If you own a house, you are guaranteed one thing: home improvements. If your home is old (like my 80 year old house!), you definitely have a lot of home improvements on your plate! Beyond the typical home improvements, now is also the perfect time to make your home greener! If you have a plan ahead of time, you can make small changes that will provide big benefits.
One of the simplest home improvements for most people is to paint. Remembering how sick I felt after several hours of painting in my new home, I can only imagine what I was breathing in! Now, every major national brand makes a line of low-VOC paints. Low-VOC paints get their name because they contain only a small amount of volatile organic compounds. Those compounds are what degrade air quality. However, not all paint is created equal. The non-profit GreenSeal program certifies paints to a tough standard called GS-11 and offers a list of products that should work for any project you may have. However, you do have to keep in mind that when you add colorants to your paint, you may make them less low-VOC. This is especially true if you want red; the brighter and the richer the hue is, the higher VOCs usually.
If you’re renovating your kitchen or bathroom, a great way to do a green renovation is to reuse and recycle. You can often find great finds at second hand shops, auctions, and even salvage yards. Keep in mind however, that contractors may not want to use reused fixtures due to liability issues so sometimes refurbished is not a choice. When that is the case, make sure you are checking out Energy Star appliances. This is the federal program that has strict performance standards and identifies products that will use less electricity. Most appliances display the sticker on them showing what it will save you over the course of a year in energy. However, with so many refrigerators, dishwashers, and dryers having those, it can get a tad confusing. Before you shop, go the spreadsheets on the Energy Star site. They provide a score called the “energy factor” that allows you to compare various makes and models at a glance which will make your life easier! Also, when outfitting these rooms, use fabrics like bamboo towels and curtains to decorate. Not only are they fashionable, but they are green too!
For windows, make sure that you are skipping the vinyl. Vinyl is one of the more toxic consumer products on earth. A better alternative is low-e argon-purged fiberglass panes which require next-to-no maintenance and offer excellent energy performance. They will be more expensive on the front end but are worth it for the long haul.
Most importantly, before you start any green renovations in your home, have an energy audit done first. In many states, this can open the door to rebates and incentives on new windows and doors, heating and cooling equipment, and more! There isn’t a better feeling than saving money and saving the earth all at the same time!
Related posts:
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Good point about green renovations and being careful when it comes to salvaged or refurbished items. Though recycling and the price may be right, which is a concern for alot of people, these items may not meet a certain code, and end up creating a hazzard of some kind. One step further would be to check out your contractor thoroughly and find out if their company is directly involved in eco-friendly home renovations only. Many of them are.
Great information! Thank you. I had no idea that there was any correlation between hue and VOCs.
Great article..especially about getting an energy audit! My boyfriend and I are in the process of making over the outside of our house and doing it as “green” as possible. We started with small things. We needed to change the address numbers and light on our house because they were looking pretty rough. Instead of having a light by the address numbers and to avoid using electricity we purchased a reflective address plaque. You can check the one we got here http://bit.ly/b2fwKo but there were other ones. Lisa, if you can list more tips on outdoor makeovers that would be great!
Nice post.Admiring the time and effort you put into your blog and detailed information you offer!
This is more common in areas where there is less vegetation, the heavy winds move the fine particles of topsoil to other areas.
Great Article and very informative! A few other ideas is to use items that last longer and are reusable. I noticed that painting was mentioned. It was something we changed in our home because of our children. We didn’t want them breathing in such toxic fumes. But we also bought very nice rollers so we could reuse them more and they would last longer than the cheap ones which reduced waste! It’s all in how you look at things. Pay attention to what you do and how you can reduce waste as well as purchasing eco friendly items. I saw this article and realized that we can also be eco friendly just by thinking about HOW we use items!
http://www.bloggersbase.com/politics-and-opinions/a-media-hype-or-a-real-buying-using/
That’s a great tip – thank you!
{ 7 trackbacks }