As the cost of living rises, even to the point of being described as a crisis, residents are seeking all possible methods to help them reduce monthly costs. Thankfully, there are a number of ways that this can be achieved, with many cost-saving practices stemming from within the home.
Even those who feel comfortable as energy and food costs rise can still enjoy the benefits of money-saving home design and investments, while those who are most in need will find even small adjustments can make a significant difference. To show you how, we’re sharing five ways that a home’s design can help you to save money.
Smart Technology
While smart home gadgets do have an initial cost, they will, over time, offer a return on investment. Smart plugs, boilers, and lights, for example, can be monitored and adjusted when away from the property, ensuring that devices are never left on while the property is empty. They can also be programmed to automatically switch off when residents leave. Such small changes have the potential help to significantly reduce living costs over time.
Fabrics
The fabrics that we use to design our homes also aid its warmth. From carpets and rugs to duvets and blankets, insulation goes beyond a property’s walls and can be supported with the inclusion of fabrics. Curtains, for example, can be effective insulators when designed with heavy fabric, keeping draughts from entering living spaces.
Carpets may not be as effective an insulator as we believe but they can easily be used to cover underfloor, or under-carpet, insulation, which is greatly effective in keeping a home warm.
Garden Growth
If a home has a garden space, it has the ability to begin reducing a resident’s food bills. Growing even a small amount of ingredients, from vegetables to herbs, can help residents to save on their weekly shop while also improving nutrition, revitalising diet, and even being a fun activity for groups to enjoy.
Homeowners may also want to invest in outbuildings, such as log cabins and greenhouses, as these can easily become larders for food storage and platforms for growing throughout winter.
Sustainability Efforts
Occasionally, the act of reducing one’s cost of living and improving the environment go hand-in-hand. When it comes to the home, there are certain practices, such as collecting rainwater, that can exemplify this. Residents can collect rainwater and use it to replace water that is used, for example, in the garden.
Solar panels, while an initial investment, are slowly decreasing in price and rising in effectiveness. This means that homeowners can more effectively reduce their energy bills while also improving their carbon footprint.
Work From Home
Creating a home office space supports many residents to work from home. One of the reasons the practice of teleworking has become so popular is that it is typically far more cost effective for the individual employee than having to commute to an office. As such, home offices have their advantages, allowing professional roles to be fulfilled within a property and helping residents to save money.
