Converting Your House Into An Eco Home
New construction has slowed as the economy continues to slump – but remodeling goes on as ever. A lot of homeowners have decided to give their existing homes a new look rather than buy or build a new home. Coming as it does during a time when people are more concerned than ever with the environment, there has been a lot of interest if remodeling homes into eco homes.
So what are these eco homes? If you live in the UK, you certainly already have heard the term – it is a rating system for the environmental friendliness of home construction in the UK. The idea behind eco homes is to build housing which is comfortable to live in and has a smaller environmental impact than homes build with older techniques.
Similarly, the United States has a program called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (or LEED for short) which is roughly equivalent to the eco homes standards. This is a certification program which provides standards for construction, home design and performance.
An eco home can be made without going through the trouble of building another home. Many homeowners just remodel their homes to meet the environmental standards in their country (LEED or Eco Homes).
Many newer homes, such as recently constructed tract houses can be converted to eco homes with relative ease. Since buyers are increasingly interested in environmentally friendly homes, a lot of newer homes are designed with these standards in mind from the ground up. One of the best ways to remove the environmental impact of your home is to simply change out the windows with more efficient ones.
Using more energy efficient windows will keep your heating bill low, keep your home warmer and update the look of your home.
Making eco homes involves more than just design and materials. A great way to make your home an eco home is to replace energy inefficient appliances with newer, energy efficient ones. This will save you money on your energy bills of course, but it will also dramatically reduce the amount of natural resources which must be used to keep your household going.
There are a lot of people who would like to live in eco homes. Many people are looking for ways to reduce their own environmental impact and environmentalism, like charity begins at home. You can convert your home into an eco home for a cost which is far lower than that of buying a new home – and you’ll be doing your part to help out the environment as you do so.
How To Save On Your Fuel Costs
Fuel prices are becoming an increasingly concerning fact of the daily costs of running a modern home. So when times are hard like they are now, cutting down on fuel costs and therefore saving money isn’t a bad idea at all.
There isn’t only one “quick fix” method that will present the solution to all of your energy problems but instead we’ll address a few which will all play a part in contributing to your overall savings.
The first stop is the thermostat, start saving power by turning it down. Most of us overheat our homes without thinking about the consequences for both the environment and for our wallets. The heating and cooling systems in your home can account for around 40% of your total energy usage so it makes sense to delve a little deeper into ways you can make some cut backs.
Simply turning down the dial can lead to massive savings throughout the year, just by lowering your heat dial down by 1 degree can result in a 10% savings in your energy bill. Imagine if you were to take it down by just one more degree? When you think about it the heating doesn’t need to be kept on all day long and by simply adjusting the heat only when you need it can drastically lower your fuel costs.
Second of all there are a number of improvements you can make in your home to reduce your fuel costs. The first is to boost the insulation in your home particularly if it’s an older property. This can be achieved by adding foam insulation to your roof or to fit double or triple glazed windows to retain more heat within the home.
In addition to this you can begin to use more energy efficient devices around the home from a new, modern boiler to frontloading washing machines which use 60% less water than the top loading kind. Most new devices have an energy efficiency rating on them which helps you to select the most energy conservative model for your budget.
Third, weather permitting try hanging your laundry on a clothesline rather than to use your dryer, doing this can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases by around 6 pounds for every load of washing you air dry in the sun. Not only is it better for the planet but smells nicer when it’s fresh off the clothesline.
Fourth you can try and integrate renewable energy supplies into your home. These can take a variety of different forms from installing solar panels to wind and geothermal energy. The immediate downside to these options is the initial start up costs, however the benefit really does outweigh the cost in the long run and also you have the peace of mind knowing that you’re helping the planet.
There are however a range of do it yourself options available on www.amazon.com under their “green range” of products which provides solar energy panel kits including installation instructions. This is a much cheaper solution and allows you to get started with solar power for just hundreds of dollars rather than the usual $15,000 price tag. Amazon.com makes it an affordable alternative for those on a tight budget wanting to do their bit for the planet.
