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Have you recently made the switch to container home living and looking for eco-friendly container home tips for green living? Lucky for you, just below we have created an extensive list of environmentally friendly tips to help you.

More people are becoming aware of the amazing benefits of shipping container homes. They’re portable and perfect for a low budget. Shipping container homes are also environmentally friendly and space-saving. Hence, the growing demand for an eco-friendly container home in the past decade.

Find out the container home ordinance in your area. Read our post on which states allow container homes for more information on container home property zoning laws.

Generally, container homes are considered green and sustainable because they involve recycling and repurposing shipping containers. This repurposing process further translates to lesser building materials like bricks, mortar, and wood. However, the statement that all container homes are ecofriendly is not 100% correct. These eco-friendly container home tips for sustainable living will help you place yours in the “ecofriendly” category.

Before we proceed to some eco-friendly container home ideas for an environmentally friendly shipping container home, you should first remove the hazardous chemicals.

The floor and paints of shipping containers are usually treated with chemicals to prevent them from harsh conditions and pests. These chemicals are usually in the form of paints and pesticides. They not only pose serious health risks, but they also have advert effects on the environment and surrounding plants. One way to eliminate these chemicals is to remove the existing floor and wash the container thoroughly. Then recoat the container with a non-toxic sealing primer. This suppresses and blocks off the toxic chemicals from being released into the environment.

You can also read 10 ways to insulate your container home for more information on eco-friendly coating that you can use

Now, here are some tips for a sustainable shipping container home:

sustainable shipping container home

1. Conserve energy by reducing the temperature

Turning down your thermostat is a good eco-friendly container home tip for sustainable living. It could be lowering the temperature of your hot water or being more tolerant during warmer seasons. Not only does it help you conserve energy, but you also reduce your carbon emission and save money in the process. 

2. Take advantage of recyclables 

This is another great tip for a sustainable shipping container home. Rather than throwing away things like vegetables and fruit peel in a waste bin, consider recycling them. Using them in your garden or plant pail as a compost heap helps stop the methane gas buildup.

eco-friendly container home tips

3. Green roof insulation

Another eco-friendly container home tip is to go for green shipping container homes insulation, such as a green or living roof. A green roof is like a mini garden platform on the top of the container home roof. It’s a medium to grow flowers, vegetables, and other plants, which also serves as additional insulation.

4. Be conservative with power

The more appliances you have, the more power you consume, which further translates to huge electricity bills. Studies have also shown that it gets worst if you leave your electronic appliances on standby when not in use. So, you have to be smart about your electronics if you need a sustainable shipping container home. 

eco-friendly container home tips

5. Choose eco-friendly insulation materials

Using an eco-friendly insulation material is another great tip for an environmentally friendly shipping container home. There’s a long list of eco-friendly insulation for container homes for you to select from. Check out our article on 10 ways to insulate your container home for details on how to choose the best eco-friendly insulation material for your container home. 

6. Consider harnessing solar power

Solar energy is a clean, sustainable, eco-friendly power source. The solar panel captures the light ray. With an inverter and some batteries, the energy is converted and stored for use anytime. Installing a solar power system can save you some money off your electricity bill in the long run. 

sustainable shipping container home

7. Use energy-saving light bulbs

The key to sustainability is efficiency. Make adjustments to conserve energy. You might have to consider replacing high watt rating light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs. LED bulbs are an excellent choice. 

8. Choose building materials wisely

Sourcing and using readily available local building materials is another eco-friendly container home tip that offers some cool advantages, especially in reducing your carbon emission level. Since bringing the building materials on-site doesn’t require long miles, you contribute your quota to promoting a greener environment. Plus, you might save some in the process.

eco-friendly container home tips

9. Shade the container top with an external roof

This is another one of the eco-friendly container home ideas if you’re not okay with the rooftop garden option. It further helps to prevent the interior from getting too hot, especially sunny climate, which reduces your energy consumption.

10. Plant shrubs around the container home 

Like killing two birds with one stone, planting bushes shade the container home and prevent it from getting too hot. It also promotes a healthy environment by improving air quality.

 

Other Eco-Friendly Container Home Tips

Lifestyle choices are also an integral part of living sustainably in green shipping container homes. Below are other useful tips that impact the eco-friendliness of your container home:

  1. Position the shipping container strategically before the construction begins, such that you maximize natural light and control temperature passively
  2. Try using toilet and kitchen systems like showerheads that are water efficient
  3. Use wool bedding sheets and cotton drapes instead of those made with polyester materials
  4. Cut down wastage. From shower water and washing water to the use of electricity, be more conservative
  5. Choose your flooring wisely. Depending on your goal, covering wood floors with carpets can save you a lot on heating bills
  6. Replacing broken items or appliances might not be sustainable. Repair them instead
  7. If you don’t use an item or equipment regularly, you could rent or borrow instead of purchasing it
  8. Use natural wood insulation on the flat roof
  9. Avoid VOC finishes.  Volatile Organic Compounds are toxic, and they impact the environment negatively
  10.  Use enough low E windows to allow in plenty of natural light

 

Conclusion

Now you see that having an eco-friendly container home doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. It also has nothing to do with your geographical location. Provided you desire a container home and don’t intend lavishing resources to get one, you’d find these sustainable shipping container home tips very helpful. All that’s left for you to do is apply them and enjoy your comfy container home.

 

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