These days, more homeowners (and renters) are interested in making green home improvements, and they’re particularly interested in knowing which improvements have a low cost and a high (or fast) payback—i.e., a good Return on Investment, or ROI. A few of the most common suggestions for easy, low-cost projects that reap significant savings (in energy, water, and dollars) are:
- Switch to LED and/or compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs. (Note: When buying CFLs, choose low-mercury products. And CFLs cannot be thrown in the trash; because they contain mercury, they must be recycled by a hazardous waste facility. Some stores, such as Home Depot, collect used CFLs.)
- Switch to Energy Star appliances and electronic equipment when it’s time to replace old units.
- Install Energy Star ceiling fans, to reduce or eliminate the need for air conditioning.
- Switch to WaterSense plumbing fixtures (e.g., dual-flush or other high-efficiency toilets, and ultra-low-flow faucets and showerheads).
- Insulate your hot water pipes; and add insulation to your attic (and/or walls and basement).
- Have a home energy audit done to check for air leaks and identify other inefficiencies or areas that need improvement; a home performance contractor should then make the needed improvements. More and more companies are springing up to offer these services. (One of the first companies on the scene was Recurve, formerly called Sustainable Spaces.) You can search here for a contractor near you who has been accredited by the Building Performance Institute.
For other ideas and helpful cost/benefit assessments, check out this new book: Green Sense for the Home: Rating the Real Payoff from 50 Green Home Projects, by Eric Corey Freed and Kevin Daum (Taunton Press, April 2010). Here’s the publisher’s description of the book: “When does a green home project make financial sense? The authors of this book provide the answer to this and other questions relating to the cost (and relative value) of environmentally friendly home improvements. They walk readers through 50 green home projects and break them down according to the positive impact they have on the environment, as well as the impact they may have (both positive and negative) on the reader’s wallet. They evaluate a wide array of projects, including insulating pipes, weatherizing doors and windows, composting and recycling trash, installing a solar hot water heater, installing green countertops, upgrading appliances, building with reclaimed materials, and installing radiant heat.”
Other recent books include Green Home Improvement: 65 Projects That Will Cut Utility Bills, Protect Your Health & Help the Environment by Daniel Chiras, PhD (RS Means) and This Green House: Home Improvements for the Eco-Smart, the Thrifty, and the Do-It-Yourselfer by Joshua Piven (Abrams).
For additional information and tips, these are some online articles and websites with lists of green improvements that are good investments:
- 15 Green Projects for Under $500 (GreenHomeGuide.com / This Old House)
- The Energy Efficiency Pyramid: A guide for energy retrofit work (GreenBuildingAdvisor.com)
- 10 Tips for Energy Savings and Healthy Living [PDF] (Global Green USA)
- 16 Ways to Green Your Home [PDF] (U.S. Green Building Council)
- 10 Ways to Beat the Heat (GreenHomeGuide.com)
- EnergySavers.gov (Department of Energy)
- Energy Star: Home Improvement information
If you’d like assistance with choosing and implementing green home improvements or remodeling strategies, I am a green advisor who can provide this type of assistance through email consultations (or phone or in-person consultations). Click here for more info.
