reduced by around 45% when highly reflective blinds are completely closed and lowered on a sunny window. There is no single type of window treatment that can be energy efficient if applied to every home. Your home’s specific insulation needs are the biggest factor, but the type, color and fabric of your treatment all play a part as well. But, with this information you’ll be able to make a more informed decision about which treatment is best for you, your wallet and the environment.

Photo: ambianceadditions

Build a four seasons sunroom will guarantee you a home addition which is comfortable no matter neither the time of day nor the time of year. During the summer or winter months, the weather can make it difficult to get outside and get the sunlight that you need. So, if you have one of these great sunrooms, you’ll be able to get the light that you need each day.

The best choice for your home which I would like to present is Richmond Four Seasons Sunroom. By the way, vinyl windows are a great way to increase the resale value, curb-appeal, and style of your home. Replacement your windows by Richmond Windows also replacement windows by high grade materials. These products create an insulation barrier of air, which provides protection from damaging elements, higher energy efficiency and greater sound protection. Windows Richmond offer many great values for your home.

They are an excellent way to add value to your home. Anyway, it’s not only have you made a improvement to your house, you’ll increased the property value to your home and made an investment into your families future as well. If you want to renovated more options such as panel, roof and flooring, just take a look at Richmond Siding or Richmond Home Improvement for all about it.