Green Home Improvement
By: Daniel D. Chiras PhD
Everyone is talking about "green" living - and for good reasons - high fuel costs, water shortages, illness from poor air quality, and a stressed environment.
Many people think green improvements are either basic and obvious, like compact fluorescent lightbulbs - or complex and costly, like covering the roof with solar panels. In fact, there's a wide range of green opportunities, from a new furnace or solar system to low-cost measures such as:
- A $50 programmable thermostat that can save hundreds of dollars over a year's time
- A $3 faucet aerator that can save almost 1 000 gallons of water a year
- A $15 pain additive that helps insulate your walls
- A zero-cost measure that could save you $900 on a new water heater
The author, a green building expert who has appeared on the Discovery Channel's Planet Green Network, outlines what each project involves, what it costs, and the benefits for you and your home.
Projects include: flooring; paint; cabinetry and countertops; winows and doors; insulation; roofing and siding; heating and cooling; lighting; appliances and plumbing fixtures (including Energy Star & WaterSense); solar electric and water heating; green choices for patios, decks, walkways, driveways, pools, landscaping...and much more.
Greening your home offers benefits too important to miss:
- Protecting your family's health and safety by limiting toxic substances in your home
- Reducing your energy costs and use of natural resources
- Increasing your home's value with improvements that command higher selling prices
- Choosing the right materials and productsfor remodeling or building a new home
More than 100 "Go Green" tips - "no-brainers" that will instantly make your home and lifestyle greener
Page last updated on Monday, May 10, 2010
