Greening your home Top 3 quick & easy tips

We're all hearing a lot about going green these days but are you like me and have been thinking to yourself “well that's great I'm all for it, but I'm not ready to pull up all my floors or spend thousands of dollars in green remodeling projects just to be able to say that my house is green. Well, I've come to the conclusion that going green can have different significance for different people. If you're selling your existing home in a tough real estate market and you want to be able to advertise having green features or if you're like myself and you just want to green your home in order to lessen your impact on the environment by reducing your energy use, I've put together a list of what I consider to be the top 3 tips for greening your home that are the quickest and easiest and absolutely won't cost you a fortune doing it either!

1. Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs): By far the easiest and most economical thing you can do to green your home is to replace all your old light bulbs with new CFLs or compact fluorescent light bulbs. These cost a little bit more up front but they last up to 10X longer and save you a lot of energy because they use up to 75% less energy than the older bulbs. Well worth the little bit of extra investment as they will pay for themselves in energy savings in the long run.

2. Install a programmable thermostat: Installing a programmable thermostat is an excellent and very easy way to go green in your home. Programmable thermostats will cost you about $100 or less, depending on which brand you choose, and allow you to set or program your heating and cooling temperatures throughout the day and evening and also while you are away. This results in a significant savings for you on your energy use particularly if you aim to set the temperatures at one or two degrees lower than what you would normally set it at. I installed a programmable thermostat in my home and was amazed by the fact that I saw an immediate 20% reduction in my energy consumption and my bill. As a general rule experts recommend, in the summer set your indoor temperature at 78 degrees F, and in the winter, at 62 degrees F.

3. Install low flow shower heads: The biggest water consumer in a home is by far the bathroom. After the toilet which consumer about 27 gallons a day per person, showers consume an average of 15-25 gallons per person. Another easy and economical thing you can do to green your home and save water is to install a low flow shower head. Low flow shower heads use a vacuum type system to aerate the water so that it explodes as it exits out the shower head, thereby creating a very intense and powerful stream of water but at a low flow rate. In addition stop valves on the showerheads allow you to pause the water flow while soaping up or shampooing. An average retail price for a low flow shower head depending on the brand is about $50.