Guest Post: Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Home's Energy Efficiency

Greening your home is not only better for the environment, it's better for your wallet, too. You'll lower your utility bills and maybe even gain some tax credits by making some upgrades. From major adjustments to minor changes, there are dozens of ways you can make your house more energy efficient and here are five of the top ways.

Replace Old Appliances
Older appliances are usually energy-sucking beasts. If you can afford to replace them it will vastly improve your home's efficiency. Some of the worst energy wastes are your refrigerator, furnace, A/C systems, water heater, dishwasher, stove, and laundry machines. You can find energy efficient models at reasonable prices everywhere these days. The government offers tax credits in some states for replacing old appliances so any money you spend on them will be made up through the credits and through your lower energy bills.

Clean
Reducing your energy consumption is as easy as cleaning. Your furnace and air conditioning filters should be replaced or cleaned every couple months to keep airflow at its most efficient. Even during the summer you should keep your filters clean as air conditioners circulate the air through the furnace. Keep the coils on your radiator, fridge, and laundry machines clean to keep them running efficiently because built up gunk acts like insulation and prevents the coils from heating and cooling properly. Keep your baseboards clean to keep airflow around your vents as efficient as possible. Keeping your appliances clean can be a laborious task but it not only helps reduce your home's energy consumption, it will keep your house more hygienic.

Seal Your House
Keep your house's heating and cooling systems running the best by sealing any cracks in your walls, roof, attic, windows, around faucets, and where your HVAC system was installed. If air can leak into or out of your house, it will make your heater and air conditioner work harder to maintain the temperature. Some leaks only need some caulk and an afternoon to fix, while others like leaks in your roof, might require a professional. Adding weather strips to doors that lead outside will also help keep the drafts down.

Attic Insulation
Your attic can be a major source of air leaks and temperature loss. Consider upgrading your current insulation with a layer of spray foam. Adding more insulation will make an already efficient attic even more efficient and is relatively easy to do. Check your attic for stains or discolorations on your insulation and you'll see where there are leaks. Attic fans can also vastly improve your cooling abilities by pulling hot air out of your attic and keeping your house cooler.

Power Strips
One of the easiest ways to help improve energy use is by simply plugging your appliances and electronics into a power strip. The power strip can stop anything that's plugged into it from absorbing unnecessary energy when not use. And when you're not home, asleep, or on vacation, you can reduce your energy consumption from non-essential appliances and electronics by flipping a single switch. Power strips are cheap and require barely any "installation." They're a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and stop unnecessary energy use.

Upgrading your home's energy efficiency will help you save money while helping the planet. There's no reason not to take at least one of these tips and put it to use. With the money you must spend every month on your home insurance, fixed-rate or tracker mortgage, utilities, lawn maintenance, and HOA fees, saving money using these tips is a no-brainer.

Green Home Remodeling Tips [sponsored]

Protecting the environment and improving your home don't have to be mutually exclusive goals. With the growing concern over environmental issues, making the right choices when it comes to home improvement can not only reduce your carbon footprint but also help you save money on your energy costs over the long run. Almost everything in your home from flooring to windows offers a more environmentally-friendly alternative that you can take advantage of when remodeling your home.

Windows: Although the walls of your home may be well-insulated, if the windows in your home are not insulated as well, this can reduce the energy-efficiency of your home by allowing heat to easily pass in and out of your home via the windows. Energy-efficient windows are designed to reduce the amount of heat that can transfer through a window, making your home cooler during the summer and warmer during the winter. When looking at energy-efficient windows, the two main factors to be aware of are the U-factor and solar heat gain coefficient. The U-factor measures how well the window insulates while the solar heat gain coefficient measures how much heat from the sun can pass through the window - a higher U-factor is typically more desirable while the solar heat gain coefficient should be lower, especially if you live in a hot climate or the window will receive sun for most of the day.

Flooring: While carpet and other flooring materials weren't particularly environmentally-friendly in the past, modern advancements have made this a thing of the past. When it comes to carpet, your options include carpets woven with natural fibers including sisal and wool or manufactured from recycled plastic which can in turn be recycled when the carpet wears out. Wood flooring isn't completely out of the question - bamboo and cork are both outstanding options for flooring that are strong and durable, but are produced with sustainable harvesting methods. Concrete can also be a highly sustainable flooring option as it can utilize a good deal of recycled waste in its manufacture, plus it can also be recycled to manufacture more concrete.

