Simple Ways You Can Go Green
Simple Ways You Can Go Green
Green living is all around us and it’s becoming more of the norm than the exception. We have clients every day that are focused on energy efficient living, building and maintenance. Here are some great tips from our friends at RealtyTimes.com on going green in your own home.
Start with the light bulbs. “Installing the compact S and bulb is the quickest and easiest way to save energy and money.” According to Better Homes & Gardens you can save $83 for one 75 W incandescent bulb swapped out for a 25 W compact fluorescent lightbulb. That’s quite a bit of savings!
Look for energy star stickers to find out how much you can save on appliances such as refrigerators, washers and dryers, dishwashers and ovens.
Complete a home audit. Give your home a check list and look at the home’s energy usage. Find out where the biggest draw on your energy is coming from and then make smart financial moves from there on out. If your windows are fine it may not be time for a $20,000 window replacement but rather put that towards energy sucking appliances instead.
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Use natural chemicals are rather than harsh toxic ones. Sometimes simply swapping out your harsh of oven cleaner for simple lemon juice and vinegar can work wonders on allergies, chemicals in the house, and create a much cleaner environment.
Switch from Baths to showers. A bath takes between 30 and 70 gallons of water while the average eight minute shower uses only 17 gallons. Install low flow showerhead and faucets, which will offset greater water usage.
Recycle, recycle, recycle. You can recycle your water which is in as disgusting as it sounds. You can save huge amount of energy required to process the water and transported to your home. But, you’ll need a 50 to 80 gallon rain barrel that you can connect your downspout and the rainwater collected can be used for gardening and watering plants. You can also recycle your clothes, donate your unused close to goodwill or through stores which actually have an impact on the environment and those who receive it. According to Freecycle.org “by some estimates, for every item of clothing donated, 27 pounds of carbon emissions are reduced based on the fact that you don’t have another item being produced while one is headed to the landfill.”
These are just a few simple ways that anyone can recycle and be more conscious of their carbon footprint on the planet. Of course, we’re always looking at new buildings and green construction materials and many homeowners are looking for energy Star appliances. For more information on green living or to look for homes that meet the Green standard in the Estero real estate market call our offices today.
