3 ways to help the environment and your hip pocket
By Cancer Council NSW
Sustainability is something we should all be committed to these days. But it really doesn’t have to take a huge commitment when incorporating simple off the grid elements into your home that can lower your environmental footprint and save on your bills in the long term.
Our valued corporate partner, Suncorp, share three ways you could save some serious money with an environmentally friendly home.
Go solar
hen the sun gives us ‘free’ energy, it’s little wonder that solar panels are so popular to install on your roof. Photovoltaic cells harness the sun’s energy and then convert it into power that charges a bank of batteries that you can run your household’s electricity off.
Consider converting to solar. While there may be in initial outlay in costs, those who do the switch are generally able to recoup these over the course of their first year and then save thousands on their electricity spend.
Systems come in a number of sizes to suit your needs so you will need to do your research.
With generous rebate incentive available, you can offset the upfront costs of buying and installing solar panels. In the long-term, you will be living off the energy of the Aussie sun with no bills to pay.
Buy a rainwater tank
Every time you flush your toilet you’re using valuable water and money. A huge proportion of Australia’s household water consumption is consumed by just flushing toilets.
Investing in a rainwater collection system has the potential to bring your water bill significantly down and for some down to zero. Combining this with using grey water from appliances like your washing machine to water the garden can also help your bottom line and help the planet.
Set up an apartment aquaponic system
Setting up an aquaponics system doesn’t mean you need a lot of space. Fans of aquaponics have used small spaces like their apartment balconies with big results.
The set up can be as simple or as complex as you like but the basic set up requires a vessel for a garden bed that sits above a fish tank. Water is pumped up from the fish tank to the grow-bed, which is partially filled with gravel and planted with various vegetables, depending on the time of year. The water trickles down through the gravel, past the roots of the vegetables before draining back into the fish tank.
The vegetables absorb the nutrients from the water, clean the water for the fish at the same time and also convert the fish-waste ammonia into plant-friendly nitrates.
The beauty of this is your own organic vegies and fresh fish to make a huge savings to your grocery bill.
So, whether it’s small daily considerations or big lifestyle changes, thanks to the advice of Suncorp, there are mighty savings to be made and a greener lifestyle to embrace – save consciously and spend according to your values.
You can read more about how to save money at home with environmentally friendly practices in this article published by Suncorp on 18 September 2020. Three off the grid money savers | Suncorp