Did you know that you can save energy in your home with sustainable design? It’s a very attractive way to reduce your electricity bill and is easy to incorporate into your home. In this article, we explain how to go about it.
Would you like to start building a house from the roof down? Just as you wouldn’t do that, you can’t start saving without first reviewing your electricity and gas contracts. You need to start with the basics; in this case, make sure you’re happy with your supplier, whether or not they’re in the energy sector. How do you reach this conclusion? There are price comparison tools available; by entering the details of your current deal, you can find out which tariffs are cheapest for you. You may conclude that with your current provider – which we assume is the one you’re currently contracted with – you’re not saving money, yet others are offering very attractive rates. In that case, ring your provider, cancel your contract with that supplier and switch to another one as soon as possible.
However, do the same when you’re renting natural gas. You can also find comparison websites for natural gas which work in the same way as those for electricity and which will enable you to find the cheapest price for you. All this takes into account the fact that both supplies are already active; if the natural gas or electricity supply needs to be registered, the procedure will be different.
Join the sustainable design movement
You can now get involved in sustainable design. We’ll give you an introductory course, but it’s up to you to remain committed to this cause. Do you know what this term means? We could define sustainable design as architecture created by nature and governed by the principles of economic, ecological and social sustainability. What are the characteristics of sustainable design?
- Respect the environment. The product must be environmentally friendly and aim to protect the environment.
- Use of clean energy. Its design has not been exploited; it has been conceived from start to finish with functionality in mind and must incorporate green energy sources
- Positive impact. Sustainable design aims to improve people’s lives whilst living in harmony with nature.
- Think of future generations. One of its key features is that it is not designed to leave future generations with a bleak future; that is why it is designed to be profitable in the long term.
- Minimise resource consumption . In order to minimise the use of resources, it is necessary to create products that have a long lifespan and can be reused or recycled.
- Give them more lives . With regard to the previous point, one of the basic principles of sustainable design is the multiple lives that can be given to objects. It seeks to repurpose them and make them biodegradable. The concept of «waste» does not exist.
- Meticulous and aesthetically pleasing. None of the principles mentioned above mean that this product ceases to look attractive or that its details are not carefully crafted.
Examples of sustainable design
- Wood is the ultimate sustainable material. It can be used for everything from constructing buildings to making small decorative items. Its range of colours adds elegance and aesthetic appeal, and it has the power to transform cold spaces into cosy places.
- Furthermore, rugs may be second-hand and provide excellent thermal insulation. It has been shown that homes with this type of décor see a significant reduction in their electricity bills.
- Lamps that last for over 25 years with LED bulbs. It’s impossible to save energy unless you start replacing traditional bulbs with LEDs. In the same vein, lamps are among the items that are most frequently repurposed: bottles, vases… There are endless possibilities.
- 100 % chairs that have been recycled, or which previously served a different purpose. Cork chairs, others made from recycled materials, tyres… For designers, they are one of their favourite items thanks to the variety of shapes and materials they can be made from.
