Watch this interesting video about options for home green - renewable energy:
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Tips for Green Living at Home
Do you care about the environment and your health, but want to be stylish with your home décor at the same time? Luckily, there are plenty of green living options that can be implemented in your home in order to create a great look while remaining eco-friendly. Making Sustainable Choices
Making sustainable choices are an important component of green living. Making sustainable choices means purchasing products that don’t cause a negative impact on the environment and that will not make it more difficult for future generations to continue to sustain themselves. Making sustainable choices during the design process is referred to as 'green design' or 'sustainable design'. Some great sustainable choices to consider when decorating include:
• Natural stone counter tops
• Cabinets and other products made from woods such as bamboo, eucalyptus, or recycled wood
• Carpet made from natural fibers, such as wool and cotton, or made from recycled materials
• Green-friendly paint and home wallpaper, which is being offered by a growing number of manufacturers
• Antiques – after all, they are being recycled!
You don’t have to create a bland and boring home décor in order to enjoy green living. In fact, there are numerous options out there that will allow you to make your home look great while still protecting the planet.
Appliances for Green Living
When it comes to green living, a great place to start is in your kitchen. Remodeling can add a great deal of value to your home, can make it more functional and attractive, and can help you make your home more eco-friendly.
When buying for your kitchen, look for modern appliances to help bring your home up-to-date. By purchasing those appliances with the Energy Star rating, you can potentially cut the amount of energy you use to power those appliances in half. Adding faucet aerators to your kitchen and bathroom faucets will also help reduce the amount of water you use while still providing you with a high pressure stream of water.
Obtaining Green Products
Fortunately, green living is rapidly growing in popularity. In response, many manufacturers are offering lines of eco friendly products that can be used for decorating purposes. In addition, a growing number of online and offline stores that are dedicated solely to green living are becoming a more common occurrence.
One great resource for green living products is www.greenhome.com. This site carries only eco-friendly products, including furniture, bedding, and home furnishings. Home furnishings offered at www.greenhome.com include candles, picture frames, tableware, home accessories, clocks, lamps, rugs and carpet. Another great online resource for green living products is www.livingreen.com. Here, you can find wall coverings, furniture, flooring, and more. Go to www.vivaterrra.com for fabulous green gifts for the home and garden.
Although it may take a little more time and effort to find and purchase eco products for your home, the effort will be worth it. Not only will you be doing your part to help conserve and protect the environment, green living is better for your health and can save you money in the long run.
San Francisco Interior Designer - Mint Home Décor. San Francisco Interior Decorator - Mint Home Décor.
Passive and Proud: Green Energy Ideas for Your Home
Solar energy comes from the sun. A biology class will tell you that in addition to affecting climate and weather, sunlight provides the energy that sustains most life on earth. It also can be harnessed to provide heating, lighting and electricity. Solar power has 
become a hot topic lately, but this technology is nothing new – Native Americans, people in China and even the early Greeks have historically turned their buildings to the sun for heat.
These early architects were using what is known as passive solar energy. This technique makes the best use of regular building materials to trap heat with no additional mechanical equipment used. Floors, windows and roofs play a role in attracting (or deflecting) the sun's rays.
There are a number of ways to take advantage of solar radiation, starting with the house's placement. Having the house face the equator (we'll assume we're in the Northern Hemisphere, thus the house should face south) means that it gets the day's sunlight. Window orientation is also important – for optimal efficiency, most windows should point within 30 degrees of due south. Maintaining a small percentage of north facing windows will ensure that your home is comfortable year round (and not cooking in the summer).
Rock or stone tile floors and brick walls will absorb the solar radiation and continue to give off heat after the sun is gone. While common windows allow heat to escape, special windows with low-e coating, multiple panes, inert gas fill, and/or insulated frames can reduce heat loss 50 to 75 per cent. By sealing your building envelope and insulating well, you will ensure that the heat stays in the house. It can then be distributed through the house using a regular ceiling fan.
Direct sunlight is not the only important light to think of when considering energy use. By using overall daylight to light a space you can cut down the need for electrical lighting and the heat that's created by it. Artificial lighting has only been the main source of illumination since the 20th century. And using natural light may have added benefits for your physical and mental health. In addition to windows, daylighting makes use of skylights, light pipes (also known as light tubes), atriums, and light shelves to illuminate the interior. This is best considered when building, but with a few small renos your house can be much brighter, naturally!
