In an effort to assist you in saving a bit more “Green” and helping our planet save a bit of its “Green”, here are some useful tips about green homes and green living.

What is a Green Home?
A green home is designed, built, renovated, or improved in ways that make it more ecological and efficient using natural resources.  Builders must meet certain criteria to be deemed a green builder.  Please note however, just because a home is recognized as being green, doesn’t necessarily mean the home was built with quality.  It is still important to check the quality of the home to ensure it is efficient.  

If you are looking to do your part to reduce the impact your home has on the environment, promote the health of those who live there, and use energy and water more efficiently, you could:

• Install a tankless water heater – heat water on demand.
• Water Heater Temperature settings – by turning your water heater temperature down to low can save 5-10% on your energy bill.  Also consider washing clothes on warm or cold.  Most fabrics do not require high temperatures during laundering.
• Install new low-E windows – learn how different windows provide different U-factors and SHGCC ratings.  Properly installed low-E windows can reduce energy loss by 30-50%.
• Put in a storm door – can increase energy efficiency up to 45%.
• Landscape responsibly – Xeriscaping with native and drought-resistant plants helps to conserve water.  Strategic planting of trees can help reduce energy costs with shade covering the home or by trees being watered by rain water.
• Programmable thermostats – by using a programmable thermostat that automatically reduces heat/cooling during times when it is not necessary, can provide 5-20% off of a monthly energy bill if heat is down 5 degrees at night and 10 degrees during the day when no one is home.
• Turn off the water – an average faucet flows at a rate of 2 gallons per minute.  By turning off the water when brushing or shortening your shower your shower by 4 minutes, you can save up to 16 gallons per day, which equals almost 6,000 gallons per year!
• Compact Fluorescent Bulbs – CFLs use 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer.  If everyone in the U.S. changed their five most used bulbs to CFLs, we would prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars (source:  epa.gov).

I know there are so many people jumping on the "Green" band wagon these days, but with just a few small changes to help the planet, we can also keep a little more “Green” in our pockets too…and feel good about doing our part!