Going Green: Conservation Efforts That Pay Off

By Nancy Moffett
Published: March 22, 2008

Add insulation, replace your thermostats, buy water-saving faucets and toilets—today’s homeowners can find many energy and resource-conservation recommendations, but how do you know what’s right for your home and whether making these changes will really be cost-effective?

According to the Residential Green Building SmartMarket Report by the National Association of Home Builders and McGraw-Hill Construction, homeowners increasingly are more interested in making improvements that will help them conserve and increase the efficiency of energy used in their homes, especially in light of today’s rising energy costs.

On the Outside

If your roof needs replacing, now’s the time to explore durable materials such as metal, concrete tiles or fiber cement instead of standard asphalt shingles. However, these materials are more expensive than their standard counterparts. Are you going to stay in your home indefinitely, or do you foresee moving in the next few years? If so, don’t count on recouping the extra cost, but do consider using a lighter color standard shingle to help reduce cooling costs in warm climates.

Planting and preserving trees will help cut down on energy costs.  Deciduous trees provide cooling shade in the summer and allow sunlight in to warm during the winter. In addition, one tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year, according to the NAHB. Plus, having a well-landscaped home could add from 7 to 15 percent to resale value, according to the American Nursery and Landscape Association.

Windows can be a huge source of heat loss. “People don’t realize how much heat is lost through a single-pane, average-size window of about 3 feet by 4 feet,” says Nick Churnovic of Joliet Glass Block Window Co., Crest Hill, Ill.  “A single-pane, double-hung window is like having a 4-inch hole in your walls.  Replacing that window with a new thermal window will reduce that hole to about the size of a pencil.” Even replacing older dual-pane insulating glass with low-emittance, high-performance windows can reduce energy costs by up to 25 percent in summer and 10 percent in winter, according to manufacturer Andersen Windows. If replacement isn’t an option, adding storm windows over single panes can reduce heat loss anywhere from 25 to 50 percent.

On the Inside

In addition to the energy savings and improved performance homeowners will enjoy with a greener home, they may qualify for federal tax credits.  Replacing windows, roofs and doors, adding insulation, installing air source and geo-thermal heat pumps, efficient water heaters and solar energy systems can qualify homeowners for the break. Visit http://www.energystar.gov for full details and a chart showing products and specifications that homeowners should follow to claim the credit.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, homeowners can save as much as 10 to 50 percent in energy costs by going green, and one of the most important steps is to increase thermal insulation in both existing and new homes. However, to make sure this step will pay off in the long run, having a professional energy audit done will give you a good idea where the break-even point will be. The DOE offers a do-it-yourself home energy audit on its web site at http://www.eere.energy.gov.

Heating water accounts for about 15 percent of the average household’s energy use. “The easiest way to improve efficiency is to cut back the water heater thermostat to 120 F and wrap the unit and hot water pipes with insulation,” said Ronnie Kweller, deputy director of communications for the Alliance to Save Energy.  Kweller also recommends washing clothes in cold water to save up to $63 a year.  Replacing an old unit with a new, high-efficiency water heater will save anywhere from 10 to 50 percent on energy costs, according to the DOE.

Appliances also have come a long way along the green path. For instance,  a new clothes washer with the Energy Star label will use half as much energy and water as one that’s 10 years old - resulting in up to $120 in annual savings. And front-loaders use about 40 percent less water than top-loading models.

Savings are similar with new dishwashers, while refrigerator technology has improved to the point where a typical new model is more than 100 percent more efficient than those from the early 1970s. The most efficient models will carry the Energy Star rating, which shows they meet or exceed EPA and DOE efficiency guidelines.

More water savings can be realized by installing low-flow toilets,  faucet aerators and showerheads. The government mandates that new toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush, versus the average 3.5 in pre-1995 models. That could mean about 2,000 gallons of water saved annually for a family of four. Low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators are inexpensive, easy to install and will immediately reduce your water consumption and water-heating costs by as much as 50 percent, according to the NAHB.

Here’s a no-brainer green idea that will immediately save cash and energy. As you replace light bulbs, switch from incandescent to fluorescent.  They have almost 10 times the lifetime and use two-thirds less energy. LED and halogen are other efficient but more costly models.

As for that thermostat, if you’re away from home for hours each day, installing a programmable thermostat will save enough energy in about a year to cover the unit’s cost, according to Energy Star. By lowering both cooling and heating points during work and sleep hours, you could realize energy savings of from 5 to 18 percent (with setbacks of 5 to 10 degrees).

For more ideas on going green, visit the Alliance to Save Energy’s Web site,  http://www.ase.org. You’ll not only help conserve the planet’s resources, you’ll also conserve your own.

© CTW Features