Passive cooling is another way to cut your bills and become more energy efficient. This is especially useful in warmer climates, where air conditioning can be a major power consumer. Passive cooling refers to using things for shading, to absorb the heat, and goes hand in hand with passive solar energy. It can be accomplished using exterior landscaping choices – trees and other vegetation – or interior/exterior building options, such as shades, blinds or special glazing on windows.
Whether you are building a new home, looking at doing some renovations or just want to cut your energy bill, passive solar energy and cooling techniques are an easy way to incorporated green ideas into your home. With the rising interest in environmental issues, they make an excellent selling feature and they'll save you money.
This article was produced for Carolyn Gjerde-Tu and the team at Discover Davis Homes. For more information on real estate in Woodland CA, visit Carolyn – your online source for Davis CA real estate, discoverdavishomes.com
become a hot topic lately, but this technology is nothing new – Native Americans, people in China and even the early Greeks have historically turned their buildings to the sun for heat.These early architects were using what is known as passive solar energy. This technique makes the best use of regular building materials to trap heat with no additional mechanical equipment used. Floors, windows and roofs play a role in attracting (or deflecting) the sun's rays.
There are a number of ways to take advantage of solar radiation, starting with the house's placement. Having the house face the equator (we'll assume we're in the Northern Hemisphere, thus the house should face south) means that it gets the day's sunlight. Window orientation is also important – for optimal efficiency, most windows should point within 30 degrees of due south. Maintaining a small percentage of north facing windows will ensure that your home is comfortable year round (and not cooking in the summer).
Rock or stone tile floors and brick walls will absorb the solar radiation and continue to give off heat after the sun is gone. While common windows allow heat to escape, special windows with low-e coating, multiple panes, inert gas fill, and/or insulated frames can reduce heat loss 50 to 75 per cent. By sealing your building envelope and insulating well, you will ensure that the heat stays in the house. It can then be distributed through the house using a regular ceiling fan.
Direct sunlight is not the only important light to think of when considering energy use. By using overall daylight to light a space you can cut down the need for electrical lighting and the heat that's created by it. Artificial lighting has only been the main source of illumination since the 20th century. And using natural light may have added benefits for your physical and mental health. In addition to windows, daylighting makes use of skylights, light pipes (also known as light tubes), atriums, and light shelves to illuminate the interior. This is best considered when building, but with a few small renos your house can be much brighter, naturally!
Passive cooling is another way to cut your bills and become more energy efficient. This is especially useful in warmer climates, where air conditioning can be a major power consumer. Passive cooling refers to using things for shading, to absorb the heat, and goes hand in hand with passive solar energy. It can be accomplished using exterior landscaping choices – trees and other vegetation – or interior/exterior building options, such as shades, blinds or special glazing on windows.
Whether you are building a new home, looking at doing some renovations or just want to cut your energy bill, passive solar energy and cooling techniques are an easy way to incorporated green ideas into your home. With the rising interest in environmental issues, they make an excellent selling feature and they'll save you money.
This article was produced for Carolyn Gjerde-Tu and the team at Discover Davis Homes. For more information on real estate in Woodland CA, visit Carolyn – your online source for Davis CA real estate, discoverdavishomes.com
Austin's Reputation Gets Another Boost
Jim Olenbush
"It's no secret that Austin was chosen by Money Magazine as the No. 2 Best Big City in their ""Best Places to Live"" index, and was also picked from almost 400 U.S. cities by Moody's Economy and was rated #1 for the economic vitality index.
What more could you ask? Well - how about being voted the 'Greenest City in America' (chosen by MSN, referring to Austin's commitment to sustainable living)?
This month, Austin has yet another feather in its cap - an independent company (that is not a realty company!) has confirmed what real estate agents in Austin already knew - this place is still booming!
Austin is ranked as one of ten cities in the U.S. that has less than a one per cent chance of seeing a decline in realty. This will be no surprise to the people of Austin, who have sat back and watched high rise after high rise going up in the downtown Austin area.
This declaration has been stated by an independent company who recently published a chart of major U.S. cities. The cities were ranked according to mortgage risk in each metro real estate market.
