Programmable Thermostats
If you have a programmable thermostat, you can automate your heating and cooling systems to save energy when you’re not at home or asleep. In winter, for example, your house can be a nippy 60ºF while you are at work, and then–while you are still boarding the bus for your commute back home–it can automatically move up to a toasty 68º or 70ºF.
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Is a Solar Electric System Right for You?
Any company that installs solar electric systems (also known as photovoltaic, or PV, systems) can help you figure out if PV makes sense for your household. But as with any home improvement project, buyer beware. While reputable companies won’t try to talk you into a deal that doesn’t make sense, unscrupulous companies may overpromise on performance, overestimate how big a system you need, or underestimate potential problems at your site.
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Fireplaces
Let’s say you have a basic wood-burning fireplace. Charming as it may be, this old-fashioned device pollutes the air and sends a large amount of its heat roaring out the chimney. But there’s no need to get rid of your old fireplace.
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The Greenest Little House in America
Close your eyes and conjure up an image of what you think the most eco-friendly home in the country would look like. Do you imagine a foliage-covered bio-dome surrounded by photovoltaic solar arrays? Or an off-the-grid cob and straw hut nestled in the woods? Or do you think of a 1915 craftsman-style bungalow in the heart of Oakland, CA? One of these options seems like it couldn’t possibly be true, right? What does an old house have to do with being environmentally friendly? But when it’s the home of the founder of the US Green Building Council (USGBC), you probably wouldn’t expect anything less than the greenest home in America.
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Home Recycling Advice
If you religiously recycle your old newspapers and junk mail, you’re not alone. In 2007, 56 percent of the paper used in the U.S. was recovered—an average of 360 pounds of paper per person. But have you been recycling your dead light bulbs, flat tires, and leftover paint? You may not be able to put such items on the curb, but many companies and communities are providing ways to recycle them. In fact the EPA says that about 75% of what Americans throw away these days could be recycled.
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