My bf and I have bought our first home. We are young and just starting out.?

Question

What are the things that we can do to make our home green (Environmentally Friendly) without spending alot of money??

Thanks!

Answer 1

The most effective thing that you can do is cut down on the waste of the biggest polluters. Your energy usage is miniscule compare to the waste of the biggest polluters.

Three of the biggest polluters are Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi and John Edwards. All three live in huge mansions that use over 10 times the energy that a family of 4 uses.

All three of them fly on private jets that use over 1,000 times the amount of fossil fuel as the most wasteful SUV.

Instead of trying to cut back your own miniscule consumption which will result in only a very small saving even if you reduced your carbon footprint to zero, contact Al Gore Nancy Pelosi and John Edwards and let them know that you are ashamed of them because of their wasteful use of energy and you expect them to set a better example for the rest of us and cut vack their energy usage to no more than the energy usage of the average American.

Do not let them give you this ridiculous baloney that they buy carbon credits to offset their energy usage.

Carbon credits are a scam that Al Gore invented to make himself hundreds of millions of dollars.

Answer 2

Most people have told you already to change the blubs in your house, turn off applicances, add a sun roof...the water jacket for the hot water heater is a great idea...here are a few I have...

It is a great idea to be comfortable during the summer...but there are ways you can do it and not have AC. If you are lucky enough to have a home set up in just the right way...you can maxamize the potential for your home to cool and vent itself. Opening windows and using the adjustments on blinds.

I found that in living in a hot and sticky dorm room...that since hot air rises when cool air is present, you can put the blinds down on your window and force air coming through a window to go down by having the inner curves face down just slightly. It will force the warm air in a room up.

Now here is a cute trick on a real sticky day...using fans are not the best because they draw energy so it might not be the greenest idea...but if you put the reusable freezer ice packs behind or in front of a fan...the cold air coming off the pack will be picked up by the fan and blown at you.

If in the event you really need AC to be comfortable though...then purchase a unit that is EnergyStar approved. In fact, not just your AC...if your fridge, stove...ANYTHING...can be EnergyStar approved, then you are using a product that is saving you and the enviroment energy and cutting back on emissions. I am including the EnergyStar website for more information.

When ever possible, even in winter, use a clothes line to dry your clothing. Though you might freeze your towels...you are still drying some of the water out of your clothes and thus using the dryer less. You can even set up a drying rack or line in your wash room for winter or rainy days.

Sort everything for recycling. Cardboard and paper, cans and plastic, glass, and food. You can make a compost heap for cultivating a home garden using food waste. In all...almost everything in your house can be reused in some way.

Since you have a new home and are probably remodeling...there are businesses that can collect and find ways to reuse an unwanted toliet, carpets, piping. And scrap metal haulers are a good place to send away any metals that can be reused like an old oil tank. You can get money in return for turning these goods in.

For the winter, buy lots of sweaters, some slippers, and turn down the thermostat. Weather strip your windows and doors. And send any clothing you no longer want to the Salvation Army instead of the dump.

Plant some trees and flowers! Good luck.

Oh! and it might be a project for later...but look at some solar panels if you are in a very sunny place.

Answer 3

Lights - change any light that u use for more than 2 hours a day and turn off lights when u leave the room you can always turn them back on on your return, get into the habit. $50-100

Showers - use water restricting washers in your showers they will reduce the amount of water u use meaning that u use less hot water, meaning less electricity 4 hot water - $5 - $15

Hot Water - get a water jacket for your hot water tank it will keep water hotter longer - $40

Turn appliances off when your not using them the only things that really need to be on when you are asleep are the fridge/freezer, alarm clock, hot water tank.

Do that to start, and you will be saving money and have more to spend.

Sky light - in dark areas that need alot of light instead of using electricity put a hole in the roof and you will have free natural light - $200

Roof vents - a vent on the roof during summer will increase air flow and cool your home instead of always using A/C which costs around 3kW per hour to run - $100

Get a small back pack or saddle bag that you can carry arround wherever u go and stop using plastic bags you may even find that having it might reduce the need to drive to the shops to get bread and milk.

theres heaps you can do use your imagination whatever you are doing think about weather or not you are having an effect at the time and what can you do to have less of an effect, like right now are your printer and computer speakers on if they are and your not using them switch them off they would be using at least 10w per hour which is about 15g of CO2 not alot but if its all day every day.....

