Being green in your household is cool regardless of your politics.  I’m not saying you should totally revamp your entire lifestyle, but every little bit helps.

I personally find it intriguing to “beat the system.”  By that, I mean to be as self-sufficient and thrifty in my home as possible while being greenish at the same time.  Yes, my wife calls me a geek.  But there is one thing I won’t do – sacrifice comfort.

That said, here’s a few tips I can share to go a little bit greener in your home without breaking either the bank or your standard of living.

Switch the Bulbs Already.

Surely you’ve heard or read about compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs).  I know all of the mythical downfalls… Poor light quality, flicker, long warm up time, shorter than promised life span, way too expensive, etc.

Ignore those so called pitfalls.  They might have been true for bulbs of the past, but they’re just not accurate with the latest generation of well engineered CFLs.

You’ll not only help reduce your home’s environmental footprint, but you’ll save bundles of money even after the initial purchase of bulbs.  Here’s a CFL calculator to help you figure your potential savings.

CFLs are slightly larger than regular incandescent bulbs when you get up to the higher wattage range.  You might measure for size first.  Also, you’ll probably want to spend a little more for the decorative style CFLs when the bulb is visible in open style light fixtures.

One more thing… CFLs contain a trace amount of mercury so be sure to recycle the bulbs when they do finally wear out.

Replace Your Way to the Future.

I know it’s not practical or affordable to replace major home appliances just on a whim.  However, when the time comes to replace, consider upgrading to energy efficient technology.

Huge improvements have been made over the years in everything from furnaces to refrigerators.  My favorite upgrade prospect is the water heater.  Switching to an on demand unit only heats the water as it is used instead burning energy to constantly maintain the temperature of an entire storage tank full of water.

Have an Open House.

For most of the U.S., climates are mild enough that we can manage at least a couple months a year without turning on the furnace or air conditioning at all.  I know in my Midwest location, I can comfortably go about a month and a half in the spring and another month and a half during the late summer/early fall with extremely reduced energy consumption by properly utilizing my windows and shades.

It’s a simple plan.  Bring in cool air in the evenings and at night by opening windows.  Try to open opposite windows in the house for a good cross flow breeze.  During the hotter hours of the day, shut the house and lock in the cooler air.

This works especially well if you add a strong fan to blow cool air into the house at night and reverse it to blow hot air out during the day.  Also, be sure to shut the shades to keep the hot sun out.

Less Is More.

I work from home most days during the week.  Because it’s just me at home all day and I’m pretty much in my office only, I don’t find it very practical to cool and heat the entire house all day to my personally desired level of comfort.

For this reason, I cool my office separately from the rest of my home.  A small A/C unit lets me stay cool all summer while keeping the central air from running constantly just to cool my office.  I also supplement the heat in the winter by using an efficient radiator style space heater.

Install a Programmable Thermostat.

Have some help managing your heating and air automatically with a programmable thermostat.  I know these have been around for quite some time, but they are really beneficial when it comes to efficiency and keeping your home comfortable according to your regular schedule.

Tags:energy efficient home design Going Green green design