Adjustments for cost-effective living

Living in eco-friendly house should be a goal for many Ugandans today.
Michael Ssango, an environmentalist at Uganda Gardens Environmentalists Association, says the benefits of an environment friendly home are healthy, social but also economical. This kind of home saves energy there by reducing your cots and the humanitarian benefit of contributing to an improved and less polluted environment. Below are some ways to achieve this;

Solar panels
Uganda receives sunshine throughout the year and installing solar energy can be cost effective with less pollution.
Ssango says: “It is a fact that many people spend a lot of money paying electricity bills for their homes yet solar power systems are growing in popularity. Some people have, therefore, opted to totally replace their electrical energy with solar energy to lower their electricity bills.”

Tankless water heaters
These heat or cool the water on demand rather than storing a bunch of water and keeping it hot all the time. They last longer than the traditional ones and take less space. They are more effective once installed near places where they are needed since they have no reserves to heat water and need to heat it immediately. They are said to reduce the energy bills by about 20 per cent.

Rain water collector
Water may not be expensive but over time, the bills add up. Install low flow flush toilets and turn on the lowest pressure and only turn on the water when you need it. A low-flush toilet is one that uses less water than a full-flush toilet.
Although rain is not predictable you can still harvest water when it rains and may use the water for refilling the toilet, watering plants or washing the car to save on the domestic water bills.

Roof
“A metal roof is low maintenance and durable and with these, coloured coating and painting can be incorporated. “Other materials will rot over time or are not recyclable,” Ssango warns.
Dark roofs make the house hotter so you need bright coloured roofs to make it cooler. You can choose to coat your roof with reflective colours with liquid roof coatings.
White roofs reflect roughly three times more sunlight back into the atmosphere and therefore absorbing less sunlight at earth’s surface

Landscaping
Your landscaping style should also have a green effect. Strategically plant trees to provide a shade but also think about having a double benefit. For flower lovers, incorporate multi-coloured vegetables such as brocolli.
“Use plants from which you get a double benefit. For instance, if you want to plant trees, choose fruit trees where you get a shade and the fruits as well. Or choose to go for vegetables that have different colours to have both the flower feel but with a nutritional benefit too,” tips Ssango.

Biodegradable materials
When renovating, do not demolish the whole structure. Think of reusing the materials instead of destroying them. Instead of replacing doors, drawers and cabinets, paint them another colour to have a feel of newness. If you must really change something, choose materials that are biodegradable.

“While renovating the house, try as much as possible to use sustainable building materials such as recycled plastic or wood for your work-tops, floor and walls because they can withstand heat. Choose water based chemicals for adhesives, sealants and paint instead of solvent based paint,” says Ssango.
Replace your carpet with a non-toxic carpets made from natural fibres such as wool, sisal, sea grass. Choose light weight carpets and choose those that need water based adhesive.

It starts with you
Try to save as much power as possible by turning off all appliances that may not be in use. Another way to save energy is investing in energy efficient appliances but if not possible, devise other cheaper and environment friendly energy solutions such as using gas.

Other environment friendly ways

Water and energy
• Installing solar panels will combat greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependence on fossil fuel (fuel formed from the remains of living organisms). Uganda is a country with sunshine throughout the year. Installing solar panels as your source of energy can be cost effective with less pollution.
• When you turn on a water faucet, use the lowest pressure and keep the water turned on only while it is needed.

• A lot of household water is wasted by leaks. Avoid this by checking your water metre. If no is using water in the house and the metre is moving, there is a leak. Fix it immediately.
“Shower heads with a mist setting let you reduce water flow even further and choose to take a shower instead of taking a bath Ssango says.

• Also, avoid wasting water by switching to low flow flush toilets or flush your toilet only when it has solid waste.”
• Turn off the bulbs, radios and televisions and other electronic appliances when not in use. This will help you save power.
• Equipment and machines in an office emit harmful chemicals and bad gasses. This can be counteracted by bringing in some plants that will bring in more oxygen. You can have lilies, palms and fiscus plants, which purify the air.
• Set computers to energy-saving settings and shut them down after work.