You might look at a pergola in someone’s backyard and admire it. You may consider getting one for your property. What you might not think about, though, is how a pergola can reduce your carbon footprint.
Unlikely as that sounds, it’s possible. You can check out easy-to-assemble pergolas from The Luxury Pergola right now, but before you do, let’s explore how this purchase can help you live an eco-friendly lifestyle.
You Can Get Ones Now That Use Recycled Materials
You can buy pergolas now that use 100% recycled materials. If you’re going to purchase a pergola anyway, buying one that’s carbon neutral because it utilizes only previously used materials makes a lot of sense.
You can get ones designed out of stucco, masonry, wood, or ones with vinyl lattice covers. Just be sure that you investigate the one that you purchase beforehand since not all of them use only recycled materials.
You Can Get Them With Cost-Saving LED Lights
You can also buy cost-saving LED lights installed as part of your pergola. Not all of them come with lighting rigs, but if you plan on using your pergola in the evenings when the sun has gone down, you can get one with LED light bulbs that screw into the framework.
These lights can last many times longer than non-LED style bulbs. You can avoid buying light bulbs that would burn out quicker and that you would have to throw in a landfill.
Buy a Pergola that Uses Sustainable Wood
If you’re going with a wooden pergola, you can buy one that uses only sustainable wooden components. Sustainable wood means the wood is harvested from a place where its processing will be minimally invasive to the ecosystem.
You can also buy pergolas or wood for pergolas from companies that are committed to planting replacement trees for all the ones that they harvest. Not all of the pergola companies do that, but some of them do.
Lower Heating and Cooling Costs
You can get one additional green-friendly benefit when you buy certain pergola models. You can get ones that serve as more efficient barriers against air filtration. This helps keep your cooling and heating costs down, depending on what time of year you use the pergola and how you position it.
This way, you improve the look of your outdoor space for entertaining guests while also letting in natural light. This means you will enjoy savings on your energy bills yearly. Those savings can add up over the usable life of your pergola. There’s no reason why yours can’t last you for a decade or more if you treat it gently.
Setting up a pergola can be a way for you to use your backyard or side yard that never occurred to you before, and reducing your carbon footprint is a pleasant bonus. Remember that you don’t get the benefits we mentioned with all pergola models, though, so research each one before you buy it.