Archive for the ‘energy efficiency’ Category
Remodeling and Updating Pick Up Due to Dead Housing Market
Lowes and Home Depot report that homeowner’s, who can’t sell their homes, are beginning to update and remodel them.
The uptrend in home improvement favors projects that any do-it-yourself homeowner can do such as painting and landspaping. The exception to the diy trend is installing new windows, as sales are up even though the improvement is usually done by a hired professional.
Although consumers are beginning to purchase items such as door and cabinet hardware, blinds and window treatments, screens, key and lock sets etc. both stores report that sales of high end products are still in the doldrums, as the US suffers through the worst recession seen in decades.
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What is a Green Condo?
“Green” condo’s are becoming a hot commodity in the real estate market. The typically pricey units are located in large metro area’s and are designed to appeal to the young professional and members of the X and Y Generation.
Green condo’s, often called eco-friendly condo’s or lofts, include a wide variety of features and ammenities. Their designs usually include the use of alternative and recycled building materials, green roofs, solar energy, energy star appliances, water conservation and reclaimation.
Eco-friendly materials often used in green condo’s include bamboo flooring, No VOC paints, sustainable hardwoods, recycled glass, carpets made from recycled inner tubes, wallpaper made from recycled magazines, solar heating and cooling systems, on demand hot water heaters, water storage and recycling systems.
Green condo’s are usually located in area’s close to public transportation and within walking distance to shopping. In addition to being a good marketing ploy, green condo’s are now a luxury, hip niche in metro area real estate.
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Conservation Tips from the EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency offers the following tips for those who want to conserve energy and water inside the home:
- Visit energystar.gov to find energy efficient appliances that can save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
- Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven)
- Have leaky air-conditioning and refrigeration systems repaired.
- Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
- Insulate your home, water heater and pipes.
- Don’t let the water run while shaving or brushing teeth.
- Take short showers instead of tub baths.
- Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool.
- Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher, wash only full loads.
- Wash only full loads of laundry, or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.
- Buy high-efficient plumbing fixtures and appliances.
- Repair all leaks (a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water a day)
- Water the lawn or garden during the coolest part of the day (early morning is best)
It’s easy to be green while you are marketing your home and communicating with first time homebuyers who need to know these talking points.
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Solar Night-Lights for Halloween?
Let the light of day brighten up your night! Powered by a built-in photocell, solar night-lights require no wiring and no electricity, and they turn on automatically at night. Now you can harness the sun to illuminate your driveway, paths, steps and decks with easy to install solar lights that recharge (for free) during the day. Your curb appeal is also enhanced for night time viewing by potential home buyers while you are marketing your home.
Designed to look great whether you like traditional or modern, these energy-savers are available both in-store and online. There is a vast array of holiday night lights available online, including Christmas and Halloween. They are becoming increasingly popular, particularly since they are so much easier to install than traditional wired systems. If you decide you don’t like where you put them, or simply want to expand or mix things up, they are also much easier to move than wired units.
By harnessing the sun for your night time lighting projects, you are saving money, saving energy, and enhancing your home’s curb appeal-this is an easy way to go green.
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Solar Panels at Sam’s Club?
Yes, you heard right…according to expert Brian Clark Howard, the latest announcement from Sam’s Club (the big box retailer of modern consumerism) is that they are poised to market solar panels at nine Southern California Clubs: Corona, Murrieta, Glendora, Ontario, La Habra, Chino, Long Beach, Fountain Valley and Torrance. These locations have Home Effieciency Centers that have been created to showcase green products and appliances.
Sam’s Club is working with Borrego Solar Systems and BP Solar, and buyers can expect to save in the neighborhood of $500. Consumers can expect to see kiosks in participating stores that tout the benefits of solar energy. The company is also ramping up offerings of Energy Star appliances, low-flow fixtures, DFLs, LEDs and other green building products.
The news from Sam’s Club echoes recent reports that IKEA is investing $77 million into its GreenTech energy fund, with the goal of producing and selling solar panels, efficiency meters, and energy efficient lighting. The green trend is finding its way into home marketing, as a selling tool and to educate homebuyers and sellers regarding energy efficiency that saves them money.
That Sam’s Club and IKEA are making forays into home renewable energy is big news. This will make a real dent in our current energy crisis and pave the way for a cleaner future. Alternative technologies available in stores across the Heartland will make this possible.
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Stay Cool-Install Some Awnings
If you want to decrease your cooling expense, install some awnings. Awnings are great for summer and for winter. By blocking incoming solar rays, they decrease cooling loads, which are among the biggest expenses for buildings. In summer, awnings can intercept the near vertical solar rays, while letting in the low-angle rays of winter.