Paint: Paint is often an area of concern for people concerned about environmental impact. Standard paint is known to contain high levels of toxic VOCs (volatile organic compounds) like toluene that give off the fumes that give fresh paint its characteristic strong odor. Fumes from VOCs can cause health problems as well as contributing to air pollution, making them of particular concern when used in the home. Fortunately, many name brand paint manufacturers have begun offering lines of paints that are designed to significantly reduce the amount of VOCs present while still offering the same quality as standard paints. Another recent innovation is paints that are manufactured from milk and other natural ingredients, eliminating VOCs altogether.

Appliances: If you're planning on replacing any of the major appliances in your home such as the refrigerator, dishwasher or water heater - many appliance manufacturers have made great strides in developing energy-efficient appliances. Look for the Energy Star label on any appliances you're interested in - this indicates that the appliance has met federal energy standards.

Lighting: If you've already adopted CFLs for home lighting, it may be time to consider updating some of your fixtures to use LEDs instead. Currently, LEDs do have the disadvantage of costing a bit more than comparable CFL options but they offer a significantly longer lifespan and use even less energy than CFLs. LEDs also do not contain any mercury, unlike CFLs and standard incandescent bulbs that contain high levels of mercury.

Cabinets: If you're planning on replacing the cabinets in your bathroom, kitchen or other areas of your home - environmentally-friendly cabinets can be a great option. They are typically manufactured from either bamboo or wheatboard and assembled with adhesives that do not contain VOCs, making them a very sustainable option for your home.

Justin Krutz writes about home improvement for Palatin Remodeling, a Los Angeles bathroom remodeling company that also specializes in San Diego bathroom remodeling and San Diego kitchen remodeling services.

Guest Post: Achieve a Greener Lifestyle at Home

The importance of saving energy is continuously increasing along with the cost of living. Minimising our negative effects on the environment is a requirement that is being progressively pushed upon us as a nation. There are many ways in which a homeowner can help contribute to supporting a much greener environment, however making these changes to your whole family’s lifestyle may seem a daunting process. Here we look at simple ways in which to achieve this ideal environment by altering only small aspects of each room in your home and ultimately resulting in smaller household bills.

Starting with the kitchen, the most reliable way of reducing electricity bills is by purchasing energy efficient appliances. There will be alphabetical efficiency ratings on equipment most commonly used such as dishwashers and cookers which should be clearly displayed for you to gain an easy understanding of their sustainability. Simple tasks such as dishwashing and doing the laundry can make a difference by ensuring you only wash when both the machines are fully loaded, therefore reducing the amount of usage. Make the most of nice weather by hanging your clothes on the line outside instead of using the tumble dryer, and if you hand wash your dishes, fill up a bowl instead of leaving the tap to run.

The living room is a sure haven for energy wasting appliances. Make sure televisions, computers or any game consoles aren’t left on standby when not in use, and instead turn them off completely at the plug. Recycle any old or unwanted electrical devices or pass them onto someone who could make use of them to reduce waste. Turning down your thermostat by just a few degrees can also save you a handful of money each year. Closing doors and keeping heat within the room will make up for any warmth lost through this.

Small changes to your bathroom routine can prove valuable in saving energy, but are sure to become second nature once put into practice. Turning off the shower when unnecessary to be left running and following the same practice whilst brushing your teeth in the sink are simple ways in which to save water. Modified flushers have also been designed to reduce the amount of water wasted when you flush your loo, and are not a pricey purchase.

There are even possibilities within the roofing of your home so don’t over look the potential for yet more energy saving ideas. Solar PV panels are an investment that will secure long term benefits for many reasons. There is a feed-in-tariff which you can earn money from depending on the size of your panel and how much energy they produce. Despite the high start up cost, the process of turning solar radiation into electricity is a sure way of cutting down household bills and ensuring a more eco friendly lifestyle.

Low energy light bulbs can be used all over the home and furniture made from a sustainable source is a good alternative when purchasing decor. These simple substitutes confirm that the changes aren’t complicated and with a few handy tips like the above, you could be well on your way to a much greener living!

This article was written by Alexandra, an experienced blogger for Solvis Energy Solutions who provide a high quality service and free energy solutions.

Guest Post: Green Homes

There are plenty of examples of ‘eco-homes’, built with energy efficiency in mind and incorporating a medley of integral features and forward-thinking use of modern technology. This can put some people off trying to recreate this in their own homes, with many believing that retrofitting any of the energy-efficient features of these futuristic homes is expensive and requires huge renovations. In fact, there are many small measures that can be taken that will reduce energy output (and expenditure) without costing too much time, effort or upheaval.

