How to Make Your Care Home More Eco-Friendly

Many years ago, we were told that we had damaged the ozone layer beyond repair due. However, the ozone layer is finally beginning to heal itself, and all thanks to the fact that more and more individuals and companies have gone green and made every effort to lead a more eco-friendly and sustainable life.
 

Each year, more and more care homes (and other care facilities) are choosing to go green and make the care that they provide as environmentally friendly as possible. This is something that, believe it or not, is easier than you would think to do. For care homes, going green and becoming more sustainable isn’t as difficult as it may seem, it’s just a case of making a few simple changes.
 

Invest in solar panels
 

Renewable energy is key to going green, which is why if it’s affordable it’s recommended that care homes consider investing in solar panels. The fantastic thing about solar panels is that they are highly effective and as well as providing clean, renewable energy, they also offer an additional stream of funding because any energy that’s made and not used, can be sold to energy companies. Admittedly, they can be expensive to have fitted, but the fact they offer long-term renewable energy, no more energy bills, and an additional stream of funding, makes them a good investment.
 

Install motion sensors
 

To save energy, installing motion sensors can be a good idea. For preventing lights from being left on by accident or taps running for too long, motion sensors can be useful. Fitting motion sensors will reduce the amount of energy that is wasted through lights being left on unnecessarily. They will also be useful for reducing water wastage.
 

Utilise smart technology
 

If there’s one investment care facilities should make, it’s in smart technology. Smart technology, such as heating and cooling systems that can be managed by smart devices can be highly beneficial for care home environments. They can be managed from any location and set up to turn on when a certain temperature is reached, helping to reduce energy usage. Smart technology can also be used for washing machines, cookers, kettles, microwaves, and many other electronic devices. These pieces of technology can be used to help make managing the day to day tasks that come with running your care home easier, as well as helping to reduce your facility's carbon footprint.
 

Use recycled paper
 

In an ideal world, all care homes would be paper-free but with medical notes and other important pieces of information, this isn’t possible. Instead of going paper-free, consider using recycled paper wherever possible. This will help to reduce your care home’s carbon footprint. Where possible, send information via email rather than via post, as this will reduce your paper usage. Take newsletters for example, don’t send printed versions, send email newsletters instead.
 

Use energy efficient light bulbs
 

Energy efficient light bulbs use between 50% and 80% less energy than traditional light bulbs. They might cost slightly more to buy but they tend to last for between three and ten times as long, making them a more cost-effective option. Energy efficient bulbs come in a wide range of styles, strengths, and colours, so there is sure to be a bulb that’s a match for each of your lighting needs, from your sensory room lighting to lighting your residents’ bedrooms.


Use eco-friendly chemicals

There are many different options on the market to ensure your chemicals and cleaning regimes are kinder to the planet. One of the ways that you can go eco-friendly while also saving money is by using concentrated or supre-concentrated checmicals that can then be diluted. This reduces the amount of packagaing and the carbon footprint due to the smaller size of the product.
 

There you have it, a guide to making your care home more eco-friendly, and saving money at the same time.