Homeowners are going green.
With gas and oil prices seemingly always on the rise, more and more homeowners are looking for ways and means of achieving energy-efficiency by installing renewable energy sources in their residences. Yes, there will be expenses to be incurred while making your home greener, but in the end the rewards will far outweigh the financial effort.
The reality is that making not only cosmetic but eco-friendly improvements to your home is an excellent method of adding value to your home while also saving you money every month.
There is no shortage of smart and effective ways of saving energy while upgrading your home. For starters, installing energy-efficient LED lights and compact fluorescent bulbs in all of your home fixtures will reduce energy consumption significantly. While they may indeed cost a little more, fluorescent, LED and other energy efficient lighting options use less energy; they also last longer and are more durable and longer-lasting.
Take a inventory of all your household appliances. Those that are older and perhaps even obsolete, particularly refrigerators, washers and dryers, could be costing you far more money to operate than is necessary. They also harm the environment.
ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES
When it comes time to replace these appliances, look for products that are more energy-efficient and specifically designed to use less power not only while in operation, but while on standby. It is likely that not only will you be eligible for sizable rebates, you will soon cover the cost of your new energyefficient appliances via reduced utility bills. Get started by visiting Energy Star's website at energystar.gov to find the best energy-efficient models of appliances that fulfill your wants and needs.
Locally, Landscape Effects is a prime example of a company that has embraced green technology when it comes to both home improvements and landscaping. They designed and built the Green Home Corridor that is certain to be a popular attraction at this weekend's Southern Ontario Fall Home Show and Green Living Expo at the Windsor Expo Centre.
"Green living can cover a range of ideas, products and services. The Landscape Effects Group wanted to be involved because we wanted to showcase eco-friendly, sustainable and renewable products and services that are becoming increasingly more popular for our conscience consumers," says company president Paul St. Pierre. "We have always considered ourselves as being on the cutting edge, and the overall direction within the industry is to be mindful of how our designs and products work in conjunction with the betterment of our environment. That is why we wanted to be involved at this year's premiere event."
Green and energy-efficient products and services are not only important when it comes to home improvements and landscaping, St. Pierre adds.
"Energy efficient products and services are important to landscaping as it can keep costs down, and maintenance to a minimum," he says. "With so many people today having busy schedules, they have less and less time for maintenance. We as consumers are looking at ways to maintain our lifestyles with less time needing to be invested.
With gas and oil prices seemingly always on the rise, more and more homeowners are looking for ways and means of achieving energy-efficiency by installing renewable energy sources in their residences. Yes, there will be expenses to be incurred while making your home greener, but in the end the rewards will far outweigh the financial effort.
The reality is that making not only cosmetic but eco-friendly improvements to your home is an excellent method of adding value to your home while also saving you money every month.
There is no shortage of smart and effective ways of saving energy while upgrading your home. For starters, installing energy-efficient LED lights and compact fluorescent bulbs in all of your home fixtures will reduce energy consumption significantly. While they may indeed cost a little more, fluorescent, LED and other energy efficient lighting options use less energy; they also last longer and are more durable and longer-lasting.
Take a inventory of all your household appliances. Those that are older and perhaps even obsolete, particularly refrigerators, washers and dryers, could be costing you far more money to operate than is necessary. They also harm the environment.
ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES
When it comes time to replace these appliances, look for products that are more energy-efficient and specifically designed to use less power not only while in operation, but while on standby. It is likely that not only will you be eligible for sizable rebates, you will soon cover the cost of your new energyefficient appliances via reduced utility bills. Get started by visiting Energy Star's website at energystar.gov to find the best energy-efficient models of appliances that fulfill your wants and needs.
Locally, Landscape Effects is a prime example of a company that has embraced green technology when it comes to both home improvements and landscaping. They designed and built the Green Home Corridor that is certain to be a popular attraction at this weekend's Southern Ontario Fall Home Show and Green Living Expo at the Windsor Expo Centre.
"Green living can cover a range of ideas, products and services. The Landscape Effects Group wanted to be involved because we wanted to showcase eco-friendly, sustainable and renewable products and services that are becoming increasingly more popular for our conscience consumers," says company president Paul St. Pierre. "We have always considered ourselves as being on the cutting edge, and the overall direction within the industry is to be mindful of how our designs and products work in conjunction with the betterment of our environment. That is why we wanted to be involved at this year's premiere event."
Green and energy-efficient products and services are not only important when it comes to home improvements and landscaping, St. Pierre adds.
"Energy efficient products and services are important to landscaping as it can keep costs down, and maintenance to a minimum," he says. "With so many people today having busy schedules, they have less and less time for maintenance. We as consumers are looking at ways to maintain our lifestyles with less time needing to be invested.
Inside their residence, homeowners should also strive to check the indoor climate. This means considering how temperatures in your home are regulated.
For starters, take the insulation levels of your house into careful consideration. If your home is not well insulated, it is likely that you are allowing in and letting escape far too much heat and cold and energy. Upgrading your insulation levels is one of the easiest and simplest methods of transforming your home into a much more energy-efficient place in which to live.
