My mom asked me today to help her get her house a little "greener"

She already has strategically placed trees on a certain side of the house that helps block cold winter air and also provides shade in the summer.

She's gotten the funky shaped light bulbs that use lower amounts of electricity.

Also, she has gotten a front loading energy efficient washer and dryer and a energy saving refrigerator.


Other than what she has done, I really don't know what else to tell her.


Any ideas?

8/14/2007 8:02:50 PM

paging ambrosia1231

8/14/2007 8:06:12 PM

does she use the AC a lot? ceiling fans? does she have good insulated windows?

8/14/2007 8:08:44 PM

Double pained windows.

She sets her A/C around 75 degrees and uses a big ass ceiling fan in the attic.

8/14/2007 8:10:10 PM

it's mostly an advertisement, but this has some good tips
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.es_at_home

8/14/2007 9:06:35 PM

Add more insulation to the roof and underside of the house. Make sure none of the insulation is falling down underneath the house (this saved my brother numerous bucks). Follow drafts and figure out where they're coming from. Make sure your doors have weather stripping and seal properly to keep most of the drafts out. Keep your blinds closed during the summer and open during the winter (or closed during hot weather, open during cold weather, solar heating is cheap and awesome).

Upgrade the AC system to one with a higher SEER rating, though keep in mind this is ridiculously expensive.

Replace older computers/tv's/appliances with newer more energy efficient models. Pick an LCD TV instead of a plasma TV, LCD monitors instead of CRT monitors, don't get a bigger screen than you really need. Get a computer that's small and efficient, or build one for everyday use that uses little power (or buy a basic laptop for everyday use).

Keep lights off as often as possible, keep the thermostat just at the borderline of uncomfortable, and adjust it until you can't stand to adjust it any more (I.E. get used to 73 degrees... then 74... all the way until you get sick of doing this at about 76/77/78 degrees).

Use cold water when doing laundry. If possible, consider drying clothes on a line. Don't use the heated dry option on your dishwasher, just let it run and leave the door open.

Keep the temperature in the house 2 degrees warmer than normal and turn on fans for the room(s) you're using. The moving air will make it comfortable. Open up your windows on nights where the temperature will drop to 70 degrees or below, as long as the humidity isn't too bad.

Consider cooking outside on a charcoal grill instead of using the oven or stove. This way the heat you generate will be outside and won't contribute to the cooling bill.

Wash your dishes by hand as often as possible if they aren't super dirty. This wastes more water, but if your concerns are about saving electricity...

Make sure your heat pump/air conditioner is serviced regularly and that its coolant is kept at the optimal level. If an AC unit is not serviced regularly, it will run more often to keep cool and this will shorten the life of the unit.

Consider using a smaller tank for the water heater and put high-efficiency showerheads in each shower. Take showers that are just warm enough to be comfortable and compensate by keeping larger, heavier towels next to the shower. Consider getting a showerhead with a knob on it that allows you to stop the water flow while you lather up (these aren't common any more I don't think. A teacher from my highschool mentioned them, and I've never seen them).

If the home has foundation vents, read up here: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/oldhouse/msg051253591610.html

Another simple, overlooked thing is to watch what you put near/behind your thermostat. Make sure there isn't a lamp underneath the thermostat which causes it to believe the house is warmer than it actually is. Also, consider replacing the mechanical thermostat with a digital, programmable one. You can set it to keep the house cooler at night and warmer during the day, especially when you're off at work. Similarly, you can keep it cooler at night in the winter, and cooler while you're away at work during the day. Have it cool things down/warm em back up before you get home.

That's ah... A starting point.

8/14/2007 9:54:08 PM

8/14/2007 10:46:22 PM

Quote :

"Mindstorm: Also, consider replacing the mechanical thermostat with a digital, programmable one. You can set it to keep the house cooler at night and warmer during the day, especially when you're off at work. Similarly, you can keep it cooler at night in the winter, and cooler while you're away at work during the day. Have it cool things down/warm em back up before you get home."

Agreed, those things rock. Saved me $texas at my old apartment. I miss having one

8/14/2007 11:13:37 PM

If the house can cool down quickly a programmable thermostat will help save $. If it's a heat pump don't adjust it more than 1 degree for occupied/unoccupied in the winter. Or maybe even zone the system. I set my house up in 3 zones. It's the only way my furnace or AC will work worth a damn because it's undersized.

Install a thermostat controlled attic vent fan.

Add garage door insulation.

Either use the thin foam insulation sheets or if you can put expanding foam around the outlets and switches.

