Easy Ways to Green Your Home

Inexpensive Energy Savers

Energy savings are always a focal point in a green home. Purchasing Energy Star-rated appliances is an easy step to take, but it’s not necessarily the easiest on the budget. Before a homeowner considers changes to the home’s energy-consuming devices and systems, an energy audit should be completed.

“Homeowners need to have a diagnostics done on the home,” says O’Brien. “For $500, an auditor can evaluate the whole home to determine where energy is being lost.” The Building Performance Institute (BPI) trains and certifies contractors to understand a home’s performance and interconnected systems. Through the institute’s Web site, a consumer can locate a BPI-accredited contractor by ZIP code and specialty (such as HVAC, Building Analyst, Shell/Envelope, etc.). Evaluating the home’s overall performance will help prioritize energy-saving steps and provide a plan toward longer-term improvements. “Addressing the building envelope is 50 percent of the battle,” says O’Brien. Free energy audits can be added to the growing list of incentives that many cities and towns have in place for green-minded homeowners. A call to the local utility companies will determine if a complementary examination of the home’s energy system is available.

Sealing up the home can be an easy and inexpensive energy-saving project. The Energy Star web site is a great resource and guide for locating and addressing a leaky or a drafty house. Replacing or adding insulation can be easy or hard on the wallet, depending on the type and amount of insulation, but sealing up air leaks might only require caulking or spray foam, which is certainly affordable.

Weatherstripping is another effective and fairly inexpensive energy-saving step. DIYers will require a short list of tools (hammer, utility knife, tape measure, self-adhesive foam), and the less tool-savvy can usually turn to a weatherization contractor and have the job done for a reasonable cost.

If you’re still using a mercury thermostat, make the switch to a programmable replacement. The initial $100 investment can see payback in half of a heating season and can save thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the product. The electronically challenged might seek the help of an electrician for installation, though the actual process is fairly straightforward and do-able by those with even the most basic knowledge of the home’s electrical system.

Greening up a home doesn’t happen with the snap of the fingers, but it shouldn’t require breaking the piggy bank, either. With a little time and a little money, any home can be well on its way to saving energy, water, money, and the environment.