“Green Building” Your Existing Home

With all the yelling and screaming going on today about Green Building, you may wonder what you can do if you already have your home constructed. First, be wary of late-night TV ads that promise to save you thousands of dollars on electric bills or save more fuel oil than you can use in a whole year. Too good to be true? More than likely. There is no magic insulation or magic electric device that goes in front of the panel to save you money. These are just as you thought. Rip-offs. Everyone can go greener a little at a time without spending a bundle. Have tons of cash? OK, go for the solar arrays or thermal pumps or maybe even a windmill. In most of our homes, cash is not just laying around on the floors.

Start with a good inspection of your house. Are windows all nice and tight? No broken glass? No missing hardware? No missing caulking? All of these can keep your windows tightly closed and sealed thereby saving lots of heating oil. Turn down the thermostat to 70 during the day and 60 at night. An auto set back thermostat is only about $25 and may save hundreds of gallons of fuel by controlling a steady temperature in the home.

Recycling is not mandatory everywhere but it should be. It is very easy to separate cans and glass and place them in a separate bag. We take a full 55-gallon bag to the center each … READ MORE ...