Saving money and thinking green is on everyone’s mind. A quick an effect way to save water is to install a low-flow aerator on your kitchen sink. It’s easy to install just twist it on to your existing faucet. It works by mixing air into the water stream to reduce water usage without affecting your water pressure. It’s a standard fixture at most hardware stores for a under $10.
A standard kitchen faucet uses 4 to 5 gallons per minute. That same faucet will drop its usage to 2 ½ gallons per minute. On average you should be saving 1 ½ to 2 ¾ gallons a day. That’s hundreds of gallons of water you’re conserving just from your $10 dollar investment.
Thinking green can be affordable if you start with the simple projects. Water conservation is a great place to start. If your water bill goes down you can put that extra money toward your next green remodeling project.
Passive solar buildings sounds like a phrase from the 1970’s. Building your home with a southern exposure, an idea that goes back thousands of years. Let the sunlight work with you in the summer and winter. If your building a new home on a lot that faces south is easier said then done. If you have the flexibility to rotate your house to a southern exposure try looking in to it.
But if you have an existing home what can you do. Think on what you can do to save energy in lighting, heating and even cooling. A option is to look at your floors on the southern side, by increasing your floors density you will be able to absorb more solar heat in the winter time.
Roof overhangs will save on solar gains in the summer heat. During the summer the angle of the sun is much greater than the winter. A few southern exposure window awnings is a affordable trick to cut back on solar pains. With reducing solar gains you will save you energy by reducing your air conditioning load. In the winter season the sunlight comes in at a lower angle so the awnings will hot be a shading factor. The more sunlight in the winter the better, solar gains will save you money by reducing how long your heater runs.
Tinted screens is another quick money saver. They keep the sunlight out in the summer and In the winter you pull your screens out and let the sun shine it. Windows with a higher R-factor is another option to save energy. Even if you can reduce your indoor light usage with proper widow placement.
The sun isn’t going to change so try adapating your solar gains to your advantage. Going green is much tricker on existing home, but keep your options open to a green remodeling life style.
Green building material for your green remodeling project. If you live in the country and your looking to insulate an existing shed are barn try using straw bales. Most people would have second thought about remodeling your house with straw walls. So start with a room in your barn, that you would like to heat. I your goal is to go with green building materials straw is a great renewable resource.
The stray bale can be built into structural wall with adding any extra wood framing. You just stack the bales and pin them in place. Cover the whole wall with a wire mesh then cover the mesh with stucco. The stucco holds everything in place plus its weather tight and sturdy.
If you buy the straw at a near by farm you will have a very low carbon foot print. I doesn’t even matter what type of straw you buy. Wheat, oat, rye and barley will all work fine. The insulation valve is around a R-28. As an comparison a standard wall has an R Factor of R-13 to R19.
So next time you want to remodel and use green building materials look into using straw.
Think about siding your home with locally kiln bricks. Bricks are a great way to go green, for a few reasons. A brick is just baked mud its a great natural building product. Very few added chemicals with a small carbon foot print when made near your home. Try to stay away from products shipped from the other side of the country. Local bricks will match your areas decor. You should have a good selection for patterns and colors for a more update look.
The life span of brick will outlast most any other natural siding product. No painting or weather damage to worry about. With using brick you get high quality construction and great durability your on your way to a green home. Take a look around your area for a local brick product before you start your next big project.
Air leaks in your home can cost big bucks. If you have a standard new home 25% heating and cooling is leaking right out the window and roof. Think of your home as boat and the air leaks are water leaks in your hull. Every time you add another window and door you increase the holes in your boat. You can plug the leaks but its always going to have a slow leak.
Places to check for air leaks. Dryer vents are thin a aluminum ducts and leak and have little to no insulation. Doors leak air because they are designed to stop water not air. Windows are a huge savings or huge loss. They can have a low R-factor in the glass panes. The frame around the window have have some fiberglass shoved in the cracks but you should replace it with a foam insulation. This will greatly reduce your air leaks.
Chimneys leak out the flue and around the outside of the blocks, the space around the outside of the block can leak air from the top floor into the cold attic space. Same thing goes to recessed lighting. Bathroom fan vents. Kitchen fan vents out the wall or ceiling, the dampers do a minimal job when it comes to stopping air leaks.
What to do green up your space. Always look for chemically safe products, like spray foams and caulking. Any time you have a hole in the wall or ceiling check to see if its sealed off with a form or caulking. The more air leaks you stop to less energy you burn in keeping your home warm. reducing the fuel consumption is your first goal.
Green Notes: If you make your house to air tight you will have to install an air to air energy recovery ventilator. If you house has to few air leaks know you are reducing your outside air and your oxygen levels in the living spaces. But this is another topic in the near future.
