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Posts tagged eco-friendly tips

6 Ways to Green the Kitchen

Jul01
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Shanna

6 ways to green the kitchen

For many of us, the kitchen is the center of our home. It’s where we cook and share meals, it’s where we spend our mornings and evenings, it’s where we congregate when friends come to visit.

So it makes sense to start with the kitchen when you’re looking for quick ways to implement a greener lifestyle. Think about it: if there are a few small changes you can make to improve your home’s eco-friendliness, beginning in the kitchen, why wouldn’t you?

    Here are six simple ways to get started:

  1. Turn your dishwasher’s water temperature to a lower setting, if possible.
  2. Heat small things up with small electric pans or toaster ovens rather than your large stove or oven, and you may cut your energy consumption by two thirds!
  3. Air dry your dishes.
  4. Check the oven by turning the light instead of opening the door, which reduces the temp by about 25 degrees and increases cooking time.
  5. Use energy-efficient lighting when you can’t just use daylight.
  6. Install energy-efficient appliances. Old refrigerators alone use so much energy, they can account for 15% of a home’s consumption! Look into Energy Star options for savings.

As we’ve said before here at the Buy Owner Blog, green living is not only good for you while you live in your home, but it’s also beneficial for resale. Implement these simple tips to be on your way to a greener kitchen and therefore a greener home!

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged Green Living, quick tips, real estate marketing
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Greening Your Bathroom

Jun10
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

green bathrooms

About 60 percent of a home’s water usage comes from the bathroom. Want to incorporate green living into your bathroom but not sure where to begin? There are numerous ways to conserve water and energy in your bathroom; thanks to an interactive diagram provided by National Geographic’s Green Guide, you can view exactly where you can conserve and go green in the bathroom here.

For more in-depth tips, here’s a breakdown of the areas to focus on in your bathroom:

  • Bath/Shower: While you might think taking a bath uses less water than a shower because the water isn’t constantly running in a bath, it actually takes about 70 gallons of water to fill up a bathtub. You only use 10 to 25 gallons in a five-minute shower. Low-flow showerheads are readily available now, which release less water at a time. By replacing your showerhead with a head that releases 2.5 gallons per minute instead of the average 4.5, you could save 20,000 gallons of water per year!
  • Faucet: Faucets can waste up to five gallons of water per minute. To decrease this number, attach an aerator to your faucet, which could decrease your gallons per minute from 1 to 2.75 gallons. Regardless, while you brush your teeth and wash your face, turn the water off. Only run it while you are directly using it.
  • Toilets: Toilets account for about 26 percent of water usage in a home, and the older your models are, the more water they use. If you replace a toilet from 1992 or older, you could save up to 25,000 gallons of water per year! Newer toilets have multiple options, such as dual flushes with a low-flow flush for liquids and a more powerful flush for solids. Composting toilets and no-mix toilets are two other options. When choosing a toilet, look for ones with an EPA WaterSense label.
  • Toilet paper: The United States uses 100 million tons of paper per year, and toilet paper is a large contributor. Look for paper that is recycled or thin and easily biodegradable. Use fewer squares at each sitting.
  • Leaky pipes: Toilets and faucets often contain leaky pipes, which waste up to 11,000 gallons of water. Fixing leaky pipes will save water and money, helping your bank account and the environment. To test for a leaky toilet, drop some food coloring into the tank and see if it appears in the bowl without flushing.

For more interactive diagrams and exact ways to cut costs in other rooms, click here.

All of these statistics were taken from National Geographic’s Green Guide.

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged environmental tips, green bathroom, Green Living
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Green Real Estate Roundup

Jun03
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Shanna

think green!

Wondering how the Internet has been buzzing with green information over the last month? Check out this roundup of great articles, filled with information and stories about green living as it relates to real estate and home building!

