Going Green

For a long time, the term Going Green brought to mind visions of people wearing sandals and tie dyed t-shirts. Today, however, going green is a term we are all beginning to embrace.

Why do this? Well, in some instances implementing strategies for energy efficiencies and such will save money. In other instances, doing things to be a more responsible entity on this earth is something which can serve to attract sought after home buyers.

The baby boomers most of whom were a hippy at some point, are not as accepting of status quo as earlier generations have been. They are not content with paying more for their electricity than is absolutely necessary. In fact there has been a surge in people adding solar to their homes in order to reduce their electricity costs and consumption.

And what about younger homeowners? Contrary to the stereotypes that get put out in those funny cartoons, not all young people are lazy and self-absorbed. They are more savvy than some would like to admit. For many of them, it’s not about getting more, having more, spending more. Rather, it’s about doing more with what they have and consuming less.

What are some things we can do right now to consume less electricity? First of all, if you have a home built before the year 2000, your home may not be as energy efficient and a newer home. What can you do about that? Depending upon your budget you might start with replacing older single pane windows with newer more energy efficient windows. Old can lights can be energy hogs as well, so replacing those  with newer LED lighting will help. More energy efficient appliances also lighten the load on your electricity.

Remembering the simple things like closing the blinds on south facing windows during the day will not only help keep your home cooler, it will also keep furniture from fading.

Installing LED lighting is also an energy saver. Newer appliances are a significant investment, but over time the savings is significant.

Kelley McCabe