As she's already done evergreens to the north and deciduous trees to the south because you want the sun to provide some southern sun in the winter. This is assuming she lives somewhere near NC because I don't know how it's be elsewhere.

8/14/2007 11:14:35 PM

The programmable thermostat is nice. Mine cools the house to 75 right before I get up in the morning and then jumps up to 78 throughout the day until right before I get home when it cools again.

Block the A/C vents and keep the doors shut in rooms that are unused. If your house has some spots that are always cooler than the rest of the house go ahead and close those vents too so that it forces more air to the vents in the warmer rooms.

Go into the crawlspace and look for any gaps that can be filled with expandable foam. My house is a split level with a foundation at one end and a slab at the other. I had plumbing that went from the foundation side into the house, but there was a lot of air slipping through the gap between the pipe and the foundation. You can get aerosol cans of expanding foam for $6 from Lowes to fill those gaps and stop the air flow.

Make sure all doors have good weather stripping. This is a big one.

When the A/C goes out go ahead and upgrade to a better SEER rating.

Remember that insulation doesn't stop air flow. If you have a spot where air can go through you need to stop the air with wood or expanding foam and then follow up with insulation on top of the wood/foam.

8/15/2007 1:21:53 PM

Quote :

"Keep lights off as often as possible, keep the thermostat just at the borderline of uncomfortable, and adjust it until you can't stand to adjust it any more (I.E. get used to 73 degrees... then 74... all the way until you get sick of doing this at about 76/77/78 degrees). "

i bought some automatic ones at lowes that when you walk in they'll come on if the photocell (adjustable) thinks it is dark enough that you need the lights, then they'll shut off after an elapsed time (adjustable too) once no motion is detected

8/15/2007 5:53:07 PM

buy green power

8/15/2007 6:15:54 PM

Quote :

""

That was the answer I was looking for.


Winnar Winnar, Chicken Dinnar.

8/15/2007 6:20:49 PM

not one person suggested a solar panel

at least people are coming to terms with the fact that they suck

8/15/2007 6:54:55 PM

I did suggest to my mom that she might look into a Windmill.


Hell, I don't live there, it's not like I have to put up with the noise.

8/15/2007 7:46:43 PM

Put insulation over all the windows. Windows, even double pane, are huge holes for energy loss.

Another option is canopies over the windows that only allow winter sun, especially on south-facing windows.

Put up a clothesline.

8/15/2007 8:13:05 PM

Quote :

"not one person suggested a solar panel at least people are coming to terms with the fact that they suck"

I was going to suggest adding passive solar for hot water purposes. Could be a little pricey to retrofit though.

8/15/2007 10:37:12 PM

Quote :

"not one person suggested a solar panel at least people are coming to terms with the fact that they suck"

actually, you're wrong...they can be very effective (both energy-wise and in terms of cost) if done well

example: http://www.solartoday.org/2003/sept_oct03/living_solar_dream.htm

8/16/2007 12:33:18 PM

Quote :

"She already has strategically placed trees on a certain side of the house that helps block cold winter air and also provides shade in the summer."

If you want to plant for energy efficiency, do the following:

1- Large deciduous shade trees on the south side will provide shade in the summer, but allow the sun to shine through in the winter.

2- Dense evergreen hedge/ trees on the north/northwest side - these will block the winter winds.

3- Some deciduous trees on the west side are also a good idea. A west-facing porch will also help keep it cool.

4- If you want to get super tree-huggy, you could plant native species for wildlife or go for a xeriscape (little or no irrigation).

It sounds like she did at least some of this. But I thought I'd put it here anyway.

E: I just remembered one more thing. You can replace your window screens with solar screens in the summer. They block some of the solar radiation.

[Edited on August 16, 2007 at 12:44 PM. Reason : .]

8/16/2007 12:42:43 PM

chuck the hot water heater and get a tankless unit

like this one:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100013086

8/16/2007 12:55:27 PM

use http://www.dsireusa.org to search for incentives to upgrade your home to more efficient measures

8/16/2007 1:05:18 PM

My mom told me at lunch today that her friend just built a completely self sustaining house near Raleigh. Complete with solar panels, architecturally built to maximize heating/cooling. They also use well water, and probably have a septic tank. I might drop by on my way back to Raleigh, and she said they could show me the blueprints and give me a tour of everything and how they implemented it. I'm sure it was expensive as hell, and won't pay for itself for another 10-15+ years but it's still a cool idea.

[Edited on August 16, 2007 at 1:18 PM. Reason : .]

8/16/2007 1:17:18 PM