Reducing your Carbon Footprint with your Tiny Home

As climate change becomes a more salient issue with each passing year, it’s important to look at your own carbon footprint and consider what you can do to help cut it down to size. The great news is that when you reduce your carbon footprint, you’re often saving money at the same time!

As a tiny home owner, you’re already taking a HUGE step in reducing your carbon footprint. Tiny homes generate substantially less CO2 than average homes and traditional mobile homes. Heating and cooling a tiny home generate roughly 850 pounds of CO2 compared to 12,000 pounds of CO2 to do the same for a traditional home.

More efficient heating and cooling systems aren’t the only way tiny homes reduce their environmental impact. The manufacturing process is also substantially more efficient. Tiny house builders employ greener, more sustainable materials. During the construction of an average 2,000-square-foot home, four to seven tons of waste can be generated. Tiny homes generate significantly less waste in their construction.

Recent research also suggests downsizing to a smaller home has a positively impact on consumption habits in other areas of your life. According to the study, downsizers were likely to eat less energy-intensive food products and adopt more environmentally conscious eating habits. Participants traveled less by car, motorcycle, bus, train and airplane, and drove more fuel-efficient cars than they did before downsizing. They also bought less stuff, recycled more plastic and paper, and generated less trash.

Here are several ways you can further reduce your carbon footprint, no matter the size of your home:

1. Replace High-Energy Appliances: Homes over 15-years-old could usually benefit from a new HVAC system. HVAC systems over 15-years-old are often considered very inefficient by today’s standards. Replacing them with more efficient units can go a long way. Upgrading other household appliances will also help reduce your impact. Harmony Communities’ newest park models come equipped with energy-efficient appliances.
2. Install a Programmable Thermostat: Programable thermostats enhance heating and cooling efficiency by allowing homeowners to achieve a desired temperature at the lowest cost. Programmable thermostats learn what you like and automatically adjust to ensure comfort and savings.
3. Switch to LEDs: Switching to LEDs throughout your home has numerous benefits. You can read more about the benefits of switching to LEDs here.
4. Saving Water: You can cut down on costs and water consumption by installing low-flow water fixtures in your home. They use the minimal amount of water needed to get the job done. These upgrades pay for themselves thanks to the amount of money you’ll save on your water bill.

Reducing your carbon footprint won’t only help your wallet, it might just help make the planet a greener place.   

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At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.