The Residences' Green Revolution

[gallery size="large" cstype="slideshow" ids="205,135,33,25"] By designing your homes to be more eco-friendly, you reap the benefit of living happier and healthier lives while saving money. Creating a green home is not costly. However, it does require thorough planning and commitment. Furthermore, making your home environmentally friendly is a gradual process that does not need to be done all at once. At a high advantage are those who are planning on renovating their homes or intent on relocating. They can purchase new eco-friendly electronics and appliance instead of replacing their current ones. So what can we do to cut down on our carbon footprint? The first step would be laying the foundation for an environmentally friendly home. Look for Green Label products. The Singapore Environment council (SEC) has launched the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme which awards environmentally friendly products with eco-labels to allow them to be easily spotted by the astute consumer. These products cover nearly everything you need for your homes – from wall coverings to curtains, from stationary to lighting equipment. When referring the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme, look at the Green Ticks on the label. The more Green Ticks, the more energy efficient it is, as per the National Environment Agency's (NEA) ratings. One of the easier things you can do is to choose LED lights for lighting the rooms of your home. LED lights consume a lot less energy compared to fluorescent lights and traditional light bulbs. Furthermore, LED lights last longer, thus they do not need to be replaced often. If you have a bit more cash to spare, you can opt for a more long term solution. You can install solar panels in your home and make the most out of the solar energy. Solar energy makes use of sunlight and converts it to electricity via photovoltaics. Sunny Singapore is perfect for solar panels as it is rarely cloudy. Recent technology has gone beyond solar panels installed on roofs to venetian blinds with photovoltaic systems. How futuristic would it be to have your windows lined with blinds frosted with small, flexible solar cells? These solar cells generate enough electricity to power electroluminescent foil which is enough power to light up your room at night.