Building an Eco Friendly House

Setting out to ‘green your home’ can be a daunting task, requiring research, time and considerable resources. While most governments offer rebates and incentives, home owners generally hesitate from taking up a greening project. Nevertheless, there are several benefits of a greener home. It is not only environment friendly, but is also light on your wallet in the long-run and can considerably improve the value of your property. Follow these few simple steps to start greening your home today for a better tomorrow.

• Check your windows to see whether there are gaps which allow air to escape. You can save a lot of energy by making sure your windows are properly sealed. These days, new windows have multiple panes and are designed to prevent heat from entering or escaping the interior.
• Check your doors for the same and make sure you get them repaired or replaced where necessary.
• If you have an attic, you need to inspect it to ensure that it is properly insulated. If your house is very old, you might want to get it professionally assessed for insulation efficiency.
• Home appliances are generally overlooked by people and are not properly disconnected after use. Even in standby, electrical appliances use energy, which can be saved otherwise. You should also look into replacing your old appliances with ‘Energy star’ certified appliances.
• If you have a fireplace, use it instead of going for electric heating systems. The fireplace will not only conserve energy but also provide a warm and welcoming appearance.
• Old light bulbs waste a lot of electricity, especially filament bulbs. You should inspect all the lights in your home and check whether they can be replaced with newer bulbs or LEDs. Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) use less than half the energy a standard incandescent bulb uses, and replacing all your bulbs with more energy efficient ones will save you a lot in electricity bills.
• If you have a large garden which requires outdoor lighting, you can consider setting up solar powered lights. The initial investment can be high, but long-term gains are worth the expense.
• Heating and cooling systems account for nearly half of all your energy consumption. If you manage your thermostat properly (keep it down during winters and turn it up during summer) you can conserve a lot of energy.
• If you have the resources, you should also consider upgrading your furnace and air conditioning units to newer, more energy efficient models.