Awnings make rooms more comfortable and save money on high air conditioning bills. They can add value to your home because they ”dress-up” your home and smooth out the structural lines. If you are marketing your home to potential buyers, you can show them how awnings result in lower bills, and this is a memorable talking point.
Install some awnings over your windows and your home will be more energy efficient with less air conditioning use. You will save money while also adding value and curb appeal to your home.
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What is a “Green” Mortgage?
The “green” mortgage was born in 1979, when President Jimmy Carter signed an executive order directing federally sponsored secondary market institutions to offer consumers incentives for energy-efficient homes.
Green mortgages, or energy-efficient mortgages, allow homeowners to use their commitment to the environment to leverage bigger loans. The concept is based on the premise that a more energy-efficient home will have lower utility bills. That savings can be considered income, allowing a homebuyer to qualify for a bigger loan.
You have to provide a Home Energy Rating System report in order to apply for a green mortgage. HERS reports indicate that your house meets all engergy-efficiency guidelines. The builder can provide proof for a new home.
If you are a homeowner looking to upgrade your home’s energy-efficiency, you can commission a trained Energy Rater to issue a HERS report suggesting efficiency improvements. The Energy Rater can estimate the cost of those improvements, as well as the savings. Cost for the report is usually a few hundred dollars.
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A Water Bottle in Your Toilet?
Remember the old folk wisdom that said to place a brick in your toilet’s water tank? Well, that was partly correct, but placing a plastic bottle filled with water and a few pebbles is better. It’s an effortless way to save water-which is an increasingly scarce resource.
The average model uses three to seven gallons per flush and most will flush perfectly well with a little less H2O. You don’t have to turn hippie and call it ”mellow yellow” in order to save clean water….a bottle in the tank will displace enough water to save half a gallon to a gallon each use or up to about 10 gallons a day in a typical home.
What’s wrong with using the brick? They have been known to disintegrate in toilet water over time, leading to damaged plumbing. All you have to do is drop a little sand or some pebbles in a bottle, fill it with water, and put it in the tank, making sure not to disturb the the toilet’s working parts.
Easy enough?
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Remember the Draft Snakes?
During previous decades, “draft snakes” were regular accessories in many homes, particularly during the Great Depression and in other tight times, according to expert Brian Howard. But as current homeowners have gotten used to relatively cheap oil, these handy items have largely fallen out of favor. However reducing drafts in the home can cut down on energy use 5 to 30%, according to the U. S. Dept. of Energy.
Place a rolled bath tower or custom-made “draft snake” across the bottom of leaky doors and windows. This will improve the efficiency of heating and cooling, which are typically the biggest energy uses in the home, as well as make your rooms more comfortable.
The best thing about a “draft snake” is that it is an extremely cheap and easy way to green up your living space. You can buy premade ones, reuse an old towel or get crafty and make one out of scrap fabric, filled with sand or kitty litter for weight. Add humorous touches with googly eyes or felt tongues. Another idea: recycle old neckties into adorable “draft snakes.”
Here are 5 tips to tighten up your home’s envelope:
1. Seal your attic door
2. Install gaskets in outlets
3. Seal ductwork
4. Replace door gaskets
5. Repair window gaskets
Sealing against drafts will save you both energy and money.
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Tips for Living Greener
Here are some eco-friendly suggestions for living greener, ranging from the simple to the more extreme:
1. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents. Switching to compact fluorescent lighting could save you $30. a year in electrical costs, and the bulbs last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
2. Turn off your tap while brushing your teeth. It will save you 10 gallons of water each time you brush.
3. Put your computer on sleep mode when you are not using it during the day. This can reduce the compter’s energy usage by 80 percent.
4. Buy groceries in bulk, not only to save costs, but also to reduce the amount of excess packaging you are throwing away.
5. Unplug appliances and other devices such as cell phone chargers, when not in use.
6. Skip the dry cycle on your dishwasher.
7. Start a backyard garden and produce as many of your own vegetables and fruits as you can.
8. Sell all but one car and use the bus-system to get around. If that isn’t possible, at least reduce the number of car trips your family makes. Carpool, walk or ride a bike.
9. Buy 120 watts of solar panels, LED lights and a solar refrigerator to reduce energy consumption.
10. Reduce your debt and consumption of resources and goods, even if it means living in a smaller house than you currently own.
11. Don’t isolate yourself from nature. Take time to enjoy the natural world and share the experience with others.
Think GREEN, people are realizing the environment is worth taking care of…be an optimist…there are big challenges, but we’re capable of dealing with them.
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