What are some inexpensive tips to turn my house green?

Question

What are some inexpensive tips to turn my house green?

Answer 1

Oh this one is soooo easy....  :)

Start recycling if you haven't already.

Change out heavily used light bulbs with CFL's. Change out lesser used light bulbs with CFL's as they fail.

Change your showerheads to be low-flow models that use less water and will save you money by using less hot water.

Change out your faucet nozzles with low-flow models.

When replacing appliances, use Energy Star models

In summer close the blinds and draperies to keep out the sun that makes the house hotter

When repainting your house, use environmentally friendly paint.

Be careful when selecting house and lawn chemicals. Ask a lot of questions. Many dangerous chemicals have phone numbers on them. Call the numbers ask what are the health affects, can they be used in the kitchen, garden, lawn, inside/outside, etc. I avoid unnecessary chemicals, insecticides, and cleaners. You can't stop using them all, but you can be sensible when you must use them.

Consider a solar hot-water heater. This is usually a very economical choice and in some households it can reduce your energy bill by as much as 30%.

Buy only "green products" that come from sustainable sources. Use bamboo instead of wood where available. Use natural fabric cloth instead of synthetics. Well, you get the idea....

Think about upgrading your attic insulation

When washing your car, don't let the water run when you are not using it.

Grow your own vegetables and herbs. Its enjoyable and gets you in the mood for yet more green choices.

If you must change or renovate your home think about the energy impacts of the changes and make smart choices. It might include using different roofing materials, more insulation, better insulating windows, using sustainable construction materials, etc.

Compost where it makes sense. If you are in an apartment obviously that doesn't make much sense, but if you have a home with garden or large yard, then composting might be an option.

Plant hardwood trees. Think about planting them where it might give added benefit such as shading a porch or a portion of the house where sunshine is not desireable. Properly sited trees can actually lower energy bills by blocking wind and sun.

When planting shrubs, flowers, grass and trees think about the necessary care and feeding. Some varieties will require more special fertilizer and water. Generally, native plant varieties are hardier and require less attention. That can be good on the environment as well.

These are just some of the things you might consider, but this is only a start. I've added a few sources to get you started.

Timothy D.

West Melbourne, FL

Answer 2

Start with the little things.... recycle everything you can, paper, glass, soda cans, plastic. That will help the environment immediately.

Also, get the efficient light bulbs (the funny shaped ones). Replace your burnt out bulbs with those.

Turn off lights when you are not in rooms, same goes with appliances, radios, televisions, computers.

Unplug your toaster when you are not using it

Re-use grocery bags by either bringing them back to the store, using as garbage bags, lunch bags, recycling bags, etc.

Wash your clothes in cold water only

Take showers instead of baths

Get a water filter installed or a britta water pitcher instead of buying water bottles

try walking or biking or using more public transportation than driving your car

make your you give your car scheduled oil changes

Answer 3

Well you can start by planting fruit trees,Also why not paint your house green !!!

Answer 4

Turn off lights, don't over use water and be aware of the waste you generate. Don't let waste go into drains or waterways, and recycle. These will actually be cheaper for you and greener for the enviroment.

Answer 5

Try to use used moving boxes for storage purposes. A company called ecobox also has started offering biodegradable bubble wrap these days

Answer 6

buy green paint?

Answer 7

Solar is expensive to buy but over the years you are actually saving alot of money on electrity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Turn off lights when not in use and open windows (Obviously with a guard or sumthin) to let the cold breeze in unless it's humid or too hot. Try ventelation or whatever it is instead of aircon =)

Answer 8

Here are many things you can do around your house and a few on the move to keep your house green!!!!

Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)

CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we’d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! You can purchase CFLs online from the Energy Federation.

Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer

Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has more tips for saving energy on heating and cooling.

Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner

Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Install a programmable thermostat

Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.

Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases

Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models. If each household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we’d eliminate 175 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year!

Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket

You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use less hot water

It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible

You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.

Turn off electronic devices you’re not using

Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you’re not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them

Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!

Only run your dishwasher when there’s a full load and use the energy-saving setting

You can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

Insulate and weatherize your home

Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. The Consumer Federation of America has more information on how to better insulate your home.

Be sure you’re recycling at home

You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area.

Buy recycled paper products

It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.

Plant a tree

A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.

Get a home energy audit

Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.

Switch to green power

In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. The Green Power Network is a good place to start to figure out what’s available in your area.

Buy locally grown and produced foods

The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.

Buy fresh foods instead of frozen

Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.

Seek out and support local farmers markets

They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. You can find a farmer’s market in your area at the USDA website.

Buy organic foods as much as possible

Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!

Avoid heavily packaged products

You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

Eat less meat

Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.

Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible

Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Click here to find transit options in your area.

Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates

Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free national service connecting commuters and travelers.

Keep your car tuned up

Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.

Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated

Proper inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!

hen it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle

You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency here and here.

Try car sharing

Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar -- offer low emission or hybrid cars too! Also, see ZipCar.

Try telecommuting from home

Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition.

Fly less

Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. You can also offset your air travel by investing in renewable energy projects.