Something as simple as replacing conventional light bulbs with 20watt bulbs can save £60 (or just under $98 US) per bulb over its lifetime compared to a standard 100watt bulb. Turning down the central heating by 1.8°F could cut your heating bills by up to 10%.

More responsive heating controls will help to keep your home at a comfortable temperature without wasting fuel or heat, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions and heating bills. Whatever age your boiler, the right controls will allow you to adjust your heating and hot water so that they switch on and off when you need them to, heat only the areas you want and even set individually the temperature of each area. Programmable, zonal heating controls will maximize this effect. The addition of low flow showerheads can also significantly cut hot water bills. In a typical household, the majority of the money spent on fuel bills goes towards providing heating and hot water.

Making a home more energy efficient doesn’t mean compromising levels of comfort and luxury. Underfloor heating provides efficient and responsive heat wherever it’s needed. It works well with renewable energy sources such as ground source heat pumps and solar panels. The lower temperatures associated with this type of heat source actually provide optimum efficiency, as underfloor heating systems run at lower temperatures when heating the air of a room to the same level as traditional radiators. Additionally, in order to maintain performance levels, a heating system’s water temperature needs to increase as the size or surface area of the emitter decreases. This makes underfloor heating the better option, where the entire floor surface of a room effectively acts as the emitter.

Other ‘easy wins’ for an energy efficient home include installing closable louvres on any extractor fans, blocking unused chimneys with specially designed removable balloons and stopping the gaps between floorboards with wood glue. Crawl spaces, stud walls and floors can often be overlooked when insulating attic spaces, which can lead to unnecessary heat loss. They can be cheaply insulated with bio insulation such as sheepswool or mineral wool. These are all simple, quick and cheap solutions and will help reduce heat escaping and save on heating costs.

Installing double, or even triple glazing is a very effective method of preventing heat from escaping. However, this is not always a viable option, with some homes covered by planning and conservation regulations and the expense of installation putting some people off. There are alternatives that can be equally as effective; a recent study by Glasgow Caledonian University, in Scotland, tested different coverings for traditional windows and concluded that insulated shutters can actually outperform double glazing for heat-loss reduction. External cladding is also an extremely effective form of cost reduction; bonded polystyrene blocks on external walls will minimize heat loss.

There are countless other measures that can help towards ensuring your home is as energy efficient as it can be, most of which are about changing behavior. Make use of your washing line instead of expensive and in-efficient tumble-dryers, select a lower temperature when running your washing machine and close curtains at dusk to help retain heat. All this and more will help you to turn your house into a modern, efficient and forward-thinking eco-home without an architect in sight.

Underfloor Heating store supply and install electric underfloor heating and water underfloor heating systems across the United Kingdom. They offer a lifetime guarantee for all cables and mats and the peace of mind that they install only market leading, fully approved systems.

Guest Post: Reasons to Make the Switch to Green Cleaning

There has never been a larger emphasis on cleanliness than there is today. From the spread of diseases to food bacteria, the daunting reality of germs are everywhere from the nightly news to the signs by the grocery cart wipes at your local supermarket. However, what we may have overlooked in our desperate war to kill every single living thing that may or may not actually be there was the reality that although these chemicals do a good job at killing germs, they may also be causing us more long-term harm than short-term good.

Most of us have felt the sting in our eyes and burning in our throats right after spraying down our shower with a bleach-based mildew spray, so it should be no surprise that these types of cleaners can be hazardous to long-term health. What you may not know is that some of the products we use everyday don’t just contain bleach, but a variety of other harmful chemicals that aren’t listed on the bottles.

Butyl cellosolve, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and a plethora of other hard-to-say chemicals show up in products like window cleaners, certain all-purpose cleaners, and abrasive powder cleansers. Some of these chemicals have even been linked to cancer risk later in life and can pollute indoor air quality.

This should be reason enough to make the switch to green cleaning solutions, but many common household cleaners also have negative effects on the environment with their plastic bottles ending up in landfills, and as you may imagine the residual chemicals that can make their way into ground water.

Thankfully, there are a variety of green cleaning solutions made from natural, less-harsh chemicals available at your local retailers as well as a number of online resources that can teach you how to use everyday household ingredients to make your own non-toxic cleaning kits. But, if you have no choice but to use traditional cleaning products make sure to crack a window and create good ventilation to reduce the amount of indoor air pollution.

This post was provided by ServiceMaster Solutions, a commercial janitorial service provider in Chicago.