People all over the world are turning their homes into eco-friendly houses, which not only helps to contribute to a sustainable environment for everyone, it can even save you money. 

Here are 8 ways to improve your home, and be kind to the environment.

1. Save water

Water is a luxury we cannot afford to waste. You shouldn't run the tap when you brush your teeth or shave, or run the shower for ages before you get under it. It’s also a good idea to install a water saving shower-head – these have been shown to save up to 160,000 litres of water for a family of four and can be obtained free from some of the big water companies!

2. Get a smart meter 

Your heating is one of the biggest ways that you use energy. Smart meters can be programmed to only turn on your heating at certain times of the day, ideally an hour or so before you get up and before you get home from work. If you are worried about your pets feeling cold, buy them self-heating pads for their beds.

3. Install solar panels

Solar panels are an essential feature for any eco home. Providing you with completely clean electricity, they can sometimes even make enough energy to allow you to sell some back to the grid!

4. Use natural cleaning products

Using harmful chemicals to clean is very bad for the environment; however, in the majority of cases, you really don’t need to use them. Using natural products like vinegar, citric acid from lemons and bicarbonate of soda often achieves the same results. There are also a large variety of eco-friendly products you can buy.

5. Insulate

This is one of the best things you can do to improve your home’s carbon footprint, as good insulation is designed to retain heat so you don’t need to keep the heating on all of the time.

6. Create your own compost

Get a counter top recycling box and start to keep all your scraps and leftover food and turn them into compost. You would be surprised how much of the food that you currently throw away can be recycled and used to nourish your garden and plants. 

7. Buy recycled

It’s a good idea to try to buy recycled products whenever you can. This can include everything from toilet tissue to kitchen roll. Whenever you notice that there is a recycled option available to buy, it’s worth purchasing it.

8. Activate eco-modes

Whether it's your TV, your smartphone or your laptop, ensure the battery-saving or screen-sleep function is activated so that if you leave the room or go to have your meal, your device switches to a low-power function.