Sustainable homes are gradually becoming a trend that you might be interested in getting on board. Fortunately, you can create a self-sustaining home from scratch or improve your current home. One of the advantages of creating a self-sustaining home is to reduce the carbon footprint and save money.
Self-sustenance means minimal dependence on external service providers and suppliers. For instance, you can generate solar power instead of depending on grid electricity. Also, you can grow your produce instead of buying it from grocery stores. Another way is to drill a borehole instead of relying on the local water supply.
Self-sustaining homes aim at repurposing waste generated within the home. Instead of taking trash to landfills, you can compost organic waste and use it on your farm or garden.
With that said, here are five ways to create a self-sustaining home:
1. Make A Vegetable Garden
Making a vegetable garden is an excellent way of creating a self-sustaining home. You’ll need some land to start a vegetable garden. However, if you have a small space, you can also find creative ways of growing a vegetable garden. For instance, you can construct vertical gardens requiring minimal horizontal space. Alternatively, you can grow veggies in containers instead of directly on the ground.
A vegetable garden is beneficial because it’ll provide you and your family with more green and fresh vegetables. This can help develop a healthy lifestyle where you won’t be concerned about your family consuming vegetables from farms that don’t observe proper or ethical agricultural practices. This may include using pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, and harvesting before the required duration elapses. Moreover, you’ll also be saving money used to buy groceries.
One of the factors that you must consider when setting up a vegetable garden is access to sunlight. The vegetables must have sufficient sunlight for them to grow. If there’s shade, consider removing it or finding another area with direct access to sunlight.
The climatic conditions won’t always be favorable to the vegetables you grow. Your plants may be subjected to too much heat, cold, humidity, rain, or pests, depending on the season. An excellent workaround is to install greenhouses, where you can control the elements. If this interests you, consider these greenhouses and accessories to get started.
2. Use Solar Power
You may want to consider installing solar panels to harness solar energy. This cost-effective method can sufficiently power your entire home and help reduce the carbon footprint. Moreover, you can opt for rooftop or standalone panels depending on the available space to capture sunlight rays.
In addition, before installing solar panels, ensure that you research and check on regulations and energy laws in your area. This is crucial in determining whether you need to get permits from local authorities. If your home is in a conservation area, you might be required to obtain a permit.
Though installing solar panels can be expensive, it’ll be worth it in the long run because solar energy is free. Using solar panels to power your home can significantly reduce your dependence on grid electricity, which can help save on bills.
3. Collect Rainwater
A self-sufficient home should have a water collection system. You can collect rainwater around the house to water the vegetable garden and animals. You can also use the collected rainwater for other needs, such as cleaning and household use.
However, before consuming rainwater, you should get it tested to ascertain safety. You can hire a professional to help test the water and determine if it’s safe for consumption and for watering the vegetables your family consumes.
You can collect rainwater in your home by purchasing a rain barrel or a water tank connected to a gutter system on the roof. However, if your roof is made of asbestos, it’s not advisable to collect water from it because of its poisonous nature.
One of the benefits of harvesting rainwater with a good system is that it reduces reliance on an external water source. This will cut your water bills despite the high initial costs of setting up a water collection and filtration system.
4. Make Compost
One of the objectives of creating a self-sustaining home is to conserve resources by changing waste products, such as lawn debris and kitchen leftovers, into compost for the garden soil. Composting is a low-cost project that’s beneficial to your self-sustaining lifestyle.
You can start composting by getting a compost bin that can be closed and placing it in the garden. Ensure that the bin is lined with a biodegradable bag before adding biodegradable waste, such as food and fruit leftovers. Once you have enough waste materials in the compost bin, ensure it’s closed properly and left for a few days.
When the compost is fully transformed into fertilizer, you can remove it and use it in your vegetable garden. Moreover, it’s vital to research materials that can be used for compost because some waste might be poisonous or unhealthy for your garden.
5. Recycle Materials
You should also consider recycling materials around your home for a self-sustaining lifestyle. There are many ways you can utilize recycling materials around your home. For example, you can use old wood pallets to make garden coffee tables or plant towers.
Moreover, when constructing your self-sustaining home, you can ask the contractor to make it into a green building using recycled materials to reduce waste and cut costs. Ensure that the recycled materials are in good shape to avoid interfering with the home’s structural integrity.
Conclusion
A self-sustaining home is beneficial in many ways, including saving money and being environmentally friendly. You also increase your home’s value by making it self-sustainable. However, creating a self-sustaining home might take time and effort. While the initial cost might be high, it will be worth it in the end.