energy efficient

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Cool Green Homes for Sale

November 29, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | No comments

Sometimes it’s fun to browse the available green homes for sale and one of the coolest places to do this is at Green Homes for Sale. The downside is that Green Homes for Sale homes tend to be on the more expensive side. On the positive side, it’s nice to get ideas about what’s out there, and even if you’re not looking to buy this site is great inspiration for your own green home – i.e. if you’re building or remodeling green. I browse around Green Homes for Sale often, and I’m always seeing homes I adore. Below are a few of my current obsessions.

portland oregon green home
I usually look in Oregon first, being that I live there, and today I found an awesome custom built timber-framed green home and guesthouse right near Portland! This home features all natural wood for the timber frame, framing, decks, siding, hardwood Oregon white oak floors cabinets and trim is FSC certified or salvaged. Natural products were used for wood sealing and there’s low/zero VOC paints on the walls. The house also has a passive solar design, wool carpets, marmoleum kitchen floor and all the appliances are Energy Star. Plus landscaping contains all native vegetation and there is a rainwater catchment system. Nice. Personally I love all the tree views. It pretty much screams PDX.

Next up a New Mexico beauty! Read the rest of this entry »

The Four Energy Saving Areas in Your Home

November 24, 2009 in Save Energy, Save Money by Jennifer | No comments

Basically, you’ve got four major energy saving opportunities in your home…

  1. Lighting
  2. Appliances and electronics
  3. Heating & cooling
  4. Water heating

save more energy

You could, of course, break it down even more. Each of us has hundreds of ways we could be saving more energy, but the above four are major and a good place to start.

For lighting you can save more by incorporating day lighting into your home with energy efficient windows, skylights, and light tunnels. You can buy energy efficient bulbs and keep the lighting to a minimum or as needed basis. You can also remind family members to simply turn off the lights.

Appliances and electronic equipment makes up about 20% of your home energy usage and costs so it’s smart to purchase energy efficient versions of things like televisions, microwaves, refrigerators, washers and dryers, audio equipment and anything else you plug in. You may be able to get rebates on many of the items you buy. To further use these items efficiently, use them sparingly – i.e. hang dry many clothes instead of using the dryer each time. Plug all items in one space into one power strip then turn the whole darn strip off when you leave the room. Also, cook wisely – you don’t need the stove for everything.

For heating and cooling think ahead of time. Make sure you build or buy a home that’s got energy saving features such as good orientation, evergreen windbreaks, try passive solar design, and weatherize properly for winter. Also little adjustments such as turning the heat down a few notches adds up over time.

Heating your water can actually account for as much as 25% of your energy use. Try a solar water heater or the next time you upgrade, upgrade to the most efficient model you can. Insulate your hot water pipes and heater, install a water timer, and do the little things like taking shorter showers.

If you do all of the above it will not only save you energy but it will put money directly in your pocket – good timing with the holidays here.

How to get your own green home

May 25, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | 1 comment

Over the last two weeks we looked at pros and cons of building green vs. buying green vs. remodeling green…

One choice is likely right for you. Following are some resources that can help you out no matter which decision you make:

RESOURCES FOR BUYING A NEW GREEN HOME:

RESOURCES FOR BUILDING A NEW GREEN HOME:

RESOURCES FOR A GREEN HOME REMODEL:

Of course this list is by no means comprehensive but it should get you going. Later I’ll post some of my favorite green home books for remodels and building.

Is Hand Washing Your Dishes A Good Green Choice?

August 29, 2008 in Green Cleaning, Save Energy, Water by Jennifer | 1 comment

There’s usually a pretty large debate about hand washing vs. dish washing between green living folks. Each side has pros and cons that they feel strongly about.

save water at home

I’m on the side of dish washing being the best green choice. Dishwashers approved as energy efficient by the EPA can use a lot less water then conventional hand washing – in some cases, depending on how you wash, hand washing can waste up to 20 gallons more water than a dishwasher.

There are some other points to consider though.

Are you scrapping or rinsing your dishes? If you scrap then place your dishes in the dishwasher, it clears some food. A new dishwasher is powerful enough to get the rest of the food off. An older model dishwasher may require that you rinse dishes first, which of course wastes water.

If you use a soap that sucks (different dish washing soaps do work differently in different dishwashers) you may need to run your dishes twice – another water waste.

If you have hard water, you’ll need to use a rinse agent (vinegar can be substituted), or you’ll have to possibly run an extra rinse cycle to clear off soap residue.

If you live alone, and use maybe three dishes a day, hand washing responsibly is a better choice, because your dishwasher really should be full to be an efficient use of water.

For people on the side of hand washing is better, it can be, if you wash smart. Many people run water the entire time they wash, and that’s what wastes those 20 gallons. If you hand wash, use an easy rinse soap, run one sink full (or bin-full) of hot soapy water, and one sink (or bin-full) of warm or cool rinse water. Don’t just run the water like crazy.

What do you think – is hand washing or machine washing a better use of energy?