It is getting more and more popular to go green, and many Americans are leading the way in their housing choices. One area recently reported that their realty market was stagnant except for a big rush on newly built homes that came up for sale. They were powered by solar heating and were extremely energy conscious to run.

Solar heating is one smart choice in a sunny area. You will always have hot water to hand and solar power can be transformed into other energy and stored for when you want to run different appliances.

It may be that many of these buyers are trying to help the environment, but one good side effect of going green, is that the running costs will be less once you have set yourself up to be operating an energy conscious home. Heating and cooling systems can account for up to a half of your total energy bill in a non-green home.

One place to read about how to save energy in your home is Energy Star, the government’s on line site. Their many tips point out which energy is being wasted and where and how to avoid it. The on line site offers advice and free booklets to send for, and gives dozens of pointers on how to live green and how to build green.

One of the sites on Energy Star give you the top ten tips for finding a good contractor in your area, if you want to build a ‘green’ house or have a radical make-over.

Of course, there are other small ways that you can save energy and money in your pocket. One of their recommendations is that you stop buying the old-fashioned light bulbs and start buying the new compact fluorescent light bulbs.

These are expensive to buy at first, but on the cost of one light bulb, you can save up to $30 over the lifetime of one light bulb. If you live in a hot climate, you may be pleased to know that they put out less heat, so will also keep your air conditioning costs down. This is a very small change for you to make, yet it does save your cash and the environment.

The local governments and/or the federal government offer a selection of rebates to try and encourage people to become more energy conscious in their homes.

These grants, or one time rebates, can cover several different areas of green living. For instance, if your own state does not offer incentives for you to buy an efficient wood stove or furnace, you may be able to get one from the federal government.

The amount of the grant does not cover the cost of buying a new stove, however, it can save several hundred dollars from the price.

If your are planning to buy a home and have it built for you, remember that many builders will add your requirements in at the end, so therefore it is often easy to ask for preferred green options in a newly built house.

There is also a scheme that is run through the Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM). Under this scheme you can use green building materials and designs and qualify for a green mortgage. You can even get mortgage help from these people if you are only planning to renovate, as long as you will be using green techniques and ideas.

If you want to find out more ideas about how to incorporate environmental considerations into the design, you will get some input from the green site at the National Association of Home Builders (NAH). Their site also includes such simple pointers as planting trees that let light into the home in the winter, and give shade in the hot summers, as well as tips on water conservation, and other reminders.

Some of the luxuries in a home which are not so ‘sustainable’ are being changed – gradually. For instance granite counter -tops are still fashionable, but buyers will often choose the look a like’s made from engineered stone. These are lighter and have not used up large amounts of gas being carted around the country.

Similar ‘swaps’ are made with hardwood floors and kitchen cabinets. Bamboo is widely used nowadays in homes by people who prefer to use sustainable resources. Bamboo wood flooring looks like hard oak wood floors but it grows in one tenth the time of an oak tree!

Another popular flooring is cork, which feels warmer and softer than ceramic tiles and is also a sustainable source. A bathroom with cork walls and cork flooring always feels warmer due to the slight ‘insulating’ properties of cork.

Justin Lee is an expert servicing the Montgomery County MD real estate market. If you are looking for Cabin John real estate, Justin is a professional who can go to work for you.
Article Source

Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

Powered By WP Footer

Did you know that less than one percent of the world’s freshwater is available for human use?  Even though the world is made up of largely water, only three percent of it is fresh and most of the fresh water is frozen at the polar ice caps.  With such a small supply of water available for our growing demand, it makes sense that the Environmental Protection Agency and other environmental groups are constantly calling for conservation and reusing whatever we can to stretch our thin water supplies.  In the summertime the average water usage per day jumps by about a hundred gallons for the average person.

Local governments are responding to their water supply shortages in different ways.  Some are implementing higher rates for those who use the most water.  Others have enacted restrictions over water usage, such as not watering your lawn between certain hours or on certain days.  There are many simple steps you can take to reduce your water footprint in your local area.

Hoses are a huge source of wasted water so instead of using your hose to wash your car consider using two buckets, one filled with soapy water and one with rinse.  If you can, pull your car onto your lawn to wash it.  “This has two great benefits: you can water the grass or flowerbeds at the same time, and the soap and road residues percolate through the ground instead of running into the sewer where they negatively impact aquatic ecosystems.”  Any leftover water that you have can be used to water plants around your house.  Or if you prefer professional car washes, try to find one that recycles their water.

Two of the best ways to reduce water use from your garden, whatever you’re growing, are to use rain water barrels to capture the water from rooftops over the winter, and to mulch your beds – with straw, leaves, grass or even rocks and gravel. These two factors alone could eliminate almost all your municipal water use in the garden.

For lawns, grow grasses that are suitable for the temperature and moisture levels in your area and don’t cut it too short, keeping it a little longer will help the soil retain moisture. You might also consider pulling up part of the lawn and replacing it with low maintenance garden beds, or some food plants, or easy care ground covers like short growing clovers, yarrow, or various hedges. You can even dot in a few well-mulched strawberry plants or pots of blueberries for a sweet and attractive treat.

-
About the Author:
For more information about water conservation please visit Central Basin
Article Source

Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

Powered By WP Footer