A beautiful home doesn't need to cost the earth

* Collaborative post

We all want to be able to live in a comfortable, beautiful home. But many of us also want to be able to live in a home that's as energy efficient as possible. Not only because it's a great way to save money but because it's also a great way to save the planet. Luckily those two things don't have to be mutually exclusive. Aside from switching off lights when you leave a room, which I'm really hot on, there are a few ways that you can make your house beautiful while saving energy.

Lighting

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The biggest drain on your electricity is the lighting in your home. It's pretty understandable that this is the case, after all, no one wants to walk around in a pitch black home. You'd end up constantly walking into your furniture for one thing! Even though many people are pretty careful about turning lights off to save energy, many traditional bulbs can be a serious energy drain. Luckily things like G9 led Bulbs are not only extremely efficient but they also give off a warm, pleasant light. No one wants their home to suddenly feel like an office building just so that they can save energy.

Thick curtains to save heat

Many homes are practically haemorrhaging heat during colder periods of the year. Even if you can't see obvious places where the heat is escaping, it's likely that it's still happening pretty much constantly. Thick curtains are fantastic for preventing heat from escaping during the cold months. But they can also bring a sense of opulence and class into any home. By picking the style of them carefully, focusing on both the way they look and how much energy they save, you're able to have the best of both worlds.

Double glazing

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Another way to save heat during the cold months, if you're home doesn't have double glazed windows then you have a serious problem. Without them, you're basically throwing money down the drain during the autumn and winter. You should replace all of the windows in your home with double glazed ones so that you can keep the warmth inside while still letting in as much gorgeous natural light as possible. It's not that expensive to do any it really will make a whole world of difference.

Fix up your loft

For most people, the loft has two things going for it. It's a space that's not being used very efficiently, and it's letting huge amounts of energy out through the roof. It's incredibly important to insulate your loft properly but why not go the extra mile and turn it into a more useable space? You can make it into a den for your kids, a guest room, even a home office!

Sustainable materials

This is definitely a more significant step than any of the others, but it's a great option for anyone looking to extend their home or even have it built from scratch. When making any structural changes to your home, try to make sure that they are done with sustainable materials. Not only are they incredibly effective and strong but they are infinitely better for the environment than more commonly used building materials. By doing this, you can set up your home as energy efficient as possible from the very beginning.