10 Ways to Make an Small Home Greener
Posted by: Johnny Tran
The following tips can be found on the Greener Trends website and are geared toward small living units, but many of these tips can apply to larger houses as well:
1. Replace all light bulbs in the home with CFL (florescent) or LEDs. This will reduce the energy used by lighting by about 90%.
2. Replace home appliances with Energy Star rated devices. This often results in 20-40% less energy usage, and can provide a substantial savings in your power bill over time.
3. Programmable thermostats have been mentioned in this blog a few times previously, but for good reason. The home could be kept at the perfect temperature while not wasting precious energy when you're not at home. This is also a great tool as heating and air conditioning are easily the most expensive users of power in the home.
4. Try using green air filters for air conditioning in the summer. They will increase air quality while making the device more efficient at the same time. www.greenfilterusa.com is one of many providers of these filters.
5. A HEPA air filter unit can improve air quality indoors and make air conditioners and heaters run more efficiently as well.
6. If painting walls, be sure to try and use low-VOC (volatile organic compounds). This will ensure that air quality in the house will not be as affected by potentially hazardous fumes from traditional paint.
7. Dual flush toilets use 25% less water on average than a regular toilet. 3.5 gallons of water is used on average during each flush.
8. Use recycled materials when doing a makeover for countertops and cabinets in the kitchen. There are many Portland based companies that can make countertops out of recycled glass and concrete, such as www.fuez.com
9. You can reduce how much of your trash goes out to a landfill by investing in a home composting system. The machine eliminates any odor and most composts are ready to be used outdoors within 2 weeks.
10. Use a smart power strip. Having a power strip that can sense when a computer is on or off can save power by turning off all other devices at the same time a computer is off.
The following tips can be found on the Greener Trends website and are geared toward small living units, but many of these tips can apply to larger houses as well:
1. Replace all light bulbs in the home with CFL (florescent) or LEDs. This will reduce the energy used by lighting by about 90%.
2. Replace home appliances with Energy Star rated devices. This often results in 20-40% less energy usage, and can provide a substantial savings in your power bill over time.
3. Programmable thermostats have been mentioned in this blog a few times previously, but for good reason. The home could be kept at the perfect temperature while not wasting precious energy when you're not at home. This is also a great tool as heating and air conditioning are easily the most expensive users of power in the home.
4. Try using green air filters for air conditioning in the summer. They will increase air quality while making the device more efficient at the same time. www.greenfilterusa.com is one of many providers of these filters.
5. A HEPA air filter unit can improve air quality indoors and make air conditioners and heaters run more efficiently as well.
6. If painting walls, be sure to try and use low-VOC (volatile organic compounds). This will ensure that air quality in the house will not be as affected by potentially hazardous fumes from traditional paint.
7. Dual flush toilets use 25% less water on average than a regular toilet. 3.5 gallons of water is used on average during each flush.
8. Use recycled materials when doing a makeover for countertops and cabinets in the kitchen. There are many Portland based companies that can make countertops out of recycled glass and concrete, such as www.fuez.com
9. You can reduce how much of your trash goes out to a landfill by investing in a home composting system. The machine eliminates any odor and most composts are ready to be used outdoors within 2 weeks.
10. Use a smart power strip. Having a power strip that can sense when a computer is on or off can save power by turning off all other devices at the same time a computer is off.
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