Making your home green

[riveree]

Originally Posted by playnice

FYI, tank water heaters newer than 2004 do not require blankets for efficiency.

Great point . You really don't need an insulation blanket anymore. Water heaters keep getting wider and wider as the interior insulation gets thicker.

You also void your warranty if you put a blanket on your heater, so check to see if it's really necessary before adding one.

[yoda_jives]

Originally Posted by riveree

Great point . You really don't need an insulation blanket anymore. Water heaters keep getting wider and wider as the interior insulation gets thicker.

You also void your warranty if you put a blanket on your heater, so check to see if it's really necessary before adding one.

Thank you will note this point.

[rubytue]

What is the focus of the "greening" of your home? Is it for energy efficiency, indoor air quality, renewable resources, or something else? I'm of the belief that is it much "greener" to use an existing home that to go with new construction. Even massive remodeling of an existing home uses less new resources than new construction.

But, ignoring that tangent, here are a bunch of things you can do. Some may be may not be doable since you are building new and using a builder. We are doing a lot of these, but we are remodeling an older home.

Energy efficiency:
* programmable thermostats
* proper insulatation and use an air-exchange
* oil heat with bioheat
* tankless water heater, but only if you have gas. Last I heard, there wasn't an oil version, and electric ones aren't the best.
* orient the home to take advantage of the sunlight for lighting
* Shade the south side of the house with deciduous trees, use evergreens on the north side to protect from winter winds
* Have your outlets wired up to switches so you can turn off power to things like coffee pots, toasters, and tvs when not in use.
* energy star appliances
* line-dry your clothes
* CFL bulbs where possible
* put every light on a dimmer so you can only use the light you need

Renewable resources
* Bamboo and cork flooring are both renewable resources.
* Use FSC-certified woods, especially for cabinets
* Investigate the options in recycled counter tops - there are many options
* Instead of vinyl, use linoleum flooring (real linoleum is made with linseed oil and hemp, vinyl uses petroleum products)
* Shop are salvage stores for fixtures, tiles, and other supplies
* Shop local, buy things made within 200 miles of your building site.

Air quality
* If you go with glue down flooring, look for low-VOC, non-petroleum glues.
* Low-VOC paints and finishes
* Make sure your woods are not treated with formaldehyde
* Have a fresh air exchange installed with the HVAC (if you are using any type of forced air HVAC).

And a tip for those who want cheaper rain barrels. Check with you local Pepsi or Coke bottling plant. Many of them sell 55-gallon food-grade drums for a token ($5-10).

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by yoda_jives

What can we consider for our new house to make it more green ?

- Solar panels (haven't seen these much here - is this a good idea ?)
- Rain barrels to make better use of rain water
- Drought resistant grass for the lawn
- Flourescent lights

Thx for suggestions !

Bamboo flooring through out the home. Subway tile in bathrooms. Energy saving lighting through out. Solar panels and wind turbine (what ever it takes to get 100% off the grid). Also install those under ground water barrels that collect and filtrate water that is then sent into the home. they say you can save as much as 30% on water usage. If you live in a really rainy area you could probably supply your own water. build a green house in the back, plant hedges around the parameter of the home. Plant at least 3 fruit trees, maybe more depending on backyard size. insulation, I heard they use denim from old jeans now, which I think is pure genius. Smaller toilet water tanks for saving water usage. Also with fruit and vegetables make sure you use the old stuffs as compose to reintroduce back into your garden (if you don't go hydroponic)

[KKRA]

I don't want to repeat what the others have already written, they are all very good suggestions. Depending on where you live, you might want to consider a geothermal heating/cooling system. These have been around for years but are gaining popularity now. Also, there is a spray foam house insulation made from soybeans (check this out online). I saw it last year on "Living with Ed" (Ed Begley's show) on HGTV. His website has some good suggestions. If you go to HGTV - Decorating, Home Improvement, Remodeling, Gardening & Landscaping Ideas : Home & Garden Television, they have a "green" building section on their site which will give you more ideas.

[St.Croix to Seattle]

We are currently researching the tankless water heater Bosch 2700es(natural Gas)...seems like a good one has anyone used it..We are mounting it with a vertical vent...
Toilets-we just bought eco-friendly low water usage.
Bamboo flooring throughtout house except kitchen/Bath
new vinyl windows
new doors and storm doors-Puget sound

we are reasearching what kind of roofing materials are renewable-before we redo the roof
all our appliances are energy star....

we have a 107 year old home so not big on the solar panels-but looking at every way possible to use less power..
have plans to turn the 3rd floor into a media room-but will spend considerable time finding products that use very low power....
always looking for more suggestions.....
In the Caribbean most of the homes are on cisterns as water is a premium price,but the cisterns gets built first and the home on top...Living in Washington we have considered giving up our basment for a cistern,but are water bill runs about $58.00 for 2 months so not worth giving up 600sq ft yet....