Check out the windows in your home to determine what steps have to be taken to ensure that your place of residence will deflect heat in the summer and retain it in the winter. And if your home has an attic, make sure that it is well-ventilated all year around.
Your home's heating and cooling system will be strained and consume more energy than necessary if the top of your home is too hot. This can easily be avoided by installing a solar-powered attic fan that will provide good ventilation and maintain the overall temperature. A home should have a dry and well-ventilated attic all year around.
Energy-efficient windows and doors will also save you money on your home heating and cooling bills. Windows and doors have long been a major source of energy loss not only in homes. Not only will energy-efficient windows increase your comfort while working to cut down outside noise levels, they also have less condensation in cold weather than standard products. And what's more, both energy-efficient windows and doors allow fewer ultraviolet rays to pass through glazed areas, thereby providing better protection of your valuables from sun damage.
While striving to make your home greener and more energy-efficient while also upgrading it, consider how your home is cooled in the summer. There are options for homeowners even living in a hot and humid climate like Windsor-Essex.
Evaporative coolers, also known as swap coolers, are environmentally-friendly that can be just as effective as more traditional air conditioners while also requiring 30 per cent and even more of the power. Also known as wet air coolers or desert coolers, evaporative coolers cool air through the evaporation of air.
Going green and becoming more energyefficient is not only good for the environment in general, but for Windsor and Essex County in particular.
"The development of green energy and green technology is wonderful for our local economy," says Rakesh Naidu, director of business attraction with the Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation (WEEDC). "This is a business sector that we have had an interest in for a long time."
The WEEDC has produced a number of green technology seminars at this weekend's Fall Home Show and Green Living Expo.
PROMOTE GREEN INDUSTRY
"This is an excellent opportunity to not only promote green living, but the companies in our region who work in this expanding field, " Naidu offers.
For starters, take the insulation levels of your house into careful consideration. If your home is not well insulated, it is likely that you are allowing in and letting escape far too much heat and cold and energy. Upgrading your insulation levels is one of the easiest and simplest methods of transforming your home into a much more energy-efficient place in which to live.
Check out the windows in your home to determine what steps have to be taken to ensure that your place of residence will deflect heat in the summer and retain it in the winter. And if your home has an attic, make sure that it is well-ventilated all year around.
Your home's heating and cooling system will be strained and consume more energy than necessary if the top of your home is too hot. This can easily be avoided by installing a solar-powered attic fan that will provide good ventilation and maintain the overall temperature. A home should have a dry and well-ventilated attic all year around.
Energy-efficient windows and doors will also save you money on your home heating and cooling bills. Windows and doors have long been a major source of energy loss not only in homes. Not only will energy-efficient windows increase your comfort while working to cut down outside noise levels, they also have less condensation in cold weather than standard products. And what's more, both energy-efficient windows and doors allow fewer ultraviolet rays to pass through glazed areas, thereby providing better protection of your valuables from sun damage.
While striving to make your home greener and more energy-efficient while also upgrading it, consider how your home is cooled in the summer. There are options for homeowners even living in a hot and humid climate like Windsor-Essex.
Evaporative coolers, also known as swap coolers, are environmentally-friendly that can be just as effective as more traditional air conditioners while also requiring 30 per cent and even more of the power. Also known as wet air coolers or desert coolers, evaporative coolers cool air through the evaporation of air.
Going green and becoming more energyefficient is not only good for the environment in general, but for Windsor and Essex County in particular.
"The development of green energy and green technology is wonderful for our local economy," says Rakesh Naidu, director of business attraction with the Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation (WEEDC). "This is a business sector that we have had an interest in for a long time."
The WEEDC has produced a number of green technology seminars at this weekend's Fall Home Show and Green Living Expo.
PROMOTE GREEN INDUSTRY
"This is an excellent opportunity to not only promote green living, but the companies in our region who work in this expanding field, " Naidu offers.
"We in Windsor and Essex County are in a unique situation, especially when it comes to this market. We have a diverse and wellqualified workforce," he continues. "Not only do we have green industry companies that are suppliers, but many are also manufacturers and we also are home to head offices of a number of green technology companies.
"We see this as a very exciting and promising business sector."
In the big picture, upgrading and renovating a home to green standards is a wise investment that will soon pay for itself through both a reduction in energy consumption and increased durability of the building fabric. This is also in addition to better indoor air quality, which will only result in improved health for the residents of the home.
Other benefits of green home and energyefficient upgrades to your house include improved comfort and liveability, which in turn will reduce the negative impact on the environment by the home. The initial investment made by homeowners will be insignificant when weighed against the benefits of green and energy-efficient home improvements.
"We see this as a very exciting and promising business sector."
In the big picture, upgrading and renovating a home to green standards is a wise investment that will soon pay for itself through both a reduction in energy consumption and increased durability of the building fabric. This is also in addition to better indoor air quality, which will only result in improved health for the residents of the home.
Other benefits of green home and energyefficient upgrades to your house include improved comfort and liveability, which in turn will reduce the negative impact on the environment by the home. The initial investment made by homeowners will be insignificant when weighed against the benefits of green and energy-efficient home improvements.
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