Emily Scott

Today’s media is filled with conversations about corporations and communities going green and reducing their carbon footprint. As well as trying to reduce our carbon footprint, another large reason for people jumping on the “going green” bandwagon is that our non-renewable resources are becoming too expensive. As a homeowner, here are five simple ways that you can help reduce your home’s environmental impact, all the while lowering your living costs.

Unplug When Not in Use
Believe it or not, you can save a lot of money on your electric bill just by simply unplugging your electronics. According to Energy Star, the average American household spends almost $200 a year to power appliances that are actually turned off. So, if you are not using the toaster, coffee pot, or kettle…unplug them!

Buy Energy Efficient
When choosing new appliances for your household, go with a brand that is labeled as being energy efficient. Switch out your regular light bulbs for CFL light bulbs. This will not only lower your electricity consumption, but your electric bill as well. Using less electricity leads to reduced pollution, protecting air quality.

Cool Your Home Naturally
The sun’s rays heat the house as they penetrate the window panes. By closing the curtains, you can reduce the amount of heat filtering in from the sun. This will naturally reduce the internal temperature of your home and therefore lessen the amount of time your air conditioning unit will have to run.

Line Dry
It takes approximately 900 pounds of coal to run an electric clothes dryer for a year—and that’s just for one household. Line drying your clothes will save you approximately $120 a year in electric costs, but will save the environment so much more.

Eco-Friendly Insulation
Eco-friendly alternatives to insulation include materials such as cotton, wool, cork, and recycled plastic. Most natural materials are sustainable, renewable, and can be produced at a fraction of the cost of their manufactured counterparts. According to a specialist from Reitzel Insulation Co Ltd, eco-friendly insulation alternatives are generally chemical-free, yet still possess the same insulation capabilities as fiberglass.

As a society, we have been trying to produce a more sustainable, greener alternative to our lifestyle of the past in order to prevent any further ecologic damages. By simply unplugging unused appliances, line drying clothes, using different light bulbs, and switching to eco-friendly insulation materials you can largely reduce your home’s impact on the environment.

Home builders need to save money, particularly those buying their home for the first time. Building green homes once was considered to be a luxury but now is affordable. Green home construction has some costs, but many of the green systems put in place save money in home maintenance.

Communicating with Suppliers
By working with suppliers, home builders will determine the best products obtainable from the manufacturers. This step will get the homes certified by the National Green Building Standards. Builders might find floor choices that use carpet that had recycled material and padding, hardwood flooring that was engineered and recycled bathroom tile.

Substitute Materials for Framing and Techniques
Alternate methods and materials for framing could offer saving time and cost as well as a way of gaining points in green certification. Possibilities might include using trusses and panels. These methods save labor and are efficient resources. These result in less waste material on the building site. Pre-constructed systems can produce better thermal efficiency over buildings that are stick frames. More efficient site framing approaches include ladder blocking that requires less wood and allows more space for insulation and two-stud corners that permits for one fewer studs at the corner, providing for a more completely insulated corner.

Multiuse Products
To maintain low production cost while building green, use methods or products that have several green aspects. Once example is the use of cabinets that do not have formaldehyde and are constructed of recycled material, thus acquiring green certification for keeping the quality of the indoor atmosphere and material.

Efficient Water Use
Efficient water use benefits the property owner, but does not increase the cost of house construction. Included in this are the long term benefits of low-flow shower heads, toilets and faucets, along with appliances that are rated as water saving. Recently, the supply of these items is more readily available and more inexpensive than the fixtures that do not provide the water savings. Most of these items do not require special orders.

Affordable Landscaping
After determining the budget, the homeowner should think about the needs for the landscaping. It does take time for the yard and plants to fill in, and the second year shows the progress. To acquire inexpensive sod, it is best to get estimates from several landscapers, like those at Western Turf Farms Ltd, before deciding on who to supply and lay your sod. The green areas can be maintained more effectively by cutting the lawn at two inches and above so the structure of the root will be stronger and hardier. The grass will also require less frequent lawn treatments.

New home builders must plan to save costs and build houses that meet green standards. They will find many practices will save costs in maintaining their homes as time passes.