How to save money and green your home?

Less than 1 % of homes currently on the market can be said to be green. But the tide is changing: all new builds are incorporating one form or another of green design. Green building, as we have come to call it, is the most significant area of growth in the last two years, post-recession. To qualify, these buildings follow a stringent certification process, the most popular for large buildings being LEED (leadership in environmental and energy design). And while the process itself and the industry have been criticized lately, I want to focus this post on what current homeowners can do to green their homes.

You don’t have to be a die-hard environmentalist to want to green your home either. One of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to reduce your dirty energy use, i.e. heating and electricity. If you’re south of the border, your energy source is probably coal. Less coal, better planet, but more importantly, more money in your pocket.

You probably already know most of these energy-saving measures, but they bear reminding, as you can cut your energy consumption by more than half with a minimal outlay of cash.

Lights: Change your incandescents with CFLs, that last longer and use less energy. Close your lights when you leave a room, or if you’re fancier, put motion detectors for travel-through areas like hallways and your garage.
Keeping your house warm: Make sure your windows are well insulated to keep out the cold. Install programmable thermostats to set a fixed temperature per room and per hour. This allows you to lower the temperature when you are away, and not pay for heating.

• Keeping your house cool: Use heavy curtains to keep out the heat during peak hot weather. Keep the AC off by cooling off your house at night, and shutting doors and windows during the day.
• Water consumption: take shorter showers, install water-efficient faucets and shower head, monitor your water consumption with a water meter
• Appliances: turn off all unneeded electronic devices (you can buy special devices to help you control vampire power) and buy energy efficient appliances. Only replace what you need.

These simple measures can save you a bundle of cash, while the following require some investment on your part, in time and money, but can truly change your cost burden.

• Solar panels: it’s now possible to get solar panels for less than $1,000 that can provide up to a quarter of your energy needs for a family of four, thanks to technological advances. Not only does this provide a free source of energy, the latest generation even provides energy in poor light conditions (rainy, cloudy…)
• Solar water heaters: you can install one on your roof for a couple thousand dollars that will provide all your hot water needs. Works best in warmer climates, of course.
• Micro-hydro: you can also install small hydroelectric turbines on a water source that will provide electricity without damaging the environment.
• Daylighting systems: bring in daylight into your home with Solatube, a great innovation for those homes with little access to natural light.
• Micro wind turbines: if you live in a non-urban area, look into the possibility of installing a micro wind turbine. The cost is prohibitive (>$5000), but usually offset by your local energy company in a cost-sharing agreement.
• Green energy grid: source your energy from a utility that buys clean energy. In a distributed grid economy, homeowners that make energy will actually be paid by their utility company!