How To Green the Not-So-Green House
Written by Bryan Casteel on May 19, 2008
Unless you live under a rock, you have been hearing a lot about going green. The Cincinnati Real Estate market does not have lots of homes built using the latest “Green Ideas”. So what do you do? Many of us want to save $$ and do our part, but it looks too hard.
The U.S. Green Building Council has released 45 ideas we all can use to go a little greener. Here are the the top ideas I am going to try and do:
- Lint - Yes the lint in your dryer can build up and waste energy. Clean out the lint filter every time you use the dryer.
- Manual Labor - Little things can add up. Why not use a manual can opener or a whisk instead of an electric mixer. What about a good old broom instead of the fancy shark.
- Good Day Sunshine - On hot days, close the window coverings on the south and west sides to keep your home cool. In cooler days, open the same window coverings.
- Washing Machine - You can save $30 to $40 per year in water heating costs by washing and rinsing your clothes in cold water. Also, wash with full loads, not half empty loads. I have tried this and the clothes look just as clean when washed in cold water.
- Put your Computer to Sleep - Update your computer settings so it goes into sleep mode when not used. This can save from $25 to $50 a year.
- Solar-Powered Attic fans - The name says it all! Actually, any powered attic fan will save on your cooling bill!
I am also looking into saving rain water from my roof to use on the lawn. I will let you know how that experiment goes. Our team is working with a construction contractor to provide our home buyers and sellers with a green checklist. Look for a post on this topic later this spring.
Some of the ideas took just seconds to implement, others are a little harder to do. We can mail you the 45 Ways to Green the Not-So-New House Report. Just send an email to info@realcincy.com requesting the 45 Ways to Green the No-So-New House and we will send you the report right away!
You can find more green ideas on the energy star web site. Energy Star is the US Government organization to help us save energy. They have ratings on appliances and home improvements. Check out the site, you may learn that buying a new Deep Freeze will quickly pay for itself!
