If you were looking at real estate ads and you saw one that said “green homes for sale,” you might at first wonder why anyone would want a listing that indicates the color of their home. This is not what this type of ad means. It’s just to say that the homes for sale are planet-friendly and energy efficient. Green homes for sale are being built in an effort to reduce the carbon footprints we leave behind.
When you buy a green home, it will contain some or all of the following features that are environmentally friendly.
• Fiber cement siding
• Alternative energy system such as wind and solar
• Recycled building insulation
• No VOC dyes and paints, which stands for volatile organic compound. It’s any carbon-based compound that will vaporize at standard room temperatures. Some of the most common are formaldehyde, acetone, and methane.
• Hot water heating with solar energy
Even if you don’t live in a green home, there are things you can do to increase your energy conservation. It will even help to help save our environment. Greening your home can help reduce global warnings and save the owner money. It will significantly improve the environment and require little effort for the owner.
Make a green house
• Instead of using standard incandescent bulbs, start using compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). When you switch to CFLs, you can save more than a hundred dollars per year. You can find these lights in the same hallway as your regular bulbs, but they are a bit more expensive. In the United States, if each home changed the type of light bulbs they are using to compact fluorescent lamps, there would be a trillion pound reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
• Install a thermostat that is programmable – With this type of thermostat, the homeowner can program the thermostat so that the air conditioning or heater is off when the homeowners are not home. The programmable thermostat can be programmed to cool or heat your home shortly before the owner comes home. This change could save the owner 10 percent or more in heating and cooling costs.
• Plug air leaks – This will help the homeowner save money and practice conservation. You can do this by installing weather stripping, preventing the temperature in your home from fluctuating rapidly, and caulking windows properly to stop drafts.
• Energy Star®-rated appliances – Reduce the amount of electricity needed to run, so they have less of an impact on the environment. They will also save on your energy bill.
If you are buying a home, choose green energy efficient homes for sale.