Answer 4

If your house has a sodded lawn, consider xeriscape gardens instead to save water and the restrictions that have shown up in many areas for watering lawns (every other day for 3 hours, before 7 am and after 5 pm. in my area). Let the weather help cool your house at night and then close it during the heat of the day. And the answer before mine really spelled out a lot of common sense, money saving ideas.

Answer 5

Start with bins to separate your "trash" (glass,aluminum,paper etc) and don't forget to compost (you can use the compost to keep your plants inside and out very happy and beautiful). Buy energy efficient appliances (you may get credit from your gas company for this). Use latex paint (it is water soluble and much safer than oil based). If the previous owner left rubbish behind like old paint and lumber check with your local service for the nearest recycling center and dispose of them there (only use the hazardous waste sites for unusable paints/oils/thinners etc.). Consider shopping for furnishings from resale shops you will get much nicer pieces for much less money. If you kitchen has those old tube style florescent consider having the unit removed and replaced with a fixture that can use compact florescent or halogen this will pay for itself sooner than you think. HGTV has a whole section on Green Living that can help you with planning your decorating and help you make smart choices when buying appliances. Good Luck!

Answer 6

If you are handy, you can insualte yourself as well as install double paned windows if you don't already have them. Make sure all doors are weatherstripped properly. You can install a timed thermostst, too. It will initiate air flow before you come home so the house is cool. They are on a timer. This will save beau coup energy. Also,if you don't already have them and you have the room, plant trees. They are terrific for oxygen output as well as provide great shade for your home. In your yard, you may consider rock instead of grass. If you like grass, put in a sprinkler system to monitor the water flow going to your lawn. Find out about recycling and do so if recycling is big in your community.

Answer 7

Reduce the amount of gas, electricity, and water you use. There are various ways to reduce your utility bill (especially now that summer's around the corner).

There are many services and tips provided by local energy companies. The Southern California Gas Company offers rebates and incentives for retrofitting and/or buying energy efficient products.

Check out the Southern California Gas Company's energy efficiency website at http://socalgas.com/energyefficiency/

Answer 8

global warming is the biggest crock out there right now . in 1974 time magazine did a story on the next ice age saying that the world was cooling . now it's warming . give me a freaking break here . the earth is not some little fragile planet . it was here before any of us and will be here when we are all gone . I'll be damned if I'm gonna let a bunch of tree hugging do gooders stop me from living my life

Answer 9

wash full loads of clothes only , line dry when possible wash in coldest water setting as much as possible , purchase things that can be recycled or reused around the house and that was made out of recycled items , instead of purchasing thos nice koolaid pitures i use my 2 litter soda bottles for my koolaid , i also fill the 2 litter bottles with water and place in the freezer for when i need to use an ice chest for a party or something instead of buying baga and bags of ice i just place the frozen bottle in the ice chest .
replace light bulbs with energy saving ones , place a flow restricter on shower head , and get a low water level toilet , if u have a dish washer only use when u need to and wash only full loads of dishes , , if u drink glasses of water and have water left in your cup use that in your plants inside of the house , use natural lighting when possible , ie open blinds , shades , curtains let the sun shine light up your home , open windows and let the air flow in , when u go shoping try to take your own bags , some stores even have thos e cloth type bags that u can purchase and use again and again , some stores even take so much off your grocery total per bag u use of your own
i have dogs and cats etc , so when i purchase the cat litter etc i purchase it in big buckets i then in turn use the big buckets when emty and cleaned to store dog food cat food laundry soap , etc , i even place my christams lights in those buckets , etc , instead of buying trash cans for the bath room bed rooms etc , i use one of the cat litter buckets , i already purchased the product and instead of tossing the container in the tyrash i just re use them everyday , this saving money and the enviroment as well as redusing landfill waste

Answer 10

Set your thermostat lower in the winter and higher in the summer. Even a few degrees will make a difference.
Install CFLs.
Use less water.
Plant some trees.
Dry some of your clothing on a clothesline.