Many homeowners today are finding that rather than living in a large home, they would rather live in a smaller space. If built properly, smaller homes can be more energy efficient and produce less waste than traditional sized homes. Interestingly enough, while our home sizes grew over the last 20 years our family size has not, with most couples choosing to have one or two children as opposed to five or more. People are also choosing to live a “greener” lifestyle than before, recognizing that to ensure their children have a nice place to live in the future; we must cut back on consumption and waste today.
New technologies are enabling homeowners to bring a green lifestyle into their whole house, and in the United States there are federal tax credits available to incentivize homeowners to purchase Energy Star products. Products which carry the Energy Star label have been manufactured specifically to save energy and help homeowners save on their utility costs. Some state and local governments also have tax incentives for items such as solar panels.
Typically the cost of heating and cooling a home is the biggest money drain. Ensuring that air ducts are sealed and only heating or cooling the areas of the home which are in constant use are one way to save on energy costs. Installing a programmable thermostat is an easy and inexpensive way to save money and energy. Performing annual maintenance on a home heating and cooling systems is going to ensure the systems are working properly, which can save money as well.
Insulation is another way to keep your home cool during the summer and warm during the winter. Installing insulation in the garage will help with energy costs, particularly if the garage is attached to the house. Ensuring that air ducts in the garage are not allowing dangerous chemicals such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and volatile organic compounds into the house is a must for any homeowner.
Appliances for the home are becoming greener with items such as toilets that can compost, run on propane and natural gas, and incinerate solid waste. Drawer size dishwashers are available which accommodate small loads and use less water. There is even a clothes cleaning machine that acts as both washer and dryer in one appliance. Insulating the homes water heater and the pipes can save on both energy costs and the water being used. Another way to save on the water bill is to use buckets to catch rain water, which can be used to water plants around the house. Installing a water filtration system will save on purchasing bottled water and also keep plastic bottles out of our landfills.
Using recycled products for the home is a great way to cut back on unneeded waste. Cabinetry, counter tops and flooring are now available that are made from recycled items such as stone, glass, or wood. Recycled counter tops and wood flooring are available from previous builds, and counter tops that look just like granite are produced from recycled newspaper and soy products.
Going green is easier now than ever before; homeowners can install solar panels, wind turbines and geothermal heating units which all have tax incentives. Using new technologies, we can all save some money as well as saving the planet for future generations.
