• Green Tips For Your Home
Being healthy is about much more then just your body, it also includes contributing to the health of the planet and creating healthy living environments to reside within. I am a green realtor. I help people buy, build and create healthy homes. In this multi-part series I will be sharing with the Wholesome2go family ways to green your space. There are many options to accomplish this goal; you can build green from the ground up, green remodel, and find more subtle and easy ways to create healthier dwellings. In this first part, let’s start with some easy steps you can do right away in the home you have now.Hopefully you have heard most of these before, but a reminder might get you implementing the basics to save you money, lower your carbon footprint, and live a more healthy life.
Control your temperature: By lowering your home’s heat to the very lowest you can handle in the winter and highest you can stand in the summer will save money and energy. I like to keep my heater set to 74 degrees in the winter and 78 in the summer. If possible, get a programmable thermostat that will turn your system off or down when you aren’t going to be home or are sleeping. If you have a large home and only sleep in one room, I suggest using a space heater for that room at night. Turn off your main HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) system whenever possible and make sure your air filters and ducts are clean for the best air quality and highest efficiency.
Lower the temperature on your hot water heater: If installing a tankless hot water heater is not a possibility, lower the temperature to between 120 and 140 degrees. Turn off your water heating device if you are going to be out of town and not using it for long periods of time. (In cold climates do what is necessary to prevent your pipes from freezing.) Wrap your hot water pipes and heater in insulating material to increase efficiency and reduce heat loss. Change those bulbs: You have heard it before and hopefully you have changed most of your lights to Compact Florescent Lights already. Here are a couple of ideas you might not have known or considered. You CAN buy energy efficient light bulbs that work on dimmers and have tinted light. Check the labels when you purchase. Consider LED lightbulbs. They are even more energy efficient, turn on immediately and have warmer light tones. If you have tried CFLs and didn’t like them, give LEDs a shot. Put as many lights as you can on dimmers so they use less energy when in use. Please be aware that CFLs are considered hazardous material and should be disposed of properly.
Save water: Though Los Angeles is not technically a desert, we are water impaired. We have far too large a population and too much industry for us to sustain our current usage levels. We must all be conscious of this and conserve. I am sure we all have low flow shower heads and water saving toilets (they are required on Los Angeles properties). If you are not able to install duel flush toilets (my favorite) there are other options. You can “damn” your toilet by putting a weighted plastic bottle (people used to use bricks) in your tank so it uses less water when you flush. Or you can do what my parents used to say to me, “If it’s brown, flush it down. If it’s yellow, leave it mellow.” Practice this within reason of course.Get rid of that lawn: There are some beautiful and much more climate friendly options for landscaping today. Use some imagination and work with our Mediterranean climate. Try options like xeriscaping or using foliage that doesn’t need supplemental irrigation and native plants, rock or rain gardens. Make your yard your masterpiece. Use rainwater collection or grey water and drip systems whenever possible. You will find some very easy to implement.
Put down that paper: You don’t need a new sheet of paper for everything you write. Keep a stack of paper that have clean backsides next to your printer to use whenever possible. Use the backs of paper you are finished with as scratch paper. Using old newspapers is a great way to clean windows streak free. When you do need fresh sheets of paper, buy recycled paper. If we don’t support the recycling programs by purchasing their products, we are not completing the cycle.
Consider microfiber cloths or scrap clothing for cleaning and drying. We don’t need to use paper towels for everything. And again, buy recycled paper towels, you must support the recycling programs with your patronage. Personally, I think Trader Joe’s recycled toilet paper is the best paper one can buy. (Hate to be personal, but you should try it.)
Slay the vampires: An energy vampire is an electronic device that continues to “suck” energy even when turned off. For instance, if you have a VCR with a display or stand-by light that remains on when turned off, it is using energy. It would be great to have a house that was wired to turn all unused power off when not needed. However that is unfeasible for most of us. Consider putting vampires on a surge protector or power strip. This way you can simply switch off the electronics when not in use. Keep things that must remain plugged in, like clocks or DVRs, in the main outlet, but put that TV and DVD player in the second bedroom that you never use on the surge protector and keep it off.
Be an appliance star: If you can, buy only energy star rated appliances that are more efficient. Run appliances when only when full and after 7 pm. There is a reason energy usage is cheaper at night, take advantage of the smaller burden on the grid and save money at the same time. Get rid of that old second refrigerator in the garage. You replaced it to be more energy efficient, then you kept it for extra storage. Take the leap and get rid of it for good.
Know your bins: The city of Los Angeles has a wonderful environmental programs. I bet you don’t even know how great the waste system is. Go to their website LA City Bureau of Sanitation and see just how many things you can recycle, I promise you will be surprised. Is composting too hard or not your thing? Put fruit and vegetable clippings in the green bin. At this point I am sure you all are completely overwhelmed. Try to implement these changes little by little and don’t become so daunted that you are paralyzed. I would rather you make 5 small changes then intend to do all and complete none. As mentioned, this is a multi part series and the next installment will suggest physical changes you can make to green your home. For more information on these ideas and help selling, purchasing or remodeling green homes please visit www.TheHouseAgents.com.
For more information on general energy conservation go to the following websites:
consumerenergycenter.org
environmentla.org
energysavers.gov
energyupgradeca.org
makeyourbuildingsworklosangeles.com
fypower.org
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