  • USA Today, “My green house project sparks debate, criticism,“ by Wendy Koch. This is an interesting read. Not only does it provide a real-life example of someone who chose to build a green home, but also it addresses some of the criticisms lobbied in response.
  • KAALtv.com, “Riverland House Goes Green” by Kristin Martin. Carpentry/electrician students at Riverland Community College in Austin, Minnesota, built a Green Star home to sell. According to the article, this residence showcases “innovative concepts” that should continue to grow in popularity.
  • Newsday.com, “Montauk house to tell owner when being ‘green’ pays off” by Cathy Mahon.
Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged Green Living, home ownership, real estate news
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Green Painting

May27
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

Experts say that one of the easiest ways to spruce up a room is to repaint it. Even if you choose neutral colors, the fresh coat will brighten the walls and hide any signs of wear and tear. As long as you’re making a change, why not make it as green or eco-friendly as possible? Because so many types of paint are available, we’re here to assist you in choosing the safest and greenest type for your house!

Tips to follow when choosing paint:

  • Always choose paint with low volatile organic compound levels, or VOC levels. These levels can pollute your air with dangerous chemicals when used in high dosages. Look for paint with less than 150 grams per liter of paint, or for paint labeled low-VOC or no-VOC.
  • Natural paints are a smart option for houses located in dry conditions. These paints are naturally made from plant ingredients, do not contain preservatives and are not synthetic.
  • If you need a synthetic paint, choose water-based latex paints instead of oil-based alkyd paints. The water-based paints have less chemicals and lower VOC levels.
  • Milk paints contain no preservatives or solvents, but they do contain some synthetic ingredients. This natural, odorless paint is made with milk protein and comes in powder form. Once mixed with water, it needs to be used quickly.
  • Recycled paint is available for rooms where consistent color is not required. This paint is literally made from recycled and consolidated old paint, so numerous colors may be mixed together to create a unique hue.
  • If you’re painting your walls white, opt to use whitewashes, which are paints naturally made from lime paste. These paints are affordable and great for stucco exteriors, basement walls, garages and more.

Deciding which type of paint to use will depend on what room you are painting and what purpose you have in painting it. Once you decide on a type, make sure to keep the room ventilated while you apply it, no matter how eco-friendly the paint is. Afterward, donate or recycle your leftover paint and enjoy your freshly painted room with low levels of toxins!

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged decorating, Green Living, Home Improvement, paint
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The Truth about Energy Star Ratings

May20
2010
1 Comment Written by Alicia

You may have heard about the recent investigation conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Energy Star rated appliances, which found that the Energy Star program is vulnerable to fraud and abuse.

This Energy Star program began in 1992, managed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Appliances with Energy Star ratings are said to use less energy and release less pollutants. Because government tax credits are available for consumers who purchase Energy Star products, $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is expected to be used for this purpose.

To test the reliability of the Energy Star rating, GAO submitted 20 fictitious products with energy-saving claims. Of these 20 products, 15 were accepted by the Energy Star program, proving that the program is vulnerable to fraud and abuse. The program does not verify energy-saving data submitted by manufacturers, which means manufacturers are basically self-certificating their products. To read the entire report from GAO, click here.

What does this mean for consumers like you who are trying to make your home more energy efficient? It means that you should still strive to purchase products with Energy Star ratings. Though the program might have certified products that aren’t truly energy efficient in the past, the program agreed to strengthen the program with a more rigorous screening process. To read how EPA and DOE plan to make the program more efficient in the future, click here.

This investigation is wholly positive for consumers like you, because from now on, you can rest assured that a close eye will be kept on items that pass with an Energy Star rating. The program will be stronger than ever, as will the energy efficiency levels of the products. If you still have a hard time trusting the program, research a product before you purchase it to find out the average energy usage that it uses per year. Don’t give up on saving energy and receiving tax credits for doing so!

Image Credit: TreeHugger.com

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged appliances, energy star, Green Living, kitchen
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Create Energy Audit

May06
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

Performing a personal energy audit is a great way for you to review energy usage in past years, discovering where you can decrease usage in order to decrease bills. Plus, it’s also a great way to promote your energy savings to potential buyers when selling your home!

To begin, follow these first steps to create a do-it-yourself energy audit:

  • Organize the past few years of your energy bills into spreadsheets by writing down how much energy you used and what the energy bill cost each month of each year. Separate into categories when available, such as heating costs, cooling costs, lighting costs, etc. To obtain old energy bill records, call your utility company’s customer service number.
  • Study the data to see where your energy costs fluctuated, and why. Highlight trends that you notice, such as your lighting costs increasing every December when the daylight hours become shorter and the holiday lights are turned on each night. Do you always use more energy in specific months? Did the charge from your utility company increase? This will help you determine what is causing the bill to fluctuate and where you can cut the most costs.

