Benefits for Homeowners

While some people go all out in building green in order to lessen their home's "footprint" on the environment,most consumers want to upgrade their homes to experience green benefits like these:

• Have more control over future maintenance costs,

• Lower, manage, and better predict monthly expenses,

• Enjoy health benefits, including lower emissions and better air quality, and

• Improve their home's resale value and marketability.

Pick One Project ... or Two

Even for homes where it doesn't make sense to remodel, homeowners can still enjoy economic and health benefits by implementing one or more green improvements as they are able:

• Tankless water heaters heat water only on demand.

• Low-E windows have a thin layer of metal that helps keeps the hot side of the window hot and the cool side cool, thereby saving energy on heating and cooling bills.When purchasing windows, pay attention to the U-factor, which measures the rate of heat transfer, and also the SHGC rating, which measures how well a window blocking unwanted heat gain. Low-E windows are well worth the price, since homes can lose up to 25% of their heat through the windows. Properly installed low-E windows can reduce energy loss by 30-50%.

• Storm door installation provides extra protection against inclement weather and can increase energy efficiency by up to 45%.

• Paints and materials that contain low- or no-VOC (Volative Organic Components) cut down on landfill pollutants as well as help keep indoor air clean.

• Spray foam insulation increases to 100 times its initial volume and therefore better fills in air gaps than fiberglass insulation. It's also non-toxic and has a lifetime guarantee. Energy savings: Up to 50%.

• Landscape responsibly. Xeriscaping with native and drought-resistant plants helps conserve water. Strategic planting of trees and careful maintenance of existing mature trees can help reduce energy costs by shading a house.

• Retrofitting radiant heat can be pricey, but the savings in energy costs mean it will eventually pay for itself. Radiant heat is often more comfortable than forced air, and better for people with allergies.Additionally, people don't get cold feet and therefore tend to keep the thermostat a degree or so lower as well.

• Programmable thermostats allow homeowners to automatically reduce heating and cooling during times when it is not needed as much. Energy savings:As much as 5-20% off a monthly energy bill if the heat is turned down 5 degrees at night and 10 degrees during the day when no one is home.

• Ceiling fans may provide enough cooling for some rooms and can reduce the need for air conditioning.

• Caulking windows and doors is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to improve energy efficiency in a home- in fact, it will usually pay for itself in energy savings within a year.

• Replace exterior wood doors with insulated metal or fiberglass doors. Wood is not a good insulator, and fiberglass doors now give the appearance of wood while insulating 5 times better.

• Choose LED lighting. LED stands for "light emitting diodes," which are small devices resembling a computer chip sandwiched between thin layers of plastic or glass.When charged with electricity, the diode emits lights. Benefits of LED lighting: It has no hazardous chemicals like other lighting options.The price over its lifetime (good quality bulbs can last more than 50,000 hours) make it an economical alternative to standard lightbulbs. LED lights generate very little heat and 80-90% of electrical power goes directly to generating light, compared to incandescent bulbs where only 5-10% of the energy is used to create light (the rest creates heat). Finally, LEDs give more light with less glare, a plus for an aging population.

• Low-flow showerheads and toilets help homeowners conserve water.

• Solar orientation is one area homeowners can't change about their existing home, but a passive solar retrofit means adding solar features to an existing house. For example, the location of sunrooms should be true solar south for greatest heat gain.

• Smart irrigation technology may be the biggest change in lawncare since the automated sprinkler system. Evapotranspiration (ET) controllers automatically adjust watering based on the weather and typically pay for themselves in water savings after about two years. Please keep in mind that this is only a partial list of many projects that can increase the value of a home, as well as improve comfort and reduce energy costs. For more information on these and other green recommendations, visit:

• www.nahbgreen.org

• energystar.gov

• www.usgbc.org

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