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5 Tips for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

admin — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The green movement is in full swing all around the world. It’s incredible to think that just a short time ago, most people wouldn’t take the idea of conservatism and sustainability seriously. Many people have seen the benefits of utilizing green technology in their homes and businesses. However, most of these additions have been retroactive. Solar panels are added to existing structures, plans are put into effect after the building has been in use. So the next logical step is to start designing buildings to be green and implementing efficiency from the get-go. Here are five tips for energy conservation and sustainability for when you’re building your home.

Seal the Home from Air Leakage
It may come as a surprise to many, but the highest costs in energy efficiency is in the air conditioning systems. It takes a lot of power to continually monitor all the rooms and ensure that they remain the desired temperature. With that in mind, it becomes vital to ensure that all of that tempered air isn’t being wasted. If there are too many openings in the house, then it will take a lot more to bring the temperature to a desired level. You don’t need to make it airtight, but keeping the house from letting out too much air is advisable.

Shop for Energy Efficient Companies
Being efficient is a lot easier when you have a company that’s already naturally green and ecologically responsible. There are a number of resources to ensure that your design is sustainable and powered responsibly. Sites like http://www.electricitycompaniestexas.com are easy to navigate and can help you shop for great energy rates.

Install Smart Appliances and Technology
Although the air conditioning takes up the most, appliances and technology takes up a large chunk too! When going through and selecting the things that many would consider miscellaneous, put them under scrutiny. Do you really need a toilet that uses two gallons to flush? How about a dishwasher that uses enough power to charge your laptop for a month? Make sure that what you’re putting in your home is both efficient and smart.

Utilize Recycled Materials
Construction has come a long way. We can make equally viable structures from bricks and mortar as we can from Lego’s and old tires. There’s no reason to not use recycled materials when constructing the house.

Consider Efficient Construction Planning
Advances in construction technology doesn’t just stop at using worthwhile materials. It also includes being able to design buildings to naturally use less power and energy. Although the specifics can be a bit advanced and technical, most builders are more than capable of creating an energy efficient dream house.

Use What You Have And Make Nature Proud

www.sustainablehomemag.com — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Most of us are fortunate to have a roof over our heads, food to eat and clothes to wear. How can we use what we have to live a greener life? Here are a few simple ideas to reuse or repurpose items you may have around your home into greener solutions.

Outside

Use a length of rope to set up a clothesline and save on the expense of drying clothes, especially in the summertime.
Dig up part of your lawn and create a vegetable garden. Growing your own food is fun and educational for the whole family. Kids love

to eat what they’ve grown.

To avoid heat gain in the summertime, repurpose old sheets into outdoor blinds to stop the sun before it hits the glass. Up to 25% of your air-conditioning is lost to this heat gain.

Inside

Turn off the TV, computer or video games and bring out the board games. Better yet, make up your own game. Create a unique obstacle course filled with creative tasks to engage mind and body.
Do you open your fridge or freezer and complain there’s nothing to eat? We routinely waste food because we don’t take the time to prepare it. Challenge yourself to see how long you can go without going grocery shopping or out to eat — you might surprise yourself!

Design Your Home To Work With Your Surroundings

admin — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

You can learn to put nature to use in your own home when you take the time to design your home properly. This is a way in which you can use the benefits that nature brings and help to curb your usage of energy, electricity and water.

One option is to install a rain catcher so that you can gather rain water at all times for use in your garden, watering plants indoors or for washing vehicles. This places less of a strain on natural water resources.

You can also use the power of the sun to heat, illuminate and even cool your home. Solar panels can be installed to generate electricity that can power appliances, lights and even heating and cooling systems. You can also take the power of the sun one step further and use the warmth of the sun to naturally heat your home by opening windows that receive direct sunlight and closing blinds in areas where you want to keep that heat out.

Trees can provide shade and cool down portions of your home, living in an area that is prone to wind can allow you to use windmills for energy creation and even the angle of your home can be designed in a way where you naturally have the most sunlight heating and lighting your home so you can reduce you energy consumption.

Save The Earth And Reuse Your Trash

www.sustainablehomemag.com — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Every single person has the power to make a change in the world and to help make the planet a better place for all to live. One of the most taxing issues is the abundance of trash that is generated. One of the ways you can help with green initiatives is to simply reuse the majority of the trash you create. Though you can recycle plenty of items, you can also reuse some as well to help cut down on the amount of trash you and your family generate and thus contribute.

Some of the simplest ways you can get involved in reusing trash is through composting of foods, fruits, vegetables and biodegradable plant based items. This is an easy way to return those nutrients to the soil.

In addition, some other ways you can reuse trash is by donating newspapers to animal shelters, shredding junk mail for use by packaging companies, sending used paper to schools for projects and generally finding ways to rehab items that were otherwise bound for the trash can.

When you get in the habit of thinking about others and other ways that any item can be used; you will find that your pile of trash decreases quit quickly and the earth will appreciate that small step.

Don’t Throw It Out; Build With It

admin — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

If you are someone who is looking forward to being more environmentally conscious, you’ll find that you can do a lot to forward your cause when you are building or tearing down on your property. When you start taking things down, take a close and serious look at the materials that you have taken apart. You never know when some of those materials can be used for other purposes.

For example, take a look at the wood that you are tearing down. If you are taking down a barn or a shed, there is a good chance that you will have some lovely weathered wood to work with. There are a lot of people who are coming to love the distressed aesthetic, so sit down for a moment and consider what you can use that wood for. Barn wood can be re-purposed to create things like floors decorative walls, and this can enhance your property a great deal!

Another thing for you to keep an eye on is flooring. Whether you are looking at old ceramic tile or even old stone, there is a good chance that you can reuse it. There is far better than simply wasting it.

Take a look at the resources you have at your disposal today!

Build Green And Save Some Green

www.sustainablehomemag.com — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The process of designing a new house to build is a great time for one to incorporate some sustainable and green design elements in to the project so that the house will be one that is energy efficient and better for you and the environment. This is done through the use of various methods and means, and plenty of options exist for you to build green and save money in the long run.

One option is to make sure the house is angled properly so that the home is heated naturally by sunlight. This is also a way to use natural day lighting which can illuminate portions of the home so that lights do not always need to be turned on. These two steps alone will allow you to save on energy costs and have a cleaner, greener house. Solar panels are yet another option to help with energy costs and efficiency measures.

You can also use recycled materials in the home as they are better for the environment, tend to have little to no chemical additives and are less costly when compared to highly processed materials. This brings yet another natural element in your home and also has a lower total cost associated with them.