Posts tagged "home"

A Home for Every Green Heart

According to the Australian Burean of Statistics, around 56 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are generated from the home. While it is important that we pressure business and government for sustainable initiatives, some of the easiest changes can be made in our own dwellings. From simple lifestyle changes such as adopting the Green Pages Top 50 tips to a more substantial investment in your home’s design features.

For many, building a sustainable home may seem too challenging, too daunting or just not feasible. Many people claim ‘we can’t afford it’, ‘I already own a home (and am still paying it off!)’, or ‘I’m renting’; these are all ready made excuses that make even the most die-hard greenie resistant to making a more substantial investment in a sustainable home.

‘Money is always one of the major impediments to investing in a sustainable home,’ says Julien Laclave, renewable energy promotions officer for Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society (ANZES). A green home can save a family thousands of dollars a year. ‘We can’t force people to invest in a sustainable renovation or a new home, but we can show them that it really pays off.’ Reduced energy bills from renewable energy sources and more comfortable living conditions that don’t require artificial heating or cooling are just some of the benefits of a sustainably designed home.

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Lacave is also the project manager of the ANZES Sustainable House Day, a nationwide event that showcases a number of sutainable homes to the public. This year, over 100 homes were on diplsay and visitors could speak directly with the owners and get first hand information about the home and its sustinable features. Lacave finds taht many attendees come to sources ideas for their own projects. ‘People who visit the homes find it very inspiring. It’s very unique to be able to talk wiht the residents,’ he says.

So what’s behind good green design?

Essentially, building a ‘green home’ is to ensure a house is as ’self sustaining’ as possible. Key features include minimising energy use, rainwater harvesting, managing waste water disposal and even sustaining its inhabitants with a lush green garden. Renowned celebrities such as Csate Blanchett have brough popularity to green residences. Sustainable home design is reaching the mainstream. People are realising eco homes make good sense. Households can lower their energy bills by as much as 50 per cent and save on their water bills. Green homes stay comfortable throughout the year without the aid of artificial heating and cooling, which make them a real pleasure to live in. ‘A sustainable house is just a house that is well designed and cleverly thought out’, says Lacave.

For more information on the green home visit the Green Pages, Australia’s leading directory for all things green.

Some Advantages To Owning Underground Homes

When homeowners try to figure out what an Earth Sheltered house is, the pictures that come to mind are cold and dark. Most people do not know what this type of house looks like, and what type of benefits that it holds. People who want to build underground homes can research the different benefits of this type of house.

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Home Energy – Finding the Right Alternative Energy Source!

There is probably been no greater time for you to consider the idea of adding some sort of alternative energy source to your home. The choices for alternative energy are getting larger as well as the quality for these different sources are getting better. The best thing however is that the prices are starting to drop. You will also notice that choosing certain alternative energy sources will come with tax breaks from the federal and state governments. There is a lot of information online and elsewhere that you can find out about the different sources of energy and in order to find the right one for you, that is what it will take, is some research and time.

If you want to find a good overview of the different sources of energy you can get information from the Department of Energy. They have a list of things a long with information about the energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal as well as biomass. You should have at least a general understanding and knowledge about all of these different resources before making a decision.

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You will also need to set down some goals. You really need to be clear on why you are looking for an alternative energy source and how you want to use it. By having this kind of goal it is going to help shorten your search.

What is your motivation? Are you trying to simply lower your electric, gas or oil bills on a monthly basis? Or is the reason that you want to help save the environment so you may not mind actually spending more on energy if it helps out the environment in which you live? Remember, that the cost of adding a new source of energy to your home can cost in the hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars to accomplish. So, you really need to know why you are doing this.

If your only goal is to help the environment then the choice shouldn’t be too hard, however, if that is not the case then you need to start shortening your options by comparing how much it will cost to invest in the new source of energy as compared to how much you will eventually save. You need to know if your return on the investment is going to be worth the money you may or may not be saving each month.

After you have done this you need to make sure that there are no zoning regulations with regards to the type of energy you might be considering. Don’t just think because something is good for the environment that it’s going to be allowed in your area. Anywhere you live may have regulations that you much follow. Especially if you live in a condo community or some other type of controlled community situation.

Once you have decided on what you want and that there are no regulations to worry about you need to start comparing the different products and make sure that the equipment that you are considering on buying is of high quality. Make sure that you check out the vendor or the contractor that you might be considering to work with. Just check with the BBB or Better Business Bureau. See if there are any black marks against them and find out how others feel about their products and work.

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Reducing Kitchen Energy Consumption

Many of us would consider the kitchen to be at the heart of our home. We use it not only to prepare and share meals, but for socialising and housework. This high level of activity means that a lot of energy is used up in the kitchen - to enable the household to run smoothly. If you are aware of how you are consuming energy, and take steps to reduce this energy consumption, this can have a huge impact on your household becoming more energy efficient. Leading not only to an environmentally friendly home, but more money left in the bank!

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3 Amazing Cheap Electricity Suppliers You Can Start Using Today

If you're like most people, you are trying to find a cheap electricity supplier to help you save money on your monthly energy bill.

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