Easy Steps to Becoming Green      


M aking your home and lifestyle more sustainable and green can sometimes be overwhelming and intimidating process. This website will help make it easier for you to know what some of your options are and to make the best choices for you.

Homeowners spend anywhere from 10%-30% of their budget on energy costs. With energy costs continuing to rise, an energy efficient home which costs less to operate each month, because it uses less energy, just makes sense.

Being energy efficient is the quick, cheap and clean way to lower energy expenses and save significantly on your monthly energy bills. You can lower your energy bill without sacrificing comfort.

RATE YOUR HOME FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

  • have your home rated for free by your utility or pay for a licensed home rater for a more detailed report ($100 - $400)
  • use an online calculator to get an estimated account of how "green" your home is. the best one I have found is at earthlab.com, you can measure your home and your lifestyle, save your results and track your improvements. Compare your score with others in your city, state and around the world.

IMPROVE THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF YOUR HOME

  • Check the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior and basement walls, floors, and crawlspaces to see if it meets the levels recommended for your geographical area. About 1/3 of air infiltrates your home through openings in your ceilings, walls, and floors. If your home is not adequately insulated, have additional insulation professionally installed. For more information www.simplyinsulate.org.
  • Install a programmable thermostat. The energy savings will offset the cost of a basic unit in less than a year. Programming your thermostat from 72 degrees to 65 degrees for eight hours a day while no one is home, or while everyone is tucked in bed, will cut your heating bill up to 10%. For more information: contact energy star.
  • Insulate your hot water heater and hot water pipes to save energy and money.
  • Insulate heating ducts and keep them in good repair to prevent heat loss. Your system can lose up to 60% of its warmed air before it reaches the register, if ducts are not properly insulated in unheated areas such as attics and crawlspaces.
  • Cut your energy bills by up to 30 percent with Energy Star-labeled products. Look for the Energy Star Label, the government's symbol for energy efficiency, when replacing your heating and cooling systems - as well as appliances, lighting, windows, office equipment, and home electronics. Find retailers near you at Energy Star.
  • Install timers on lights inside your home to avoid coming home to a dark house on winter evenings. Motion detectors on exterior floodlights improve your home security while reducing energy costs.
  • Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in place of comparable incandescent bulbs to save about 50 percent on your lighting costs. CFLs use only one-fourth the energy and last up to 10 times longer.
  • Install storm windows over single-pane windows or replace them with double-pane windows with low-emissivity (low-e) coating. Low-e coating on the glass reflects heat back into the room during the winter months, reducing heat loss by 25 to 50%. Look for the Energy Star label to save even more. In cold climates, low-e windows can reduce your heating bills by 34 percent, compared to uncoated, single-pane windows. For more information, visit EfficientWindows.org.
  • A few carefully positioned trees around the house can cut as much as 25% off your household's yearly energy consumption for heating and cooling. Just three strategically placed trees can save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs annually.

    • STRATEGIES TO REDUCING YOUR HEATING BILLS

  • Test your home for air leaks. Save 10% or more on your energy bill by reducing the air leaks in your home. On a windy day, hold a lit candle next to windows, doors, electrical outlets, and light fixtures. If the smoke travels horizontally, you have found an air leak that may need caulking, sealing, or weather stripping. Also, tape clear plastic sheeting to the inside of your window frames if drafts, water condensation, or frost are present.
  • Properly maintain your heating system. Heating can be almost ½ of the average family's winter energy bill. Make sure your furnace or heat pump is maintained each year. A heat pump can reduce the amount of electricity you use for heating by 30 to 40%.
  • Close fireplace dampers when not in use. A chimney is designed specifically for smoke to escape, so until you close it, warm air escapes, too – 24 hours a day!
  • Use kitchen, bath, and other ventilating fans wisely. In just one hour, these fans can pull out a houseful of warmed air. Turn fans off as soon as they have done the job.
  • Open curtains on your south facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home, and close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
  • Turn off everything not in use - lights, TVs, VCRs, CD and DVD players, computers.