Greenify-ing Your Home

Going green is not only a great move for the environment but has become more viable for most Americans as well. Green appliances or updates to the home are no longer out of reach for the middle class and as technology has improved, the costs of these projects, appliances, or items have become more accessible to homeowners. Not only has the price decreased played a huge role but society’s opinion climate change has drastically increased in the past decade and it’s no longer weird to be concerned about your own energy usage. The idea of this post is to help the average home owner find ways to lower their impact on the environment and in turn save some cash as well. I’ll walk through three large, medium and small changes that are bucketed in each category due to cost and/or time involved.

Large

• Solar Panels: With new technology making solar panels viable for virtually every climate now and much more cost effective, it’s most certainly a large project to consider adding to your home. Be sure to check with your local/state/national government for tax incentives as they can often offset some of the initial costs and allow you to recoup your money more quickly.
• Lower Flow Toilet: Water consumption is a huge piece of energy waste and usage. By installing a low flow toilet, you can help stop the excess use of water due to your toilet usage. Pick a Saturday, buy a green toilet and invite some buddies over to help install.
• Energy Efficient Appliances: While certainly large upfront cost, replacing your old appliances with new energy efficient models and save a tremendous amount of money over the course of several years. Look to upgrade appliances one by one that way the cost isn’t so much upfront.

Medium

• Low-Flow Shower Head: Water can be a scare resource especially for those of you who live out west. Consider changing your shower head to a low flow model to save on water consumption throughout the year. There are some great models on the market that may make the change easier if you enjoy a higher-pressure shower.
• Wash Laundry Cold: Water heating costs can add up very quickly and it’s estimated that water heaters are the second largest energy user in our households. Not only is it good for your wallet and the environment to wash clothes cold, you typically don’t have to sort out your lights and darks which will save an extra load as well!
• Install Programmable Thermostat: Programmable thermostats like the Nest allow homeowners and residents to set their energy use to tailor their schedule. By only using the energy when the residents are home, you can dramatically cut down on your energy use.

Small

• Replace your Paper Towels: Paper towels are incredibly convenient but are terrible for the environment. Each sheet only lasts for one use and then is tossed into the trash. Look to buy a stock pile of dish towels that you can wash on a regular basis.
• Light Bulb Changes: We all know that incandescent lights use more energy. Go through your home and replace as many light bulbs as you can with new LED bulbs. Not only are these models more efficient, but often your energy company will send you some to get started.

Organic Fibers: Cotton production can emit a lot of carbon emissions per year. Look for organic cotton and/or fleece when looking to replace things such as jackets, sheets, curtains etc.