With the continued pollution in the environment due to gases produced by many industries, it is important to take measures that can transform the surrounding. This creates a more habitable environment for all living things. Green home improvement seeks to help achieve this by focusing on proper use of energy, water and even building materials.
Any home improvement project should be done after a careful consideration. With this project, you need to audit your level of use of the different resources. If you want to improve on energy, you can get a professional who will check your appliances and advise on any area you may be going wrong. They will help you devise ways you could reduce your energy consumption.
Energy use is a key area to look at. Most houses consume a lot of energy unnecessarily out of petty mistakes that could be looked into. If there are spaces in a building that can allow cold air and drafts, then your heating system will be overworked. This increases your home energy consumption. Inspect the building for such spaces or holes on the walls and have them sealed. Good quality sealant like caulk could be used for this purpose.
Heat energy will also be lost where there are insulation gaps. These are likely to occur anywhere an opening is made for something to penetrate the wall. This causes air leaks leading to fluctuations in the room temperatures. Expanding foam should be used to fill these spaces. Other cracks that are usually ignored are found where the foundation meets the house. These too should be checked and can be easily identified during the day when rays of the sun go through them.
For those using furnaces for heating during winter, make sure to practice proper maintenance routines. You could end up consuming a lot of energy if the furnaces function poorly. This increases your energy bills too. Some items to check regularly on the furnace are the filters which if worn out will affect the quality of air you get. Maintain your furnace and boiler in good condition as you do not want to keep making such expensive purchases now and then.
In order to conserve energy in home, it is wise to invest in power saving windows. These come in various forms but most importantly the prevent energy from leaving or entering the house. This means that your home will remain habitable both in winter and summer. To make sure that you get the right windows, it important that you consultant an expert in this field as well as contract a reputable company for the installation.
You will also find insulated doors. Garage doors will help greatly in your energy conservation attempt. For those who cannot afford to insulate their doors, it is possible to do weather-stripping around them to prevent cold air from penetrating through cracks. Buy good quality water heaters too, if you have to use them especially during winter.
The other gadget that will greatly come in handy in the green home improvement project is the thermostat. If you buy one that is programmable then you can easily reduce your heating bills. When you are away, the heater automatically turns itself off. Use of solar power is also another efficient way to help reduce your energy bills.
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