Green Home Guide

Welcome to the Green Home Guide!  There are several ways to make your dwelling more energy efficient so that you can reduce your carbon footprint as well as your energy bill. Every appliance you can think of now comes with an energy saving model that can save you tons on your next electric, gas, or water bill.

Green Kitchen

The kitchen is a great place to start greening your home.  Not only does most of your trash and waste come from food scraps and recyclable trash, but your stove, refrigerator, sink, and dishwasher can waste a lot of electricity and water if they are not energy efficient.  By buying energy efficient appliances, and recycling and composting, you can save money and rest easy knowing you are helping the environment.  

Green Kitchen Guide
Energy Saving Ovens  Energy saving ovens are a great way to reduce your gas or electricity bill.	Energy Efficient Refrigerators  Refrigerators are typically a home's largest consumer of energy.  Buying a newer model with an Energy Star  rating could save you $100 a year.	Water Saving Dishwashers  If your dishwasher is more than ten years old, it probably uses between 8 and 10 gallons of water per cycle.  The average new Energy Star qualified dishwasher  uses only four gallons per cycle. With a new Energy Star dishwasher, you'll save more than 1,000 gallons of water annually and cut about $95 off your bill.	Compost Bins  Recycling your food scraps is a great way to save money and create rich, nutrient soil you can use to plant your organic vegetables.  Worm factories  are a fun place toss your food scraps and they are clean enough to keep in your kitchen.	Recycling Bins  A good recycling bin provides a way to conveniently organize your non-organic trash.  As you can see, they don't have to bright red, yellow, and green.  There are many stylish bins to choose from.

More Green Home Ideas

Energy Saving Washing Machines  Energy Star rated models are at least 37% more energy efficient and use 7,000 gallons less water than regular washers and dryers. Opt for a machine that loads from the front rather than the top. Front loading machines save 40-60% more water and 30-50% more energy. Right now, dryers do not differ much in terms of energy consumption.	Energy Efficient Toilets  Newer models use much less water than older toilets.  Replacing an old toilet annually saves about 14,000-25,000 gallons of water for a family of four. There are now dual-flush toilets, which cut down on the amount of water used by having a lower water flush for liquids and a full flush option for solids.	Energy Saving Bulbs  Compact fluorescent bulbs, light-emitting diodes,  (LEDs) and halogens can cut your energy costs in half and have an exponentially longer lifespan than traditional light bulbs.

Solar Power Your Home

Powering your home with solar panels  is a big investment that will pay off in the long term by increasing the value of your property and reducing your energy bills.  If you are not yet ready to power your entire home with the sun, you can still power many useful items with solar panels to reduce your energy consumption significantly. One popular way to implement solar energy into your home is by installing roof mounted solar attic fans.   These devices minimize your summer cooling costs by blowing the hot air in your attic out of the house.  This lowers the temperature of the rooms below.  Also, you can now buy solar powered garden lights  that have solar panels mounted on top of them.  These are easier to install than regular garden lights because they do not need to be wired.

Related Guides

Green Guide	Solar Panels and Wind Energy	Vegetarian and Vegan Guide