In home design today “green” is the new luxury. Homeowners are learning that using eco-friendly products in their building plans or remodeling projects results in a cozier, healthier home that costs less money to operate. Of course, green products are good for the environment, but that knowledge isn’t always enough to convince consumers that paying a little more for something up front makes financial sense in the long run.
If you’re building a new home or remodeling an older one, there are four easy ways you can save money and do your part for the environment.
Indoor lighting
Choosing Energy Star-rated LED lighting throughout your home instead of incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs can save you a lot of money over time. Energy Star-rated LEDs cost about $1 per year to operate and last up to 25 times longer than a traditional incandescent bulb. As old bulbs burn-out, replace them with LED lights, and you’ll see the savings add up quickly.
LEDs are appropriate for every lighting task, including overhead fixtures, recessed lighting and direct lighting. The light from an LED shines in only one direction instead of flowing in all directions like an incandescent bulb. That means they’re more efficient and produce significantly less radiant heat.
Outdoor lighting
What could be less expensive than free? Using solar lights for landscape and outdoor safety lighting means you literally will never pay an extra penny on your electricity bill to illuminate your yard and walkways. They turn off and on automatically, come in a wide variety of styles and install by simply pushing a stake into the soil.
Paint
The EPA reports that indoor air is one of the top five health hazards to humans. The toxic volatile organic compounds emitted by paints and other finishes contribute to unhealthy air inside your home. Using natural paint or paint with low volatile organic compound content can reduce the amount of toxins you and your family inhale each day and create a healthier environment for those with allergies, asthma and scent sensitivities. Some paints are even designed to absorb toxins such as formaldehyde from the air.
Energy Star appliances
An Energy Star appliance is one that’s been certified as energy efficient by the Environmental Protection Agency. Energy Star appliances for the home include washers and dryers, kitchen appliances, air cleaners, furnaces, air conditioning systems and home electronics. And they can save you a lot of money. On average, an Energy Star-rated washing machine costs $85 less to run each year than its non-Energy Star counterpart, and saves more than 27,000 gallons of water over its lifetime.
It may seem like making a few small green adjustments to your building or renovation plans wouldn’t have much impact. But through millions of small eco-friendly changes in 2008, Americans saved approximately $19 billion in energy bills and avoided emitting tons of greenhouse gases into the environment.
Choosing eco-friendly products for your home simply makes sense – for your health, your finances and the planet.