January 18th, 2011 
Tushar Mathur There are many good reasons to transform your home into an
eco-friendly living space. Besides reducing your impact on the
planet, you can vastly increase the value of your home by upgrading to
environmentally friendly appliances and structures. The following are
a few ideas to help you go green, though you may want to meet with
some general contractors to come up with a plan.
Solar panels
Solar panels are not only the most effective way of making your home
eco-friendly, they are a wise investment if you wish to save money in
the long term and increase your home’s real estate value. A solar
electric system will free you from the gas and electric company,
leaving you completely energy independent. There is an initial set-up
cost, but after that, you will be making your own energy to fuel your
home. Any excess energy you produce can even be sold back to the
power grid. It is not too difficult to find a good deal on San Diego
solar installation, so you will likely be reaping your savings sooner
than you’d think.
Adding new appliances and features
Working with a custom home builder will give you the freedom to choose
exactly what you want, so you can request as many eco-friendly
appliances and design features as you want. Some things you may want
to ask your San Diego home builder about include:
o NEW HEATING SYSTEM: Like most other appliances, there are now
energy-efficient heating systems. Replacing your old boiler and
heating system with a newer model could reduce your energy consumption
by as much as 40%.
§ Solar thermal panels are like solar energy panels, but use a
process that is different from that of voltaic solar energy systems.
They harness sunlight to make heat. This would make for a very good
heating system since, like solar panels, they make you energy
independent, free from reliance on fossil fuels supplied by the
utilities company.
o INSULATION: Many people do not understand the importance of
insulation. A well insulated house will require much less heating
(and therefore much less energy) than a poorly insulated house. An
upgrade to your insulation, which is a relatively cheap job, would
save you hundreds of dollars yearly.
o CLOTHESLINE: An old fashioned clothesline is an excellent way to
reduce your energy bill. Here in sunny San Diego, you can just leave
your clothes out to dry instead of throwing them in the washing
machine. Also, a clothesline is a quick, easy job for a custom home
builder to perform along with installing your solar panels and
renovating your house.
Erick D. Smith is a blogger living in San Diego, California who writes about green home building. If you live in Southern California and are interested in ways to make your home more eco-friendly contact one of your nearest San Diego general contractors
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