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There are a number of ways to green your garage and create a more eco-friendly place to store your automobiles, sports gear, outdoor equipment, gardening, home projects and work tools. We have come up with some simple green strategies to ensure you and your family can enjoy a safe, green garage space.
1. When deciding on building materials for your garage think green and look for energy-efficient windows and doors, renewable and sustainable materials, insulated doors, light timers and sensors and low or no-VOC paints.
According to the EPA, indoor air quality is considered one of the top five hazards to healthy home living and the paints you use contribute to that.
Since indoor air quality is such a big issue, if you live in an area that is weather-friendly you could consider building a carport instead of an attached garage. Cost-to-build is considerably lower and it is a more energy-efficient addition to your home.
2. An environmentally conscious way to conserve water consumption in the garage is to collect rain water from the roof of your garage in a rain barrel and use it for washing your car, your dog or cleaning your garage.
3. If you're thinking about placing an additional refrigerator in your garage, you may want to reconsider. Refrigerators consume quite a bit of energy, especially when they are working harder to compensate for the damp temperature in your garage. Unless you have a really large family or do catering out of your home, having a refrigerator in your garage is a luxury you can live without.
4. If your garage is attached to your house, you'll want to make sure that your garage door is insulated to cut down on energy costs. Depending on your budget, you can purchase a custom-made insulated garage door or you can do it yourself. A great way to cut down on drafts is to weatherstrip the door that leads from your garage to your home.
5. Don't store hazardous materials your garage, because the fumes can leach through the ceiling into your home. If you seal your garage correctly, then you are trapping the fumes from the chemicals in your garage and home. The smartest solution is to store them in a shed away from the house.