Homily Magazine

Are you interested in making your home more electricity efficient and green? With rising electricity costs and sky high utility bills, most of us are looking for ways to cut costs and save some cash. You can begin right at residence, by making a few simple changes to make your house electricity efficient and more eco friendly.

But beyond energy efficiency, there are several other vital factors that go into the design of a green home. For example, water management, indoor air quality, and the use of safer constructing materials will all add to a more eco-friendly home. This applies to new building, as well as renovating and greening an older residence for improvement and sale. Here’s a list of some of the factors to consider when remodeling your house, or buying a green residence.

Proper Ventilation – The residence 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 house more comfortable and electricity efficient. Ventilation systems should be wrapped and sealed to stop air loss.

Air Quality – To make the home healthier, safe constructing materials ought to be used to limit introduction of harmful and harmful vapors. For instance, use zero-VOC or no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, and put in recycled, reclaimed, or sustainable flooring prepared from materials that don’t have formaldehyde, such as bamboo or cork. Consider installing physical termite barriers instead of chemical treatments, where appropriate.

Water Efficiency – Think about installing dual-flush toilets, low- flow wash heads, and a tankless water heater, or at a minimum; a more energy efficient Energy Star rated model.

Insulation – One of the best options a shopper may make is to install added insulation. Use formaldehyde-free insulation. Moreover, install a radiant barrier on the underside of the roof, where appropriate.

Roofing – Consider 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 should have a 90+ rating. The heating and cooling unit range and assignment ought to be correctly thought out to increase efficiency.

Lighting – Install electricity efficient fixtures. Compact fluorescent light bulbs ought to be used in place of halogen or normal 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 suitable.

Thermostat Timers – Install a programmable thermostat and hot water furnace timer.

Outside – Consider installing low upkeep materials that make sense for your type of weather and region, such as fiber cement siding, 40-year shingles, and engineered wood framing.

Landscaping – Eco landscaping considers cautious selection of plants, and concentrates on water conservation. Use green landscape design activities, such as reducing the dimension of the lawn. Think about the correct placement of trees to help shade the residence and decrease cooling costs. Utilize hardscape materials to reduce weeds and eliminate the use of pesticides and herbicides. Use native plants and xeriscape techniques to avoid the need for too much care and watering. Compost. Install drip irrigation systems and think about reclaiming water.

You will see that from top to bottom, you may look at your whole house indoors and out to look for potential improvements to make it more eco friendly. It’s not too hard to make your existing residence a green home. By making at least a few simple changes to improve energy efficiency, in no time you will see the optimistic results in your utility bills. Plus, you have the extra benefit of knowing that you are doing more for the ecosystem at the same time, and that always feels nice.