Posted by: thepinetree on 08/21/2014 10:58 AM
Updated by: thepinetree on 08/21/2014 11:01 AM
Expires: 01/01/2019 12:00 AM
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How "Green" is Your Home?
Calaveras County, CA....You've been recycling your cans and bottles for years now, you're doing your best to use less water, especially with California's extreme drought conditions. And you make sure you keep the lights off and use natural light that flows in from the windows whenever possible. In short, you're doing your part to conserve, recycle and, basically, live green. But are you doing enough?
Here's a few tweaks you can do to your home to make sure you are living as green as possible and save a little money while you're at it. Some of these tweaks can be a bit costly up front, but you'll see the savings almost instantly. Take a look.
- You're already a pro at saving water, but what about the hot water? Did you know that turning the thermostat on your water heater down 5 degrees will save energy, also? You could also install an AirTap from AirGenerate. It's a device that conserves large amounts of energy by drawing heat from the ambient air to warm your water. It costs around $700, but could reduce your water heating bill by up to 50%!
- Keep cool and warm air from escaping your home by plugging up small holes with nontoxic spray foam. Check for holes around wiring and pipes, and where the foundation meets the wall. Make sure you choose a foam with no urea-based formaldehyde. This costs less than $100 and pays for itself during the first heating or cooling season.
- Update your toilets to a dual-flush toilet. Dual-flush can significantly cut down on your water use as opposed to conventional models which use anywhere from 3.5 to 7 gallons of water per flush. Dual-flush toilets use as little as 0.8-1.6 gallons of water per flush! Cost can range anywhere from $150 up to $700, depending on which brand you choose. And you could see up to a $100 decrease on your water bill per year.
- If you have those old school metal blinds covering your windows, it may be time to get rid of them! In hot weather, those blinds act as a radiator because heat builds up between them and the window. You can expect the same thing to happen with the cold air in the winter time, also. Cellular or honeycomb shades made of fabric provide a layer of insulation. Cost will be between $50 to $200 per shade and can cut 10-15 percent off your heating and cooling bills per year.
You can also contact your utility company about conducting a home energy audit. This is usually a free service they provide which will analyze everything in your home to see where else you could make changes. By implementing the changes suggested in the audit, you could potentially cut your utility cost in half!
If you found this article helpful, feel free to stop by our website at www.uniquitybuilders.com.
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Soirce: wholeliving.com
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