Once you have your past energy bill costs laid out in an organized fashion, begin investigating your home for areas that need energy-saving improvements.

  • If you have purchased or are purchasing energy-saving products, such as fluorescent light bulbs, Energy Star appliances or eco-friendly insulation, write down when you installed or are installing these items. Mark down how much the product cost you, and how much you save compared to prior months.
  • Locate air leaks around your doors or windows by walking around with a stick of incense. If the smoke rapidly moves at any point, outside air may have caused the movement. You can caulk cracks or add insulation to these areas and then reevaluate your energy costs afterward.
  • Turn your thermostat a few degrees lower for a month, replace dirty furnace filters or old air-conditioning coils, clean air vents, and close vents in rooms that are rarely used for a month. Evaluate the change in your heating or cooling costs after making these changes.
  • Purchase a kilowatt-hour electric usage monitor to see how much energy your electronics use. You plug the monitor into a wall socket, and then you plug your electronic into the monitor. The monitor tells you how much energy the device is using, and how much the device is costing you. This is ideal for kitchen appliances and large stereos or televisions. Once you see what is using the most energy, replace those items, unplug items when they aren’t being used, or turn down the temperature of items, such as your refrigerator or freezer.
  • Pay attention to how much you use your lights. Is your bill cheaper in the summer because of shorter days? Try replacing your bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, or turning on reading lamps instead of overhead lighting, and match up the same month in previous years when reviewing your savings.
  • Each time you replace an item with an upgraded and/or energy-efficient item, mark it in your data. Each time you evaluate your home, such as testing for air leaks or vacuuming dust out of air vents, mark it in your data so you know when you completed these evaluations and when you’ll need to do it again next year. Pay attention to when your energy bills decrease, and figure out which changes caused the most significant savings.

Creating an energy audit will not only help you keep track of your savings, and figure out where you use the most energy, but it will also help you sell your home when that time comes. By having all of this information available for potential homebuyers, you can prove that your energy-efficient upgrades have decreased energy bill costs for them in the future.

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged energy tips, green tips
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Go Green With Your Hot Tub

Mar25
2010
1 Comment Written by Carrie

Remember this article about eco-friendly plumbing?

According to Mindfully.org, “the average [American’s] individual daily consumption of water is 159 gallons,” while people in other countries live off of a small 25 gallons. Americans use a lot of water by performing everyday activities like bathing, going to the bathroom, washing dishes, cleaning the house and doing laundry.

The article goes on to list several plumbing fixtures that will help you conserve water and energy inside your home. But did you know that you can conserve water and be more environmentally conscious when using your outdoor hot tub, as well? Here’s how:

Try a portable hot tub. Portable hot tubs are slightly smaller than heavy, mounted spas, so they hold less water. You won’t need to worry about draining excess amounts, and they require less energy to reach and maintain your desired temperature.

Use solar covers. Not using your hot tub? Keep it clean using a solar cover! It does double duty by holding in heat and keeping debris out of the water, which does the filter a favor, and you won’t need to put as many chemicals in the water to cleanse and purify it.

Opt for a 100% no-bypass filtration system. Looking for another way to keep the water clean longer? Find a hot tub that features a 100 % no-bypass filtration system in which all water passes through before it enters the spa. Some hot tubs also boast a special technology that uses a three-dimensional surface area in order to maximize filtration power to extend time between cleanings. Instead of draining the water every three months, as you would with most of your typical hot tub models, you may only have to do it twice a year!

Look for a hot tub that has an ozone system or ion purifier. Reduce the need to use harsh chemicals in order to clean your hot tub. A Fresh Water ozone system produces highly concentrated ozone bubbles in that neutralize contaminants on contact. A silvre ion purifier provides silver ions as a natural alternative to water care to limit the use of chemical sanitizers like chlorine.

Change the display temperature. Once the hot tub water reaches your desired temperature to the touch, try lowering the display temperature a degree or two. You won’t feel too much of a difference, but you will save energy. The less work your hot tub has to do, the less energy it produces.

