Your man cave is where you go to cheer on your favorite team, enjoy a relaxing beer in the evening, and watch awesome action flicks with your buddies. It’s your refuge. Design it so it has as little impact on the environment as possible, and you’ll be able to enjoy your video games and sports shows guilt-free. Here are some tips for making your man cave as green as it is glorious.
1. Say No to Neon
Neon tubes are notorious energy hogs. Although the amount of power they consume varies depending on the color of the light and the length of the tubes, they are woefully inefficient compared to LED. In fact, using LEDs instead of neon lights may save you as much as 90 percent on energy. If you simply can’t say no to that amazing neon beer sign, try to limit its use to special occasions, like when you want to impress your friends or when you watch the Super Bowl.
2. Channel the Power of the Sun
Solar power can save you big bucks on your energy bill, and it’s a sustainable way to power your man cave as well as your whole home. If your home’s roof gets a lot of sunlight, you’re in a perfect position to take advantage of those cheerful rays of warmth. To find out how much solar panels cost, get in touch with SolarCity to learn more about how you can harness the power of the solar system’s only star.
3. Buy Eco-Friendly Furniture
Huge overstuffed armchair with cup holders? Check. Cushy sofa with plenty of room to sprawl? Check. Awesome entertainment center? Check. All the furniture you need to build the ultimate man cave can be eco-friendly. Search for pieces with upholstery made from organic fibers, or hit a secondhand store to score some cool vintage pieces. If you’re a fan of DIY, you can collect some reclaimed wood and build your own coffee table, end tables, and entertainment center.
4. Keep the Mini-Fridge Stocked
By keeping plenty of beer, soda, or water in your man cave’s mini-fridge, you help save energy. This is because every time you open the fridge, warm air rushes in, meaning that the fridge has to work harder to keep your beverages and snacks at the right temperature. However, when there’s less empty space in your fridge, less warm air can sneak in.
Of course, if you want to save even more energy, you can forgo the mini-fridge altogether. If there isn’t enough room in the kitchen fridge to hold drinks for you and your game day pals, you can cool drinks quickly when you have friends over by wrapping wet paper towels around the drinks and sticking them in the fridge for just 15 minutes.
5. Use Blackout Curtains
Heavy curtains will help block out the sun in the summer and keep the cold air at bay in the winter, making for more efficient heating and cooling inside. Look for curtains made with organic fibers. Who knows? You might even be able to find a set that boasts your team’s logo.
There are other things you can do to make heating and cooling more efficient, such as replacing the windows and sealing up any little cracks where outside air might sneak in.
6. Choose Zero-VOC Paint
VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are toxic and will knock down your man cave’s environmentally friendly score. When you’re browsing the hardware store in search of the perfect hue, look for zero-VOC paints. Behr, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, and YOLO all make zero-VOC paints.
After you paint your man cave’s walls, add some cool vinyl sports decals for a unique flair. Vinyl is more than 50 percent salt, so you can put up those decals without guilt.
Whether you use your man cave for watching sports, playing video games, or just catching up on Game of Thrones, you want your space to be eco-friendly. The above tips will help you put together a room that is both awesome and easy on the environment.
