Talking About Green

In need of some new ideas when it comes to going green? Make 2012 the year you finally finish your mission of turning your polluting homestead into an energy-efficient eco-friendly unit by hopping on the latest technology and techniques that help you lead a greener life. While you may not be able to afford everything on the list, these are no doubt the latest ways to save big on home energy:

Home energy automation: Think of home energy automation as nothing more than the ability for lights, appliances, and heating and cooling to all be placed under sophisticated computerized control. When nobody is detected in a room for thirty seconds, the lights turn off, when more people enter the home, the cooling is increased to make up for the added humidity. It sounds expensive, but thanks to wireless technology and the lowered cost of motion sensors and other detection equipment, home energy automation is cheaper than you think.

Water conservation: The most looming ecological issue of the 21st century is where humans are going to be getting their water. Indeed, the days of seemingly unlimited supplies of water are over. Say hello to a world where water saving devices are certain to become a normal installation in the majority of American homes. If you have the money to afford it, invest in such technology today.

Complete CFL conversion: This one is easy and cheap enough that just about anybody can do it. And, thanks to federal law, it’s kind of a requirement. By replacing all your traditional bulbs with CFLs, you’ll save roughly $40 for each socket over the course of your new bulbs’ lives. Convert those savings to energy savings and it’s clear that this is an eco-friendly measure every family ought to be putting into practice.

Cool roof conversion: In addition to updating your lighting fixtures, another relatively easy and inexpensive home energy saving strategy is to paint your roof white. Apart from figuring out a way to get the supplies on and off the roof, it’s no harder than painting a room. Afterward, you can look forward to anything from 10-20 degrees of heat being removed from your upper floors thanks to the sun’s rays being reflected instead of absorbed by your roof.

Geothermal heating and cooling: While this sounds incredibly complex and expensive, it couldn’t be farther from either. Truth be told, geothermal heating and cooling is perhaps the most simple and efficient form of home climate control. It works like this: no matter the weather, the temperature in the ground never moves much around the mid-60s. In the summer, warm air is sent through the cooler ground via pipes and vented back into the home, and in the winter the cold air goes through an identical process and returns warmer than it was. This sure beats the energy used in traditional forms of heating and cooling.

If you’re out of green ideas already this year, here are five ones to seriously consider. Some aren’t exactly for the cash-strapped among us, but all are certain to make a difference in the energy effeciency and eco-friendliness of our homes.