5 ways to reduce your cottage's ecological footprint

One of your biggest challenges as a homeowner in the 21st century will be to make your homes environmentally friendly.

CHOOSE BETTER ENERGY SOURCES

The first useful way to reduce your energy consumption and lower the cost of your vacation home or cottage insurance is to use better energy sources for your cottage. These may include:

LED light bulbs
Solar energy
Home automation
Other renewable energies

LED BULBS

In the past, these bulbs were quite expensive and of low quality, but there's no longer any need to worry about them. If you want to be able to see well, but also want to be an eco-citizen, these bulbs are the best solution for your cottage.

SOLAR ENERGY

When it comes to environmentally-friendly energy, solar panels remain a sustainable, reliable and increasingly widespread development solution. Thanks to solar panels, you won't need any additional sources of energy, and you'll be able to produce your own energy after a simple installation. The more space you have, the more independence you can maximize.

USING HOME AUTOMATION

If you don't want to opt for solar power, you can install home automation systems. A home automation system is an intelligent device that manages all the appliances in your home. By installing them, you'll be able to automate your entire cottage and set an optimized level of spending without reducing your comfort.

OTHER RENEWABLE ENERGIES

Apart from these three points, you can opt for other types of renewable energy such as geothermal or natural heating. The best ways to heat your home are :

Improving the insulation of your building
Using wood in logs, pellets, etc.
Eliminating electricity and gas

IMPROVE YOUR WASTE TREATMENT SOLUTIONS

Once you've sorted out your worries about cottage energy consumption, you can move on to the second step, which is to improve your waste treatment. There are several methods you can use to distinguish between waste that can be reused, recycled or destroyed:

Recovery is the general operation of reusing goods that you yourself have thrown away. It's recycling through a change of destination. If you do it right, you can do a previous job, which involves not throwing things away in the first place, but automatically redirecting them to new uses.
Recycling is rarely carried out by the owner. There are various bodies that offer to recycle your goods for you. You can also sell your waste for recycling. You'll be protecting the planet and earning money in the process.
Composting involves transforming your organic waste, in the long term, into reusable fertilizer for the environment. Compost is stored in a barrel, silo or heap. This technique is especially useful for the soil, if you have a garden at home.

SUCCEED WITH WATER MANAGEMENT

The third way to reduce your cottage's environmental footprint is to manage your water. In general, this involves reducing wastage and avoiding heating. Water treatment solutions vary according to how it is used:

Consumption
Showering
Work
Filtration

WATER CONSUMPTION

The water you use for your own consumption is the water you'll need to do the least for. All you have to do is avoid wasting water, drink as little as possible without going thirsty, and drink water directly from the pump. For this last point, you'll see several variable conditions.

TAKE ECO-FRIENDLY SHOWERS

As with the chalet, you should avoid using hot water for washing. The issue here is heating. You can choose to wash at times when you can use still water directly. Take fewer showers and try to use less water in each shower.

WORK WITH APPROPRIATE WATER

The solution here is simple: use rainwater or reclaimed water. The best advice is to install a water recovery system. As a general rule, this will be rainwater, but it can also be well water, which you should ensure is potable enough for safe use.

WATER FILTER SYSTEMS

To make cloudy water drinkable, or to avoid storing it in plastic, you can install a durable filter system. You'll find these systems in specialist outlets. The result will be less plastic and more biodegradable materials.

OPT FOR OTHER TIPS

There are many other ways to reduce your impact on nature. After all these efforts, you'll be able to calculate the level of your ecological footprint on the environment, as well as the discounts on your holiday home or cottage insurance. If it's not low enough, you can reduce it in a fourth way:

By reducing plastic use
By limiting the use of single-use goods
By increasing local consumption
By improving everyday gestures

REDUCE YOUR PLASTICS

Whatever your efforts to preserve the environment, reducing the amount of plastic you use in your home is an important step in the process. You'll effortlessly find suppliers specializing in plastic substitutes.

AVOID NON-REUSABLE GOODS

Whatever the room in your cottage, you should opt for multi-purpose goods.

THE KITCHEN

In the kitchen, opt for reusable, durable materials like reusable paper towels. Avoid disposables in general.

HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES

Appliances often have a limited life. You'll benefit from using rechargeable materials with a longer lifespan.

FURNITURE

Furnishings for your cottage should be eco-friendly. For example, what could be better than wood for the chalet?

PRODUCE AND CONSUME LOCALLY

You can grow your own food. By producing your own food, you travel less, use less energy and save money. This initiative offers two solutions: independence in feeding yourself and a healthier source of home composting.