You can implement these tips and start saving on your energy costs now, because the sooner you start, the more you’ll save.
Get Rid of Mold in Your Home
Mold is a common problem in homes, especially older ones; mold may begin growing in homes for many reasons and there is no way to eliminate the risk entirely – mold is all around us.
Mold is not a problem until mold spores find a dark, damp area – the ideal conditions for mold to thrive. If you find mold in your home, how do you go about getting rid of it?
The first step is to locate where the mold is growing. You should then have the area tested to determine whether the mold is only a surface growth (which can be taken care of easily) or is a more serious growth that penetrates into the walls.
Mold can grow underneath floors and inside of your walls (in fact, it prefers these dark locations). If you find mold in your house, you need to completely eliminate it or it will just grow back again.
If you have a well established mold growth in your home which has penetrated past the surface, then you’ll need to hire a professional and perhaps a contractor as well to resolve the problem. The same things which lead to the growth of mold can also cause structural damage, so in order to get rid of mold in your home, it might be necessary to hire a contractor to remove and replace walls. Before closing up any area where there has been mold growth, it’s important to ensure that it is dry and will stay dry even after being closed up.
Quite often the moisture which the mold needs to grow is coming from another part of your home. You will need to repair any leaks which are causing moisture to accumulate to ensure that the mold does not return.
If you have just a surface growth of mold, then it is usually easy to remove yourself. Vinegar or bleach can kill the mold, as can many mold removal products which are widely available. Any wood in your home which has been home to mold needs to be dried and treated or if the damage is serious, replaced (make sure to dispose of this wood away from your home to keep from spreading the spores).
The best way to get rid of mold in your home is to keep it from growing there in the first place. Repair leaks as soon as you find them – and keep an eye out for the conditions in which mold can grow. By using preventative measures, you can save yourself a fortune in repairs later.
Global Warming and Building Green
Building green is one of the solutions to global warming that many people do not think about. Building green is designing and constructing buildings with the environment in mind. It is these practices that can have an impact on stopping global warming.
Houses give off a high percentage of a country’s total carbon dioxide emissions. In the United States, the figure is about 38%. Since carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases, houses contribute strongly to global warming.
One way to cut the greenhouse emissions of houses, and therefore help stop global warming, is to minimize the energy use needed to sustain comfortable living in a house. There are several ways to do this.
One way is to be careful about what building materials are used. Some building materials can be from quickly renewable sources. These include bamboo and straw. Also, building materials can be used that originates near the building site. This cuts down on transportation, and so cuts down on emissions of greenhouse gases and global warming. One example is stone houses built with local stone.
Buildings are also often built using recycled materials. Wood can be used from an older home that has been torn down. This will prevent the need to cut down other trees. Since the deforestation of the land contributes to global warming, this will help the situation.
Heating and cooling have a big effect on the amount of global warming caused by a house. Some ways to help this are very simple. One is to design the house to sit on the lot so that sunlight will come in through the windows and warm the house. It can also be oriented so that breezes will blow through the windows more naturally for cooling.
In this way, passive solar energy can be used to heat and cool the house. This will cut down on the greenhouse emissions from a house. Global warming will be lessened. Insulation is important to maximize on the cool or heat that is in the house. With good insulation, you will need a less intense heat or cooling source.
The main heating and cooling source in most green houses will be solar panels, wind power, or hydropower. Any of these sources will power a house with minimal effects on global warming. At the same time, these sources of energy will sustain a household in a comfortable style.
There are several organizations in the US that aid in the cause of stopping global warming by encouraging green building. One non-profit organization makes it their business to foster green building methods in both houses and commercial buildings. This group of people from the building industry is a part of the Green Building Initiative.
The state of Washington has required builders of buildings larger than 5000 square feet to use green building practices. Their law was enacted in 2005. It should help to keep a cap on global warming.
Green building is important for a number of reasons. One just happens to be that it can reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. If green building can help stop global warming, perhaps it is time for everyone to build green.
