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Eco Home

Reduce Heating/Cooling Bills With Energy Efficient Windows

by Tom Hinkley on February 22

Image source: fcbmore.wordpress.com

The continuously rising energy prices combined with the weather extremes marked by tropical temperatures during summer and unusually cold winters give many homeowners a headache when receiving energy bills even if their home insulation meets the standards of the building regulations. So, what are they missing? A lot of things can be responsible for heat loss during the winter and the summer heat pouring in but energy inefficient windows are to blame in most cases, especially in older houses. Replacement of these windows with modern and energy saving ones therefore dramatically cuts the heating/cooling bills because these windows are made to prevent the warmth from escaping during the winter and the summer heat from coming in.

There are several types of energy efficient windows and selecting the best ones can be challenging as they all seem a good choice when looking the prospects or the manufacturers’ official websites. So, what you should be looking for in the first place when selecting energy efficient windows? It is a good idea to start with energy ratings. Windows are rated the same way as home appliances which means that you should pay attention to grades from “A“ to “G“ with “A“ being the most energy efficient and “G“ the least efficient. These ratings reveal the overall energy efficiency of the window but it is a good idea to pay attention to factors which affect the overall energy saving ratings. [click to continue…]

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Optimize Natural Light in Your Home (It will save you money)

by Daniel Frank on January 31

While lighting may not cost you a huge amount on your bills, (a rough estimate is between 10 and 15%) you can still make a significant saving by using natural light as much as possible. If done well, you can not only save on lighting but also on heating and air conditioning bills. There are a number of tips to help you get the most out of the sun without remodeling your house!

The key factors you will need to pay attention to are intensity and duration. How strong the sunlight is and how long a room is exposed to it. While the differences this can cause are most obvious during winter and summer, the direction a room faces can also have a more subtle impact. The list below gives a rundown of how different rooms are affected; if anyone’s reading from the southern hemisphere, then switch north and south. (I probably didn’t need to tell you that)

 

 

  • North facing rooms only get reflected sunlight and tend to get the least number of hours. This meaning that light is not only less intense but the room is likely to be colder and darker than other rooms. Interestingly artists find north facing rooms the most useful as they give a truer light than other rooms.
  • South facing rooms in contrast tend to get more intense sunlight for more hours, making them warmer and brighter.
  • East facing rooms get direct sunlight in the morning and reflected sunlight in the afternoon. This means they will be the brightest and warmest rooms early on in the day.
  • West facing rooms will only get reflected light in the morning, but by mid-afternoon will be receiving direct sunlight, meaning that they will warm up in the afternoon and evening. They tend to be warmer than east facing rooms as they sun is more intense after midday. [click to continue…]

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Going Green with Energy Bills

by Brandon Mercury on January 24

You may think that going green is a buzz phrase people use to feel like they’re doing more for the environment than they really are. But the truth is, going green is now a positive, conscious lifestyle that people adopt to improve not only the environment, but their own lives. Think about that: having a significant impact on the world and on your wallet.

With the current economic landscape, every penny counts and, with the high price imposed upon us for natural resources, those pennies add up fast. So I felt it important to provide some tips that you, the homeowner, can apply right now, without much effort. The following list is a sustainable set of steps you can make into money saving habits.

Save on Energy

  • Shut off the lights in your house when not in use. Simple, yes, but more times than not you’re expending electricity and in turn spending money–paying for lights that aren’t helping anyone. Use natural daylight whenever possible.
  • Use CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) instead of the regular incandescent light bulbs. Yes, they’ll cost a little more up front, but the 70% savings on electricity makes the difference, and they last substantially longer.
  • Make proper use of your thermostat by setting the temperature a few degrees lower than you do normally. Wrap up in a blanket or jump into a comfortable sweater during the winter to save money. In turn, set the thermostat higher during summer months and change your mode of dress to fit the weather.
  • Clotheslines use the natural wind to dry clothes instead of your dryer. You not only save money this way—there’s no limit to how much you can dry at once.
  • Unplug devices when they’re not in use. You might not realize this, but even when turned off, devices suck up electricity. This one act can save you 5% on your monthly energy bill.
  • Purchase a power strip that turns off when devices are not in use or have been fully charged. Try the Smart Strip LCG5 as an example.
  • Install outdoor motion sensors lights. It’s always nice to be able to see when you need it, especially when you’re coming home late, but there’s no sense in leaving lights on all the time. Motion sensors give you the best of both worlds—light and savings.
  • Install solar-powered outdoor lights. Why not take advantage of Mother Nature altogether? Advancements in technology have produced a greater variety at a lower cost, making solar lights a viable and cost-efficient option. [click to continue…]

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Greening up the Kitchen

by Jocelyn Anne on January 19

The idea of starting afresh, cleaning up, organizing, finding new inspiration, these are all the things to love about the start of January.  However, January itself, can be a dreary month.  It does follow three back-to-back holidays and December after all!  After a  period of intense excitement, it’s just tough to compete and fill it with anything even remotely as fun or festive.  It’s also wintry and cold and can start that dreaded and impending cabin fever.  So, to keep yourself sane and on track to find some home improvements, I like to take a look at my “green” living every January and see what I can focus on for the month.  This year, I turned to the kitchen.  If you’re looking for some extra ways to green up your kitchen or simply to green it up at all, here are a few things to consider.

