If you were looking at real estate ads and saw one that said “green homes for sale,” you might first wonder why anyone would want an ad that says the color of their house. That’s not what this type of ad means. It simply indicates that the houses for sale are environmentally friendly and energy efficient. Green homes for sale are built with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint we leave behind.
When you buy a green house, it will contain some or all of the following features that are environmentally friendly.
• Fiber cement coating
• Alternative power system like wind and solar
• Recycled building insulation
• Dyes and paints without VOCs, ie volatile organic compounds. It is any carbon-based compound that will vaporize at standard room temperatures. Some of the most common are formaldehyde, acetone and methane.
• Solar hot water heating
Even if you don’t live in a green home, there are things you can do to increase your energy conservation. It will even contribute to the safeguard of our environment. Making your home a green home can help reduce the overall warning and save the homeowner money. This will significantly improve the environment and require little effort from 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 over a hundred dollars each year. You can find these lights in the same aisle as your regular bulbs, but they are a little more expensive. In the United States, if every home changed the type of light bulbs it used to CFLs, there would be a trillion-pound reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
• Install a programmable thermostat – with this type of thermostat, the homeowner can program the thermostat so that the air conditioner or heater is turned off when the homeowners are not at home. The programmable thermostat can be programmed to cool or heat your home shortly before the homeowner arrives. This change could save the homeowner ten percent or more on air conditioning and heating costs
• Plug air leaks – this will help the homeowner save money and practice conservation. You can do this by installing weatherstripping, preventing the temperature in your home from fluctuating rapidly, and properly caulking windows to stop drafts.
• Energy Star® rated appliances reduce the amount of electricity needed to operate and therefore have less impact on the environment. They will also allow you to save on your energy bill.
If you’re buying a home, choose energy-efficient green homes for sale.