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged conserve water, eco-friendly, environmentally safe, Fresh Water ozone system, Green Living, Home Improvement, hot tub, ion purifier, no-bypass filtration system, plumbing, solar cover, varying temperature
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Reason #28 to Sell with Buy Owner: Green Living Tips

Jan28
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

31 reasons

Concerned about your carbon footprint? Looking for ways to live greener? The Buy Owner Blog’s Green Living is for you.

This section of the blog provides you with a multitude of up-to-date information on eco-friendly, energy-efficient ideas for your home. Whether you want to increase the value of your home before you sell it, you need to know what to look for when buying an eco-friendly house, or you’re looking to decrease your energy bills by renovating with energy-efficient insulation or lighting, this is the section for you. All of the information will help you lower your energy bills, increase your home’s value and decrease your carbon footprint. Also, government tax credits are available for people who incorporate green living into their homes! For more information, read up on our most current Green Living blogs.

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged 31 reasons to sell with buy owner, buy owner benefits, Green Living, how to be more green, why sell with buy owner
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Reduce to Save Money

Dec03
2009
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

Green living is the future

Reducing could refer to lowering the amount of objects you throw away, cutting back on the amount of energy you use or, in the overall picture, reducing your carbon footprint! Here is a handy carbon footprint calculator, provided by carbonfootprint.com, so that you can see how much your lifestyle is impacting the environment. After you find that out, read these tips on how to further reduce:

• Reduce the amount of energy you use by replacing your appliances with Energy Star appliances, adding foot pumps to your sinks, replacing your light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs and hanging your clothes to dry instead of using the dryer.

• Reduce your heating and cooling costs by replacing your thermostat with a programmable thermostat, using draft dodgers by the bottom of doors, adding screens or an extra pane of glass to windows and adding energy-efficient insulation.

• Reduce the amount of trash that you toss into landfills by starting a compost pile, gathering recyclable items and finding a place to recycle them or reusing items in original ways. Replace plastic water bottles with aluminum bottles, use towels instead of napkins and get rid of all paper and plastic plates and silverware.

• Reduce the amount of toxins that you release into the air by using green cleaning products, natural pesticides and by replacing your paint with zero or low-VOC paint.

• Reduce your overall carbon footprint by making lifestyle changes, such as carpooling more often, riding a bike, purchasing locally grown foods, hosting green dinner parties, and planting perennials instead of annuals.

Reducing your carbon footprint isn’t just good for the planet; it’s good for your pocketbook! Look forward to future articles with more green tips!

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged carbon footprint, Green Living, reducing energy use
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Plants to Avoid

Jul09
2009
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

plant

Though the rains are currently flowing heavy in most areas of the country, later in the summer, a drought always seems to hit. According to the Green Guide, nearly 2 billion people worldwide live in water-stressed regions with insufficient water supplies. As a green living rule of thumb, saving water usage is a given. All kinds of new watering systems are available that use irrigation from local water sources or from deep underground. Still, when it comes to choosing which plants to fill your gardens with, some choices are smarter than others.

In order to save money on your water bills and to help conserve water throughout the world, there are simple steps you can take in your gardening routine to diminish your use of water. It all comes down to which flowers and plants you decide to grow.

• Purchase native plants that already know how to survive in your environment. Native species rarely need more water than what Mother Nature naturally offers, so they’re easier to care for too.
• Keep your soil fertile and healthy. Start a compost pile, or cover your gardens with mulch. These methods help prevent water from drying up.
• Fight the urge to purchase tropical and exotic plants, unless you live in an extremely wet area. These species naturally reside in tropical regions that receive ample amounts of rainfall, so they require more watering than local options.
• Choose perennials over annuals. Annuals intensely bloom for only a short period of time, therefore their roots are shallow and do not obtain water from deep within the soil.
• Reduce the amount of grass that fills your lawn. Grass needs ample amounts of water in order to remain green and lush, so consider eliminating some grass with large gardens, buffalo grass or with xeriscaping.

Visually, steer clear of plants that contain these:

• Glossy, dark leaves
• Oversized leaves
• Soft, fleshy trunks
• Shallow root systems

For more information from the Green Guide, click here.

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged Green Living, plants, rain, water bills
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