Go Green at Home - Turn Your Home into an Energy-Efficient Green Home
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Thu, Mar 11, 2010
Gradually “Green” Your Home
“Green” is the new buzzword in home building circles. Forget those behemoth McMansions; smaller, more energy-efficient “green” homes are all the rage today. Some of the new design concepts being debuted at spring home shows feature physically smaller homes with compartmentalized living spaces that can be opened and closed as they’re needed. Why heat the guest room if it’s not in use or your son’s bedroom while he’s off at college? New zoned heating and cooling elements even allow homeowners to decrease heat to sunny rooms to take advantage of nature’s natural furnace.
In the next generation, “green houses” will give way to “smart homes.” The computerization that lets you turn off your living room lights or record a favorite TV show from your iPhone will in the very near future make it possible to adjust your thermostat, turn on the oven to start cooking dinner and manage your home’s energy consumption, all from your smartphone before you even leave the office.
Replace Energy-Guzzling Appliances with Energy-Efficient Appliances
There’s no need to bulldoze your house and start from the bottom up. By gradually replacing energy-guzzling appliances with energy-efficient furnaces, air conditioners, high energy water heaters, geothermal heat pumps and programmable thermostats, you can gradually “green” your home. Your older Lorain County home may never qualify for a Green Building Council LEED certificate, but it will certainly use less energy and save you a bundle on your monthly utility bills with each energy-efficient improvement you add.
Take Advantage of Federal Tax Credits and Cash for Clunkers Rebates
This is an excellent time to talk to your Heating and Air Conditioning professional about greening your Lorain County home. Federal tax credits for energy-efficient home appliances and Ohio’s new Cash for Clunker Appliances program make it financially advantageous to replace your home’s old appliances with new energy-efficient ones today.