Image Source: Pinterest.com

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Checklist to Reduce Energy Bills

by Stephanie Staszko on January 18

January can be a financially challenging month for many families, with little work available, cold weather resulting in high heating bills and of course, the aftermath of Christmas to contend with. Money is often tight, which in turn means belts must be tightened to cut everyday expenses wherever possible. One of the most common complaints from homeowners is that their energy bills are incredibly expensive. A simple daily checklist can help to prevent energy bills from becoming extortionate.

Image sourc: HowStuffWorks.com

Thermostat Control

Your heating could be turning on without you even touching your thermostat, in some central heating systems, the heating is programmed to automatically turn on if the temperature hits zero or below. This generally isn’t a problem for homeowners unless their room thermostat’s located somewhere obscure like the garage. If your thermostat is located in a room which doesn’t have a radiator or other heat source, like the garage, it will automatically turn your heating on regardless of the temperature of the rest of your home – this is when you may notice an anomaly in your heating bills.

To get around this problem, turn all your radiators off using their thermostatic radiator control valves, this will prevent them heating the room even if the room thermostat attempts to. [click to continue…]

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Saving Money with Energy Audits

by David Lupberger on January 11

Image Source: starenergyaudits.com

There are some interesting statistics in regards to the country’s housing stock relating to home energy efficiency.  This information comes from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS):

Of 113 million homes in the United States

  • 64 percent are not well insulated. Most of these were built before 1980
  • 47 percent are drafty at least some of the time
  • 42 percent have single-pane windows
  • 96 percent have not had an energy audit

Wow, did you have any idea?  Over half of the homes in this country were constructed prior to 1980.  With low energy costs prior to that time, energy efficiency was not much of a consideration in home construction.  What this means is over half of the homes in this country are under-insulated.  This translates to high heating and cooling bills.  It also translates to homes that are uncomfortable in winter due to drafts, and cold spots.

If you have one of these homes (you pay high heating bills and you’re still cold), there is a potential solution.  You can call your local public utility and ask if they are providing any kind of home energy audit.  You can also do a Google search under Home Energy Audits.  A home energy audit allows a “home energy auditor” to measure the energy efficiency of your home, and make recommendations on how to increase your home’s energy efficiency, and how you can make your home more comfortable.

There are a number of recommendations that are made, but the most cost-effective is adding additional insulation to your attic, and then following specific “air-sealing” procedures around your home.  In this way,  you can increase the “thermal envelope” of your home, stopping the excessive leakage of warm air to the outdoors and making it more energy efficient.  At the same time, you can eliminate drafts and cold spots, making your home a more comfortable place to live.

Want to find out more?  Hire a professional to conduct a Home Energy Audit.

David Lupberger, author of the book Managing the Emotional Homeowner, draws on more than two decades of experience in the residential remodeling field, working with remodelers to develop proven business systems. Through his work in the remodeling industry, he hopes to redefine the way the remodeling industry operates so that the trust between quality remodelers, their customers, suppliers, and trade contractors can be leveraged and improved.  Visit David’s website at: www.DavidLupberger.com

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Ethical Gems and Gold – It’s Not Just for Jewelry!

by Adria Saracino on December 17

If you’ve seen the movie Blood Diamond, you know that the diamond trade is full of corruption and environmentally-hazardous practices. What you might not know is there is equally disastrous practices when it comes to harvesting gold and other gems.

This is a fairly new concept to me. I was looking to purchase a Mother’s ring (a great holiday or Mother’s Day gift, by the way!), when I came across Ingle & Rhode, an ethical jeweler recommended by both Vogue and Treehugger. My knowledge didn’t go far beyond the diamond-mining controversy, but after reading through the Ingle & Rhode website, I saw there is equally as much controversy surrounding gemstones and gold.

Jewelers around the world are adopting the practice of sourcing fair-trade jewelry, making sure they can determine exactly where the resources are mined from. Some are going as far to recycle platinum and gold, giving old jewelry new life.

Since the resources used in jewelry are often found in home decor items, it got me thinking that maybe there are options to make sure we utilize environmentally-friendly interior design products.

Picture Source:EeclecticRevisited.com

Gold is one of the most commonly used materials used in both jewelry and home accessories. Everything from gold-framed mirrors to candlesticks presents an opportunity to “go green.” For example, you can re-use gold home accessories, scouring flea markets and antique shops. For newer gold items, research where the materials come from before purchasing. There are plenty of fair-trade home decor options, some that give artists in developing countries the opportunity to sell their wares and get some visibility for their designs.

Why does all of this matter?

Here are just some of the environmental concerns:

  • There is a risk of cyanide leaching into soil and groundwater when mining gold (gold can be chemically dissolved by cyanide). See more gold-mining environmental concerns here.
  • Diamond-mining is destructive to land, causing concerns for returning the land to its original form in order to decrease the likelihood of soil degradation. See more diamond-mining environmental concerns here.
  • There is also corruption and political unrest around diamond mining, especially in Africa where rebels use illegally exported diamonds to fund civil war. Learn more about conflict diamonds here.

So before you purchase gold, platinum or gemstones, either jewelry or home decor, make sure you know where the materials came from in order to preserve the environment and do your part in stopping political unrest.

Adria Saracino is the owner of Seattle fashion blog The Emerald Closet. You can find her tweeting about fashion @Emerald_Closet. Looking for more from Adria? Check out her personal website at www.adriasaracino.com.

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