Green Home Building: Is Building Green for You?

With more and more in the news about the current state of our environment, along with the decline in the economy, the move to go greener in day to day activities is increasing in activity. Whether you plan to buy a new home, build your own, or rent one, considering building green will be to your advantage. Green Home Building knowledge can help you to prepare your living area to have less of an impact on the earth and decrease your living expenses also. Building green tips can apply to newly built homes as well as those which are being remodeled. As a renter your knowledge on green home building and remodeling tips may be appreciated by your landlord. Here are some Green Home Building and remodeling ideas you may consider.

Look for a Green Home Builder

The EPA sets guidelines for energy efficiency which builders have to meet in order to have a home be identified as an ENERGY STAR home. Green Home builders must have their products be 15% more efficient than those built to 2004 codes. Buying a home that is ENERGY STAR qualified should give home buyers a much more efficient home. The web page at energystar.gov allows buyers to search for companies who are building green in their state.

Do a few of your own Green Home Building Renovations: Green Home Building RenovationTip #1

Get a programmable thermostat. Whether you are reevaluating ways to make your current home more efficient, buying a home, or building your own green home, a programmable thermostat is a good investment. With a programmable thermostat you can set your temperatures so you use less energy when you will not be home or when you are sleeping. Many programmable thermostats can be installed by the do it yourself home owner. Check with your green home builder to see if the programmable thermostat is already in your design and if not, consider adding one.

Green Home Building renovation tip #2

Evaluate your water heater: Your hot water heater uses a tremendous amount of energy. Green Home Building renovators can reduce this amount by adding insulation to the water heater. Insulation sweaters help the water heater to retain the heat without constantly running. Another renovation tip to make your water heater more efficient is to insulate the pipes coming out of the heater and to turn the water temperature down to at least 120 degrees.

Green Home Building renovation tip #3

If you are building, consider adding low flow toilets to your building green plans. Most green home builders will have this as an option to reduce your water usage. As a current home owner, you will see the benefits in a reduction in your water usage if you change your toilets out to the low flow style. The newer high efficiency toilets allow water and energy savings.

Green Home Building renovation tip #4

Add an aerator to your faucet. This is a simple, low cost way of building green. The aerator will allow you more cleaning power from the water force while using less water

Green Home Building renovation tip #5

Add a clothesline. Dryers use a significant amount of energy. If you are only drying a few items, the amount of energy needed to heat up the dryer can be offset by the simple green home building addition of a clothesline.