Making Your Home Green

An Eco-Friendly, Green Home

Between the savings on your utility bills and federal income tax credits, going green can save you a lot of green. Not to mention that you will leave a cleaner world for your children. It does not need to cost a lot of green either. Here are some changes you can make to your home to make it more eco-friendly.

Insulation

Most of your home's heat will escape through the walls, windows, floor, and roof. Insulate all around as much as you can. Use a thermal leak detector on your home to find out where you are losing heat most. Hire an expert to tell you what kind of insulation works best for those areas. Replace your windows with double-pane glass, or triple-pane if you really cannot bear our Ohio winters.

Programmable Thermostat

Instead of wasting energy heating and cooling rooms when no one is in them, invest in a programmable thermostat. You can schedule it to work in specific rooms at given times. Of course, if you need to change the schedule, you can bypass it. Modern thermostats have mobile apps so you can control your home's temperature from your phone.

Conserve Water

Water is a very scarce resource, and the more you can do to reduce your consumption, the better. Low-flow showerheads and water-saving toilets. Some toilets recycle the grey water from your sink to use when flushing. And instead of watering a lawn every day, talk to a landscaper about a garden of natural foliage.

Eco-Friendly Roof

There are three viable options for making your roof eco-friendly.

White Roof

The easiest thing you can do is to paint it white. By reflecting sunlight, your home and your neighborhood will be cooler. You can save as much as 40% on your AC bills.

Green Roof

Another option is to green your roof with vegetation. There are turn-key kits available to make it easy for you. Just beware that these are much heavier than a traditional roof, so make sure your home's structure can bear the weight. The benefits are additional insulation, oxygen, and greenery.

Solar Roof

A solar roof will generate energy for you and save a ton on utility bills each month. While they are expensive to install, there are federal income tax credits that will give you a break on up to 30% of the costs.

Eco-Friendly Lighting

Bulbs

The best switch you can make is to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or LED bulbs. Not only do they last ten times longer than regular bulbs, but they also use 75% less energy. We are talking big savings here. LED bulbs do not have mercury in their bulbs, like CFLs do, so they are easier to dispose and probably the better option.

Nature's Light

Of course you could just get creative in your use of natural light. There are the traditional skylights, but look into solar tubes and sunlight transportation devices. These gadgets collect sunlight from your roof and disburse it into your home through cables, and don't cost nearly as much to install. High-tech stuff. If you are buying or selling a home and need closing services or title insurance, contact Patriot Title Agency in Ohio ;at 866-475-3005. Visit our website to find out more about our services.