One's carbon footprint is the amount of carbon compounds that they emit, which increases with almost every action. Driving a car, living in a home, and buying products all contribute to your carbon footprint number. It is unrealistic to bring this number down to 0, but you can certainly reduce it in various ways. If you are currently going through your top wants and needs when it comes to buying a house, you should think about how you can bring down your carbon footprint through your house purchase.
Proximity to Everything
Making sure to get a garage will allow you to install an electric vehicle charging station, which then enables you to purchase an electric vehicle and charge it whenever you are at home. While this is one option, you may want to place a greater emphasis on location and the proximity to just about everything. Walking is an excellent way to keep your carbon footprint at a minimum for getting around, so prioritizing cities with the highest walk scores may even make it possible to live comfortably without a vehicle. Going further and prioritizing the most walkable neighborhoods will turn this into an even easier goal to accomplish.
Electric Range
Thinking about kitchen appliances is an important step in reducing your carbon footprint. It is easy enough to prioritize appliances that have been given an Energy Star label, but you can do an even better job. The homes that you find will either be equipped with gas or electric cooking, and in this situation, you should prioritize electric. But, an electric range on its own is not going to be the most efficient option. It is essential to prioritize homes with an induction stove due to its high heat transfer rate of 90%. Another alternative is to buy a home without a range and then buy your own induction cooktop.
No Fireplace
Classic fireplaces release a lot of carbon dioxide into the air, so it is better to go without one. It can be tempting to pick a home with a fireplace because you want to have that traditional ambiance, but there are viable alternatives such as transforming your television into a crackly fireplace. It may not come with the warmth, but you can just rely on an efficient heating system and winter clothing for warming up.
With these priorities in mind, you should have no problem buying a house that is better for the earth.
Once you sign the sale contract with your listing agent, there's a good chance that things will start moving quickly. Your agent will want you to stage your home for the listing photos, open houses, and showings. If you've never experienced the staging process, you may not know exactly what to do or where to start. The information on this site will help you to not only understand what's expected of staging but also offer tips for you to maximize your efforts without investing a lot of time. I hope the information here makes your home sale process a little bit less confusing and a little easier to manage.