thomas_jones

I want to go green! Any ideas?

Grampa Bud

I've got a lot of ideas and even more questions. Did you get the dates mixed up and are looking for green face paint for a Packers game or Saint Patty's Day?? Are you referring to recycling programs ?? Are you looking for Solar water heating or solar lighting or Grid tie electric systems or Off Grid electric systems or...........????

gma2rjc

Welcome. You'll find lots of great ideas on the 'Green Home Improvement' forum. Look in the index.

If you have some suggestions you don't see in any of the threads, feel free to add them.

martinigirl

Thomas, the first thing is to make sure the companies that you are interested in aren't "greenwashing" you into believing they are green when they really aren't. This is really tough because everyone is on the bandwagon right now. And just because they say they are green, doesn't neccessarily mean they are. Do your research!
I recommend reading this fabulous book that encompasses all green aspects (not just design) "World Changing: A User's Guide to the 21st Century", by Abrahms, and foreward by Al Gore.

As far as design and construction goes, you can research products and construction methods on several websites, such as USGBC.org
and Green Building pages . I also regularly watch the Planet Green Channel (check you local provider for channel info), as well as Sundance channel for the latest tips on building and products. If you have any questions on specific products, let me know. I am an interior designer in So. California that specializes in green consulting and product selection!
Have fun with your project!

Scuba_Dave

None.........

http://forums.treehugger.com/viewfor...bf990a6cfeede8

rltarch

Hey Thomas - going green means a lot more than just what you do with the envelope and the mechanicals...I wrote an article about that a while back that might be of interest to you: http://www.rtastudio.com/Learn-more/...ergy-costs.htm

Richard Taylor, AIA
www.rtastudio.com

Grampa Bud

Well Master Thomas, You certainly have brought the bugs out of the woodwork so to speak, now can you fill us in on what it is YOU would like to do?????????

kkentert

Of course start with the most basic. Get rid of standard light bulbs and switch to compact fluorescent or LED bulbs.

Keep you house warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter. A couple degrees can save a lot of energy.

If you have scalding hot water, turn the temp down! Only keep it as hot as you need it. If you have an old hot water heater, get a new one - one that is well insulated.

Most energy companies offer "green suppliers" It may cost a little bit more, but switch to them. Problem is...right now, even the green suppliers don't have 100% green energy, but at least you'll be showing your support for green energy and encouraging them.

Turn off lights! Even if you're only leaving the room for a minute. We always get distracted, and often end up out of a room longer than we think...so get in the habbit of turning lights off every time you leave the room.

Check you appliances to see if they're working well. If you have gas, look at the flames while they're running. If they're mostly yellow/orange, it's a good sign that you have poor combustion. Have them fixed or replaced.

SEAL YOUR RIM JOISTS!!!!! There is another thread i posted in that you can find. Rim joists are one of the biggest areas in your house for air infiltration. Get a spray foam insulation kit and spray your rim joists with at least 1" of foam to get an air tight seal. You'll be amazed at home much it helps!

Seal your duct work! if you have exposed duct work, seal EVERY JOINT with caulk or mastic. You loose a lot of conditioned air through the small seams.

If you have vents, don't just leave them pointing left and right like they come. Many times, you'll find your floor vents point to walls! That's wasted air! You don't want air bouncing around, you want it pointing where you want to feel it. take a pair of needle nose pliers and bend your vent "wings" to point toward your living space. NO VENTS POINTING TOWARDS WALLS ANYMORE!

I'll post more later!

ramona1210

Best "Green" tip I know of - Paint! Insulated paint is a fairly new product to the remodeling scene and its benefits in terms of energy efficiency are pretty impressive. I like this little blog. It's short and concise.

http://tinyurl.com/nknt2d

Scuba_Dave

OP hasn't been back to the site since he signed up

Leftyho

Hi,

Natural Lighting or daylighting is a way to save energy while making your home a cheerer place to live.

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Sun Tunnel and Skylight Blog
Attic Insulation
Residential and Commercial Roofing

mboxwell

I would totally agree with that. A few years ago I converted my basement into office space. I piped in sunlight using a sunpipe and it worked fantastically well: during the day - even in the depths of winter - the sunpipe provided enough natural light to the underground offices to not need additional lighting.

When the sun shone, the lense reflected rainbows over the walls and floor - wonderful!

So whereever you are in the house, there is no excuse - you can have natural daylight. It saves energy, it is natural light and it vastly improves your living and working environment.

mboxwell

Now there's an interesting link. No real information, like the specification of the system he built for $206 (if all he did was power his shed, you could buy the bits off the shelf for around $70-90)... and the photograph of the home with a solar panel is definately not linked to anything the author has claimed to do.

How do I know? It's a solar hot water panel whilst the text is talking about solar electricity. D'oh!

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ricki65

Found this web site promising energy efficient window replacements, they are using acrylic film to reduce heat loss, home insulation, and energy bill. Looks interesting. You can find them at http://www.supersaverwindows.com

funnyguy

Some little green things we're doing:

Switching to pine kitty litter (you can spread it under trees, shrubbery, smells better, too).
Washing and reusing baggies (can't stop using them just yet).
Switching to low energy light bulbs.
Timer on hot water heater.
Landscaping and vegetable gardening using organic methods.
Vermicomposting kitchen waste and paper/cardboard and using for fertilizer.
Doing everything possible to limit garbage produced.
Reading news and magazines online rather than buying printed form.

It all adds up, particularly if a lot of people do it, too.

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"We Do Our Best and Caulk the Rest"