It seems that the recent inflationary setbacks of the past months have caused many of us to rethink our life-styles. Home buyers are now placing energy efficiency high on their list of wants.

This means that small improvements to your home that can be listed as ‘green’ will be a selling plus in this new environment. Switching to ‘green’ is supported by a recent survey published by Move.com and echoes findings from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

The poll conducted by Move.com was focused on which type of ‘extras’ prospective home buyers would choose in a new home. Not surprisingly in view of the escalating cost of living that we have been experiencing lately, over 49% of them opted for energy saving amenities. Only 31% of potential buyers rated luxury amenities as top of their list.

A poll where prospective home-owners would choose ‘green living’ over luxury goods reveals the struggle that many Americans have faced, in fact 81% of participants admit to financial set-backs in their house buying plans. Most obstacles are quoted as revolving around the economy, the house prices and their own incomes, according to the survey.

A previous survey conducted by the NAHB confirms that Americans want to pay less for their energy; 64% of participants cited “reduced energy costs” to be the most important aspect of choosing to go green, whereas only 55% would choose it “because it is healthier”.

Everything is pointing to the fact that Americans want to save energy – and money. Can this be done without investing a lot of cash in new products? The answer is yes, there are life style choices we can make, that we used to make, but which have dropped by the way side of consumerism. There are also small investments we can make in our homes to give it ‘green’ appeal.

For green lifestyle choices, we can think back to our Grandma’s day. Start now by growing your own organic winter vegetables and invest in two fruit trees which will emanate oxygen into the environment. All vegetable and fruit peelings used to be ploughed back into Grandma’s garden in the form of compost; saves on buying chemicals to nurture your vegetables. Read about how to compost on line.

Here is a simple one that saves gas: keep a shopping list! It will save endless trips to the ‘corner shop’ if you stop forgetting groceries! If you can encourage the family to walk or bike more, your health will benefit as much as the environment.

Solar heating panels would be great, but remember your windows are a variation of this. Keep drapes and blinds open when the sun shines on the window to let the warmth radiate through the glass; at night time close them to keep warmth in, up to one third of home heat can be saved by closing drapes. Turn your heat down by two degrees when you go to bed.

Another small saving will be gained if you turn off the heating and close the doors in the rooms that you do not use. Try to remind the children to turn down their heat dials before they leave for school. It only takes a minute for the rooms to warm up again.

Heating takes a large chunk of our money during the winter months; have you thought of installing a wood stove with an outside chimney (the easiest to install)? The new stoves that leave almost no residual wood and are almost ‘smokeless’ are part of a grant scheme offered by some governments.

A wood stove will offer a choice of heating in your home, and so this will increase the value of it. Stack your cord(s) of wood against an outside wall to help increase the insulation of your home. Double glazing is a sure way to save on energy bills, but it can be expensive. However, weather-stripping around the windows and doors can keep a lot of cold air from coming in.

Meanwhile, as winter and the heavy heating bills creep closer, remember Grandma and stock up on clothes in thermal and woolen fabrics!

PorchLight Real Estate Group combines local market knowledge with cutting edge marketing skills. For more information on Denver CO real estate or to do a search for Congress Park real estate, visit us online at PorchLightGroup.com.
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Sustainability in Easy Terms

How do you define sustainability? There will be a wide array of answers if you ask that question to a few different people. Many people will define it as not messing up the planet for future generations. Sustainability has as much to do with making good lifestyle choices, supporting your local village or community and enhancing long term economic strength as it has to do with being environmentally conscious and aware. ‘Sustainable’, as opposed to the term ‘Green’ promotes a much wider ranging set of values and objectives than purely environmental protection.

If you take a look on Google, you’ll find many definitions around the term. These include:

To keep in existence, to nourish and maintain. To prolong.

A state or a process that can be maintained indefinitely.

To be able to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

This really shows us that, as with all things, if you fail to take care of something it becomes unreliable and eventually prone to failure. Humans have certainly not looked after the planet that well, but a question that we are all asking is, ‘Can the damage be reversed?’

Global warming is one of the big questions and debates at the moment. The cynics deny that it is related to human activity, stating that it is just a cyclical event, many of which have occurred over the course of the planets history. The proponents of the ‘global warming’ hypothesis state that is is humans that are responsible, emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary ‘ greenhouse gas’ have created a gas layer that reduces the ability of the planet to breath and release heat.

Whichever is correct, and it’s certainly likely that both are to some extent, I feel that advocating the ‘precautionary principle’ is surely the best way to deal with the problem. The ‘precautionary principle’ involves taking action anyway because we are unsure if our activities have caused the problem. It’s a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach. Reducing greenhouse emissions is going to do the planet good, so lets play it safe and take some action.

We are unlikely to know in our lifetimes whether taking this action will avert environmental disaster, but I know that on a personal level, I’d feel better to know that we made some attempt, rather than just discarding the idea completely.

Steve has been writing articles for nearly 3 years. Explore his latest website over at www.cheapvegasvacationsonline.com which helps people find the best Cheap Vegas Vacations and information they are looking for when planning a holiday or business trip.

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