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Eco-Friendly Homes: some useful tips

February, 19 2021 ( Updated March, 10 2023)

Property Information
Property Management
Tips
Eco Friendly Home
More and more houses are nowadays incorporating environment-friendly measures for a cleaner world and with an eye to the future and the environment. But that’s not all. There are various advantages that only an eco-friendly house can offer. Turning your home into a "green home" or “eco-house” is a good starting point for increasing your income from renting a holiday home: this is because an eco-friendly structure brings significant savings on the various expenses related to housing.
 
But what makes a house eco-friendly? An important eco-friendly house feature is a low carbon footprint, this means that the overall production of waste is minimal and the house utilises renewable sources of energy, like sunlight, to meet its consumption requirements. 

So, let's take a look at some important tips for making your property an eco-friendly home. 
One of the finest solutions that can be adopted is the installation of solar panels, an excellent alternative wherein the energy is produced through the greatest source of light i.e. the sun. Once the panels are installed, the bills to be paid become much lower and the house has a reduced environmental impact. 
Solar panels are undoubtedly the most expensive investment but they are also the ones that have proven to be a good deal in the long run. Your wallet will surely thank you later!
Happy.Rentals solar panel powered property in Gradac, Slovenia: holiday rental ID 5913
Solar panels installed in a riverside holiday home with a private beach (Happy.Rentals: ID 5913)

In addition to this solution, there are smaller and simpler but beneficial advantages of making your home eco-friendly. So let's check out some more ideas for different areas of your eco-house:
How to make your kitchen eco-friendly?
Provide a dishwasher. A dishwasher is preferred for two of its biggest advantages: one,  it helps to avoid the use of disposable crockery and minimises waste; and two, it’s preferred for its less water consumption as compared to manual washing. You can also replace the oven with a toaster to reduce overall utility bills!
Another eco-friendly option is to substitute the capsule coffee machine with a drip coffee maker or choose coffee machine brands that recycle the capsules. Since the capsules are not disposable, they pile up in non-recyclable garbage and add to environmental pollution; but when you choose the alternative, you can enjoy every cup knowing that it is sustainable for the environment. 
Additionally, then you can segregate the bins used for garbage into various categories like biodegradable, non-biodegradable and recyclable so that guests get rid of the waste material, most of which comes out of the kitchen, responsibly, and do their bit for the environment whilst travelling. 
Add a filter to the tap so that you always have fresh, drinkable water, and you or the guests do not spend money on buying water, but above all, there will be less waste to throw away.

How to make your bathroom eco-friendly?

According to studies, showers make up at least 30% of the water usage of the house. Replacing water-intensive showerheads with low-flow ones decreases water consumption, saves energy, lowers heating costs and is less burdensome on the pocket.
Authentic and naturally restored all-wood holiday treehouse with a private sauna bath at Happy.Rentals property ID 6082 in Ljutomer, SloveniaAll-wood, sustainable treehouse with a private whirlpool sauna (Happy.Rentals: ID 6082)

Buy eco-friendly home products:

The first rule we must never forget is to avoid unnecessary purchases for the home which will then perhaps be thrown away. In this sense, it is essential to provide, if possible, reusable and non-disposable material. Replacing one-time-use paper towels with reusable linen and cloth rags is a winning move in significantly reducing waste and making your holiday rental business environmentally friendly and sustainable. Private and public facilities are increasingly adopting this system: offering eco-friendly solutions that are easy to dispose of and do not pollute our planet further!

To add to your efforts, you can also buy natural cleaning solutions with no chemicals that will benefit not only the environment but will also assure safety for those coming with children. If possible, do not buy disposable crockery, containers and other materials, which only create an accumulation of unnecessary waste. All these ideas are also a good way to avoid unnecessary expenditure. 

A modern eco-friendly house should:

Include a smart thermostat so that you can turn on the heating before guests arrive and turn it off when they leave without worrying about wastage. You can also add smart switches that allow you to switch lights on and off remotely. Alternatively, replace old light bulbs with LEDs which use less energy and last longer.
 Eco House Lina with sustainable LED lights and sauna--Happy.Rentals' property ID 5744 in Lopatinec, Croatia

Energy-saving LED lights in the cosy living area of Eco House Lina (Happy.Rentals: ID 5744)


In addition to these technological ideas, which certainly have an impact, let's also take a look at more practical and easier eco-friendly ways. 

-Sealing air leaks helps you decrease the overall costs as losing heat or air-conditioning just adds massively to the utility bills, which is heavy on the pocket for you and also increases the cost of stay of the guests, who might just end up choosing another property because of big additional costs.

-Choose natural ventilating systems. Instal windows and doors in a way that the overall flow of air keeps the house cool in summer and also protects it from the winter cold.

-Avoid buying new furniture and if possible, restore old furniture you already have. This will reduce the cost of furnishing your home and free up landfills from old furniture.

These are small ideas to protect the environment and to have a holiday home that amazes guests with eco-friendly solutions that are more sustainable and cost-effective!!
 Happy.Rentals (Prop. 4771) eco forest-hut rental in Luče, Slovenia; made of all natural material and using solar panels

A blissful eco forest-hut with solar panels and a traditional sauna (Happy.Rentals: ID 4771)


For other worthwhile improvisations that you might want to make in your holiday home to get maximum booking results and revenue, you will find super handy guides to them all below:


If you want to contact our property manager directly about renting out your precious second home, fill out this form and we will get back to you!
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