How to make your garden buildings eco-friendly?

If you are a garden enthusiast with an eco-conscious mindset, you’ve come to the right place. Maintaining a beautiful garden and all the structures on your property is hard work, but it may be even harder if all of these structures have a high-power usage. Any type of garden room or office needs to be powered, lit, heated and so on, so it’s time to consider alternative energy sources and materials that will help you save money during both the construction phase and in the future.

Why Go Eco Friendly?

Every single choice we make can impact the environment – from choosing to recycle to completely going solar. As times change, so does our outlook on being dependent on resources that aren’t renewable and materials that have a large carbon footprint. People are becoming more conscious of their surroundings, the planet, and everything that can negatively influence our wellbeing and the lives of the future generations.  At this point, using, or even depending on things that harm the environment, doesn’t make sense anymore, as we have many alternatives, especially the ones that can be found in abundance.

Lighting

If you are looking for ways to start small, then lighting is definitely the right place to start. Any lights that you have, both inside the garden room or office and in the garden itself, obviously run on electricity, but how much power do they really need? Firstly, let’s take a look at the lights you have outdoors – garden lights, path lights, even the motion sensing light on the shed – what if I told you that not a single one of them needs electricity to work? Many gardeners have already switched to solar-powered lights. They are stylish, look good in any garden, and completely run on the sun’s energy.  And, most importantly, they aren’t uncommon, so it’s easy to find them in a hardware store or order them online. But what if the sun isn’t out? If you live in a region where it’s mostly cloudy throughout the year, don’t worry about the solar lights not working, as solar panels can produce energy even without direct sunlight.

Materials

As you may know, some materials are more sustainable than others. Wood is the best and most obvious example of a sustainable and recyclable building material. It’s breathable, durable, and has many health benefits. Wood is versatile and can be used both for exteriors and interiors. But there are also many other great eco-friendly and renewable building materials, such as bamboo and cork. Although bamboo can feel and look like wood, it’s actually a grass that has an incredibly fast growth rate. Some species of bamboo can grow up to 90 centimeters a day, making it a renewable resource. Flooring made from bamboo has all the qualities of a hardwood floor and, with the proper care, will last about 25 years. Cork walls and flooring can be a cheaper alternative to wood, but with all the same benefits. This material is lightweight, but highly durable, non-flammable and waterproof. Just like wood, cork can add texture to your interior, and, with some proper styling, can look as chic as any other material.

Solar Panels

Solar energy was around since the dawn of time, but only now people are learning to harness it. When you drive past a field, you might notice that there are rows upon rows of panels that are harnessed the sun’s energy on a large scale. But on a smaller scale, homeowners are installing solar panels on the roofs of their houses, garden offices and sheds. Although solar powers are quite the investment, they do pay off in the long run and give you independence from the main power grid. If you also decide to invest in a solar battery, this will give you the advantage of storing access energy that the solar panels produce, which will definitely help if you have any problems with frequent power outages.

Small Details Make a Difference

Sometimes the smallest details can make a large impact on both your environmental impact and energy bill. If you feel that you need to use artificial lighting during the day and that you’re not getting enough sunlight, the best piece of advice is to get yourself a skylight. It not only makes the interior feel fresher and more spacious, but lets plenty of sunlight into the room to make your house or garden office naturally lit.