Here’s to being at home…On Eco-Friendly Terms
Posted May 10, 2007 @ 8:38 pm, Viewed by 865 Visitors, Read 879 Times.
There is no question about it. “Going Green” is in, says Kay Divi with this article about Eco Friendly Homes. No matter where you are or what you do, you have probably heard the buzz on global warming, conservation, or at least the words, “reduce, re-use, re-cycle”. As neutral a topic as the weather, most people are interested in at least discussing anything eco-friendly. In fact, nine out of ten Americans are interested enough to choose a more energy efficient home over a lesser one, yet eight out of ten Americans said no one talked about energy efficiency during the buying process, according to a survey by energypulse.org. Two out of three Americans surveyed were also willing to pay a premium for homes that have solar systems installed. So for your next party conversation or your next real-estate foray, listed below are the most basic of eco-friendly terms as laid out by Kay Divi so you can be a savvy real estate buyer or just somebody “in the know”:
A green home: A green home is designed to conserve the environment – whether it is energy, water, building materials and land. Equipped with one or more renewable energy systems, a green home uses alternative resources for heating and cooling - solar electric, solar hot water, geothermal, bio mass or any combination of these.
Green remodeling: Green remodeling is an upgrade where the goal for builders and architects is to use as much as the older structure and materials as possible. A green renovation can cost 5 to 20 percent more than a normal one, however, it also means that there will be reduced energy costs and reduced maintenance costs durability.
Greenhouse gases: Greenhouse gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere freely, and trap the heat in the atmosphere instead of reflecting it back towards space. This causes temperatures to rise and form the atmosphere known as the Greenhouse effect.
Energy star appliances: Every one knows that energy star appliances save energy, but it is a little known fact that it saves as much as 20% annually of your energy costs. These appliances help you get the most out of the products you purchase and also meet all the efficiency guidelines set to prevent greenhouse gas emissions.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL): Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) is the one-step of going green that is the easiest to do. These may seem three times as expensive compared to incandescent bulbs but last approximately ten times as long and use one-fifth of the energy.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels or Solar Heating: Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels or Solar Heating refers to the technology for harnessing solar power or usable energy from sunlight for practical applications from heating to electrical power generation, usually good for domestic and light industrial applications.
Passive Solar Design: Passive solar building design involves the modeling, selection and use of new technologies to maintain the building environment at a desired temperature in a way that minimizes the use of energy.
Xeriscape gardening: Xeriscaping gardening is where plants are specially selected to suit their environment, creating a landscape that makes the most of watering. Plants are grouped by their water needs, while mulch and drought tolerant plants are integrated to conserve water usage.
Low-emittance (Low-E) windows: L-E windows are coated with thin metal or metallic oxide layers, which are almost invisible. These coatings reflect radiant heat originating from indoors back inside, keeping heat inside in the winter, and infrared radiation from the sun away, keeping it cooler inside in the summer.
Geothermal heating/cooling: Geothermal heating/cooling is a method of heating and cooling a building, using the earth’s temperature. Pipes are drilled deep into the earth, where temperature is around 55 or 60 degrees. Water, antifreeze or other transfer fluids are circulated and a heat pump uses these as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer.
Now that you’re at home on eco-friendly terms, here are a few points again that you have probably gathered. If you are looking for a green home, it will always appear to be more expensive compared to others. However, it is designed to save your energy costs over several years besides giving you bragging rights. If you are adding green elements to your home, it is a value-added upgrade. You will be able to add to your asking price too since there is no question that “going green” is the movement of our times.
And if you are building a home in the Tampa Bay Real Estate market, check with Bob Lipply for Eco-Friendly builders in the area. Armed with the knowledge gleaned from Kay Divi's article above and an energy conscious Tampa Bay Builder you will be on your way to being At Home On Eco-Friendly Terms!
Robert Lipply heads up the team "Lipply Real Estate" under Remax Realtec of Palm Harbor. Serving the entire Tampa Bay area, our team can help you with any Tampa Bay Real Estate interest. The Lipply Real Estate team ranks in the top 100 real estate team in Florida and in the top ten in the Pinellas Suncoast region. We have the expertise to guide you through the process of homeownership. Whether you are buying or selling a home, we hope you contact us!
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Duane Craig
There sure is evidence that the green trend is on the up-tick. Albuquerque, NM is advancing the idea of making all new buildings carbon neutral by 2030. Besides the mayor and others there are 23 builders, developers, architects, and unions signing up. __________________________________ News Views Commentary at the the Construction Informer http://blog.sunworldventures.com
Posted 2 years ago
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Great Blog! Three things are certain in life... Death, Taxes and Energy Prices going up. Going green is not only environmentally friendly, it's an investment. We just had a 22% increase in our electricity costs in Chicagoland... by simply replacing all of our bulbs with Compact Flourescent Bulbs our electricity bill actually went down despite the increase in prices.... Not only do they use less energy, they also do not heat the house up like traditional light bulbs --- lowering the work that the AC has to do.