Talking About Green

It seems like everyone is doing everything they can these days to make themselves more eco friendly. From simply recycling to driving a hybrid car, everyone is trying to do his or her part. One of the biggest ways we can be more eco friendly is by adjusting the ways we live our lives while we are at home. There are several small things that everyone can do around their house to save energy and help the environment.

Use Green Appliances

The appliances that we use are some of the largest energy sinks in our homes. The refrigerator uses the most energy out of all common household appliances. This means that you should get rid of that old extra refrigerator that you keep in your garage or shed and never really use. In addition, you should replace any refrigerators that are over 10 years old. You should replace your old model with a refrigerator that is Energy Star qualified. An Energy Star refrigerator will use up to 50% less energy than a traditional refrigerator.

Use Green Paint

The paint that most people use has a negative effect on the air quality in your home. Traditional paint produces harmful emissions called volatile organic compounds. Paint is actually the second largest producer of volatile organic compounds after cars. You should choose latex or natural paints to help reduce the amount of volatile organic compounds in the air. Latex paint is based on water instead of the petroleum that is used in traditional paint. Latex produces far fewer volatile organic compounds than petroleum. Natural paints are made out of renewable resources or resources that are widely available. They produce almost no volatile organic compounds and can look just as beautiful as traditional paint. More and more painting contractors are beginning to use latex or natural paint. They are very concerned with improving the environment and keeping clients safe and happy. You can contact your local <a href=”http://paintingcontractorusa.com/”>painting contractor</a> to find out if they are using latex or natural paint.

Keep the Temperature Down

About half of your home’s energy use comes from using the furnace in winter or the air conditioner during summer. You do not have to completely stop using these devices to have an eco friendly home. Instead, just try to turn your thermostat down a few degrees in the winter and up a couple degrees in the summer. You will be surprised by how much energy you can save by only changing a couple of degrees.

Conserve Water

One of the easiest ways to have a more eco friendly house is to carefully observe your water use. You can save a lot of water by turning the faucet off when you brush your teeth or by taking fewer showers. In addition, you can install a low-flow toilet to help conserve water. Low-flow toilets use about half as much water as traditional toilets. You can also adjust the float valve on old toilets to help save water. There are plenty of other ways to conserve water. For example, you can use a broom to clean your driveway instead of spraying it with a hose.