Turning Your Home Green

In ongoing series of blog posts dealing with helpful tips for both buyers and sellers I would like to continue today with an important responsibility that affects everyone.  Today’s real estate tip involves easing your carbon footprint left by your home.  Going green is not just a cliché or pastime activity, but a real sustainable gift to our environment as well as a tangible means of reducing home energy expenses. Please consider the the following tips when you take pride in the energy efficiency of your Encinitas Home.

Start with your heating and cooling systems:

  • Lower thermostat when away from home and asleep at night.
  • Run paddle fans clockwise on low during the winter to circulate air, and counterclockwise during the summer to aid in cooling.
  • Check duct work on HVAC system for leaks. Change your air filter every 1-3 months.

When looking at the interior of your home examine the following items

  • Check to be sure the fireplace damper is closed when not in use.
  • Weather strip around doors/windows; place foam gaskets on plugs/switches on exterior walls.
  • Insulate fold-down attic stairs. Add insulation to attic to meet with current energy standards.
  • Caulk cracks and gaps around outside of house.

Next turn your focus toward electronics and lighting systems:

  • Replace any remaining incandescent bulbs with with energy efficient florescent ones
  • Turn off all electronics when not in use. Set energy saving options on computers to put on standby when not in use. Unplug chargers for cell phones, iPods and tools when not needed.

When doing laundry consider the following:

  • Don’t overload the dryer.
  • Dry clothes on a clothes line rather than in the dryer.
  • Wash clothes in cold water.
  • Run only full loads of clothes in the washer.

Kitchen practices:

  • Use a crock pot or microwave instead of oven and burners for cooking.
  • Run only full loads in dishwasher.
  • Turn off dishwasher drying cycle, open door and air dry instead.
  • Clean coils on refrigerator.

Bathrooms:

  • Install low-flow shower heads and aerators.
  • Repair running toilets, dripping faucets, and leaking pipes.
  • Replace old toilets with water efficient, dual-flush models .

Outdoors:

  • Install motion detectors on outside lights to reduce usage.
  • Collect rainwater from gutters in rain barrels for watering.
  • Set lawn mower blade higher and cut grass less often.

Coldwell Banker Encinitas Realtor Linda Moore supports green initiatives and encourages all of her clients to do the same. Her commitment to sustainability mirrors her commitment to excellence in the real estate market.

Office Listings

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.
To top ⬆