The private mortgage insurance company (called PMI) ranked risky and safe cities in the United States for mortgage security. Their chart is completely unbiased, from a real estate point of view.
In fact, the reason it has been drawn up is so that the company does not offer to insure a mortgage on a property that is likely to drop its price. These projected market fluctuations represent their opinion, which is based on their own analysis.
All these excellent votes of confidence point to the fact that Austin - and consequently the realty market in Austin - is really strong and booming. If first time buyers are looking for a strong market and plenty of job prospects, Austin is the place.
The largest retail store yet to be built in the new Mueller development is scheduled to open later this year. Austin Energy's Green Building Program encourages sustainable design in the city, which this retailer is endeavoring to follow.
The 141,000 square foot Home Depot being built in the Catellus Development Group's Mueller redevelopment is aiming for the three star rating. It will be the first Home Depot in the area to implement such guidelines.
Austin has been a reliable realty market. It did not really fall prey to the crazy rush of the last two years, neither has it dropped its prices when they all did. Austin home values have kept rising slowly and steadily, and there is a lot of scope for a first time buyer to acquire a modest home.
If you are working on a limited budget, it is a good idea to buy a small (size and price) house at first. At least this way you will have your foot on the bottom rung of the realty ladder. If prices do take a jump, your home will jump with them. You can learn renovation tricks and the investment in your home will be returned to you when you sell.
Three-bedroom homes are still available in this thriving realty market for as little as under $150,000. These prices, added to the fact that mortgage interest rates are still down and the knowledge that Austin is such a booming city should have you rushing to Austin"
"It's no secret that Austin was chosen by Money Magazine as the No. 2 Best Big City in their ""Best Places to Live"" index, and was also picked from almost 400 U.S. cities by Moody's Economy and was rated #1 for the economic vitality index.
What more could you ask? Well - how about being voted the 'Greenest City in America' (chosen by MSN, referring to Austin's commitment to sustainable living)?
This month, Austin has yet another feather in its cap - an independent company (that is not a realty company!) has confirmed what real estate agents in Austin already knew - this place is still booming!
Austin is ranked as one of ten cities in the U.S. that has less than a one per cent chance of seeing a decline in realty. This will be no surprise to the people of Austin, who have sat back and watched high rise after high rise going up in the downtown Austin area.
This declaration has been stated by an independent company who recently published a chart of major U.S. cities. The cities were ranked according to mortgage risk in each metro real estate market.
The private mortgage insurance company (called PMI) ranked risky and safe cities in the United States for mortgage security. Their chart is completely unbiased, from a real estate point of view.
In fact, the reason it has been drawn up is so that the company does not offer to insure a mortgage on a property that is likely to drop its price. These projected market fluctuations represent their opinion, which is based on their own analysis.
All these excellent votes of confidence point to the fact that Austin - and consequently the realty market in Austin - is really strong and booming. If first time buyers are looking for a strong market and plenty of job prospects, Austin is the place.
The largest retail store yet to be built in the new Mueller development is scheduled to open later this year. Austin Energy's Green Building Program encourages sustainable design in the city, which this retailer is endeavoring to follow.
The 141,000 square foot Home Depot being built in the Catellus Development Group's Mueller redevelopment is aiming for the three star rating. It will be the first Home Depot in the area to implement such guidelines.
Austin has been a reliable realty market. It did not really fall prey to the crazy rush of the last two years, neither has it dropped its prices when they all did. Austin home values have kept rising slowly and steadily, and there is a lot of scope for a first time buyer to acquire a modest home.
If you are working on a limited budget, it is a good idea to buy a small (size and price) house at first. At least this way you will have your foot on the bottom rung of the realty ladder. If prices do take a jump, your home will jump with them. You can learn renovation tricks and the investment in your home will be returned to you when you sell.
Three-bedroom homes are still available in this thriving realty market for as little as under $150,000. These prices, added to the fact that mortgage interest rates are still down and the knowledge that Austin is such a booming city should have you rushing to Austin"
Jim Olenbush, experienced Austin real estate professional. His web site includes a comprehensive Austin homes search, financing information, and relocation resources for anyone moving to the Austin TX real estate area. For more information, visit Jim at JimOlenbush.com.
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