Making Your House A Greener Home
Are you interested in making your house more energy efficient and green? With rising energy costs and sky high utility bills, most of us are looking for ways to cut costs and save money. You can begin right at home, by making a few easy changes to make your house energy efficient and more eco friendly.
But beyond electricity efficiency, there are several other important factors that go into the design of a green house. For example, water conservation, indoor air quality, and the use of safer building materials will all add to a more eco-friendly home. This applies to new building, as well as renovating and greening an older home for improvement and sale. Here’s a list of some of the factors to think about when remodeling your house, or purchasing a green house.
Proper Ventilation – The home should have the right number and placement of exhaust fans, proper ventilation, vapor barriers, and duct sealing. A well designed thermal envelope can make the residence more comfortable and energy efficient. Ventilation systems ought to be wrapped and sealed to stop air loss.
Air Quality – To make the house healthier, safe constructing materials should be used to limit introduction of harmful and dangerous vapors. For example, use zero-VOC or no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, and install recycled, reclaimed, or sustainable flooring made from materials that don’t have formaldehyde, such as bamboo or cork. Think about installing physical termite barriers instead of chemical treatments, where appropriate.
Water Efficiency – Consider installing dual-flush toilets, low-flow wash heads, and a tankless water heater, or at a minimum; a more electricity efficient Energy Star rated model.
Insulation – One of the best alternatives a person can make is to install added insulation. Use formaldehyde-free insulation. As well, install a radiant barrier on the underside of the roof, where suitable.
Roofing – Think about metal or cement tile roofing, or durable shingles rated for 40 years or more.
Appliances and Furnaces – Use Energy Star rated appliances. The HVAC (air conditioning) systems ought to have a 17 SEER rating or better, and furnaces ought to have a 90+ rating. The heating and cooling unit range and placement ought to be correctly thought out to add to efficiency.
Lighting – Install energy efficient fixtures. Compact fluorescent light bulbs ought to be used in place of halogen or incandescent bulbs.
Windows and Doors – Install double-paned, Low-E windows. Properly shade windows that face the sun, or install window overhangs. Install storm doors where appropriate.
Thermostat Timers – Install a programmable thermostat and hot water heater timer.
Exterior – Consider installing low maintenance materials that make sense for your climate and area, such as fiber cement siding, 40-year shingles, and engineered wood framing.
Landscaping – Eco landscaping considers careful assortment of plants, and focuses on water conservation. Use green landscape design activities, such as reducing the size of the lawn. Think about the correct placement of trees to help shade the home and reduce cooling costs. Employ hardscape materials to reduce weeds and eliminate the use of pesticides and herbicides. Use inhabitant plants and xeriscape methods to avoid the need for too much care and watering. Compost. Install drip irrigation systems and think about reclaiming water.
You can see that from top to bottom, you may look at your entire house indoors and out to look for potential improvements to make it more eco friendly. It’s not too hard to make your existing house a green home. By making at least a few easy changes to enhance energy efficiency, in no time you will see the positive results in your utility bills. Plus, you have the extra benefit of knowing that you are doing more for the natural environment at the same time, and that always feels nice.
