Living an eco-friendly lifestyle is beneficial to the environment and to your health. Even simple steps will not only reduce the causes of global warming and pollution, but will save money and create a healthier home environment for you and your family.
Modern conveniences, which are designed to make life easier, often heat up the home. Luckily, a few changes in your routine can go a long way towards keeping your house cool. Electronic appliances, such as televisions and computers, emit heat even when not in use but can easily be switched on and off if plugged into a power strip. The kitchen can be one of the warmest rooms in the house, so try using the microwave instead of the oven whenever possible. Another useful tip in the kitchen is to turn off the drying cycle on your dishwasher and open the door so the dishes can air-dry.
Use energy efficient lighting like compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL’s) because they last approximately 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Did you know that simply replacing three frequently used incandescent bulbs with CFL’s will save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year and save $60 on electricity.
You should always heat and cool your home conservatively by lowering the heat during heating months by dressing warmer, using programmable thermostats for when your house is empty or you are sleeping. In the warmer months, use fans and keep your windows open at night before deciding to turn your AC on. For every two degrees you lower your thermostat, you save 500 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
You can reduce your hot water usage by taking shorter showers and baths and keeping your hot water heater no higher than 120 degrees.
When it comes to cleaning and maintaining your new home, use non-toxic products because they are safer for you and the environment. This includes everything from household cleaners to personal care products to chemicals used for lawn and pest control.
One of the best ways to live green, is to build or renovate your home using green building products. The House Designers make it easy to build green with their exclusive collection of green house plans.
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Christine Cooney
Christine has over a decade of experience as a house plan and floor plan expert. Outside of providing her expertise to customers to help them find and build their dream homes, her passion and knowledge of the home building industry allows Christine to guide families and builders through all of the important steps from finding plans to building custom homes that meet the expectations of today’s new home owner. Christine’s years of knowledge of the diverse trends and needs of the modern homeowner has made her into an authoritative and trusted voice in the online house plan community..