Learn The Best Tips For Making Your House A Greener House
Are you interested in making your residence more electricity efficient and green? With rising electricity costs and sky high utility statements, most of us are looking for ways to cut costs and save some cash. You can start right at house, 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 house. For instance, water conservation, indoor air quality, and the use of safer building materials can all contribute to a more eco-friendly home. This applies to new construction, as well as renovating and greening an older house for improvement and sale. Here’s a list of some of the factors to consider when remodeling your home, or buying a green residence.
Correct 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 residence more comfortable and electricity efficient. Ventilation systems should 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 instance, use zero-VOC or no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, and install recycled, reclaimed, or sustainable flooring prepared from materials that don’t have formaldehyde, such as bamboo or cork. Consider installing physical termite barriers in its place of chemical treatments, where suitable.
Water Efficiency – Think about installing dual-flush toilets, low- flow shower heads, and a tankless water heater, or at a minimum; a more energy efficient Energy Star rated model.
Insulation – One of the top options a consumer can 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 add to efficiency.
Lighting – Install electricity efficient fixtures. Compact fluorescent light bulbs ought to be utilized 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 appropriate.
Thermostat Timers – Install a programmable thermostat and hot water furnace timer.
Exterior – Think about installing low maintenance materials that make sense for your climate and region, 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 dimension of the lawn. Think about the proper position of trees to help shade the house and reduce cooling costs. Utilize hardscape materials to reduce weeds and do away with the use of pesticides and herbicides. Use inhabitant plants and xeriscape methods to stay away from the need for excessive care and watering. Compost. Install drip irrigation systems and consider reclaiming water.
You may see that from top to bottom, you can look at your entire home indoors and out to look for possible improvements to make it more eco friendly. It’s not too hard to make your existing home a green residence. By making at least a few simple changes to enhance 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 environment at the same time, and that always feels nice.