Trends in Green Home Remodeling
When it comes to your home, it’s all about the designs and features you want to have in your home. What was once exciting and thrilling has probably either gotten less trendy, more expensive in terms of bills and energy usage, or you just want something new, fresh and clean as far as the home goes. When it comes to building a new home or "fixing" and updating the home you have now, there are a few things you will want to pay attention to when it comes time to live in it - or sell it in the future. If you want some great tips on green home remodeling in Scottsdale, keep reading below for some great ideas on how to make your home more green friendly, cut down on energy costs and lower your bills. Also, you have to remember that going green is not just about your life, but it’s about conservation which is your small part in helping to protect the environment for your children and generations to come.
Programmable Thermostats
Believe it or not, one of the easiest ways to save energy and save money on utility bills is by installing a programmable thermostat. In 99% of homes, more than half of the energy used goes towards heating and air conditioning. Most of the companies that deal with energy, will tell you that you should have your thermostat set at 68 degrees in cold weather and 78 in warm weather, give or take a few degrees depending on where you live. You can program a thermostat to stay in these degrees and go off automatically when reaching the designated numbers. This is also a really nice feature in a home where you want the thermostat to kick on when you wake up, or stay off when you are at work. Try to find an automated programmable thermostat that lets you choose a schedule of Monday - Sunday and different times, as well as different hours of the day to program it. Surprisingly, this is pretty cost effective since these types of thermostats only cost about $40 to $50.
Change Your Lights
Traditional light bulbs are most likely what you have in your home now or maybe are what you are considering for a home you are building. But, this is something you might want to think over once again. LED and compact fluorescent lamps or CLFS for short are two of the best ways to save money in your home rather than using regular incandescent bulbs. This is one of those occasions where you are going to have to be a little open minded and think more about the future than right now; LED and compact fluorescent lamps do cost more, let’s just get that out there right now. But they produce less heat and also use less energy which means they last longer and are less costly to you. If you go around your house right now, you probably have anywhere between 10 and 100 bulbs in your home right now, especially if you have track lighting or chandeliers. Chances are you change these quite often, especially highly visited areas like kitchens and living rooms. Currently at a Home Improvement store, one light bulb of the incandescent type is around $2.78 for a name brand bulb, LED is around $4.13 for a name brand bulb and CFLS are around $2.48 for one bulb. So in reality, it’s not TOO much more money, but if you find sales you can find some great prices on energy saving bulbs. LED bulb in particular are said to be 80% more efficient!
Energy Star Does Matter
I think when this whole Energy Star craze came out, a lot of people probably thought it was some hyper-marketing fantasy. But, in reality, when it comes to green home remodeling, Energy Efficient does matter, it does do what it’s supposed to do (save energy and money) and it can help save the earth - really it can! In fact, Energy Star was started by the government to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over the years, the little Energy Star symbol has become one of the most trusted symbols when it comes to energy efficient appliances in people's homes. One thing you need to remember is that this isn’t just some silly symbol; the "products" have to go through a wide range of tests and meet certain sets of criteria in order to even bother being labeled Energy Efficient. You can find all sorts of energy efficient energy star appliances and products - not just for your kitchen either, though that is primarily where you will see these products at.
Energy Efficient Windows
Replacing windows can be expensive, but in the long run, it might just be what your home needs. It can usually help save on your bill at around 7-15% which might not seem like a lot, but if you consider your bills every month you might realize this is a huge cost. If you are already living in a home that needs windows replaced, or better yet you are building a new home, make sure you choose energy efficient windows. Regular windows tend to be pretty cheap and energy efficient ones cost around $10 - $15 more, but its well worth it in the end. A few tips to acknowledge:
- Find a window that is specifically for your climate zone.
- Remember to find windows that use the Energy Star symbol on them.
- Take a look at the thermal transmission and solar heat gain ratings and make sure both numbers are low - this means you will lose less heat in the winter months when your heat is on and lose less cool in the summer months when your AC is on.
Programmable Thermostats
Believe it or not, one of the easiest ways to save energy and save money on utility bills is by installing a programmable thermostat. In 99% of homes, more than half of the energy used goes towards heating and air conditioning. Most of the companies that deal with energy, will tell you that you should have your thermostat set at 68 degrees in cold weather and 78 in warm weather, give or take a few degrees depending on where you live. You can program a thermostat to stay in these degrees and go off automatically when reaching the designated numbers. This is also a really nice feature in a home where you want the thermostat to kick on when you wake up, or stay off when you are at work. Try to find an automated programmable thermostat that lets you choose a schedule of Monday - Sunday and different times, as well as different hours of the day to program it. Surprisingly, this is pretty cost effective since these types of thermostats only cost about $40 to $50.
Change Your Lights
Traditional light bulbs are most likely what you have in your home now or maybe are what you are considering for a home you are building. But, this is something you might want to think over once again. LED and compact fluorescent lamps or CLFS for short are two of the best ways to save money in your home rather than using regular incandescent bulbs. This is one of those occasions where you are going to have to be a little open minded and think more about the future than right now; LED and compact fluorescent lamps do cost more, let’s just get that out there right now. But they produce less heat and also use less energy which means they last longer and are less costly to you. If you go around your house right now, you probably have anywhere between 10 and 100 bulbs in your home right now, especially if you have track lighting or chandeliers. Chances are you change these quite often, especially highly visited areas like kitchens and living rooms. Currently at a Home Improvement store, one light bulb of the incandescent type is around $2.78 for a name brand bulb, LED is around $4.13 for a name brand bulb and CFLS are around $2.48 for one bulb. So in reality, it’s not TOO much more money, but if you find sales you can find some great prices on energy saving bulbs. LED bulb in particular are said to be 80% more efficient!
Energy Star Does Matter
I think when this whole Energy Star craze came out, a lot of people probably thought it was some hyper-marketing fantasy. But, in reality, when it comes to green home remodeling, Energy Efficient does matter, it does do what it’s supposed to do (save energy and money) and it can help save the earth - really it can! In fact, Energy Star was started by the government to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over the years, the little Energy Star symbol has become one of the most trusted symbols when it comes to energy efficient appliances in people's homes. One thing you need to remember is that this isn’t just some silly symbol; the "products" have to go through a wide range of tests and meet certain sets of criteria in order to even bother being labeled Energy Efficient. You can find all sorts of energy efficient energy star appliances and products - not just for your kitchen either, though that is primarily where you will see these products at.
Energy Efficient Windows
Replacing windows can be expensive, but in the long run, it might just be what your home needs. It can usually help save on your bill at around 7-15% which might not seem like a lot, but if you consider your bills every month you might realize this is a huge cost. If you are already living in a home that needs windows replaced, or better yet you are building a new home, make sure you choose energy efficient windows. Regular windows tend to be pretty cheap and energy efficient ones cost around $10 - $15 more, but its well worth it in the end. A few tips to acknowledge:
- Find a window that is specifically for your climate zone.
- Remember to find windows that use the Energy Star symbol on them.
- Take a look at the thermal transmission and solar heat gain ratings and make sure both numbers are low - this means you will lose less heat in the winter months when your heat is on and lose less cool in the summer months when your AC is on.