Category Archives: energy savings

Green Home Trends: From Baby Steps to Extreme Updates

Posted on May 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

Recycling is one thing, but a composting toilet? That’s when you know you’re taking the going-green trend to its, um, “natural” conclusion.

While many home owners and builders are beginning to make changes to homes to incorporate eco-friendly products and materials, these are just the bud of the going-green trend. To really get the low-down on what the seriously green-minded homeowners can do to help the cause, we’ve rounded up a list of fixes that can be done in a house, whether it was built in 1912 or 2012.

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisalserv.com for your value questions regarding green updating and how it adds value to your home.

Update your bulbs

You’re going to have to change out your standard incandescent bulbs eventually. This year marked the first stage of phasing out 100-watt incandescent bulbs under the CLEAN Energy Act, but 70-, 60- and 40-watt bulbs are next on the chopping block. Switching to compact fluorescent lights (CFL) or LEDs not only conserves significant electricity, but significant savings as well — more than $57 over the life of the CFL, one report found.

Energy-star appliances

One of the simplest ways to upgrade your home in a green way is to purchase an energy-saving appliance. The best bet is to find one that earns the government’s “Energy Star” rating. The appliances are designed to reduce greenhouse emissions as well as your energy usage over time. Many products can mean tax rebates for your green efforts.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Demand Spikes for Zero-Energy-Cost Homes

Posted on May 1, 2012 | Leave a comment

A rising trend of super-efficient, solar-powered new homes allows homeowners to combat rising energy costs by giving back to the power grid. Some owners are even realizing a small profit from their home’s power-generating capacity.

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com to assist you with determining the value of purchasing an zero-energy-cost home.

Intelligent house layout and design, and home features such as dual-pane windows, air-tight duct work and high-caliber wall and attic insulation are curbing energy consumption. And when coupled with solar energy, captured through photovoltaic panels, these homes are becoming their own mini power plants that feed electricity to the grid.

In 2009, U.S. homeowners paid an average $2,200 for energy use in their homes, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. A growing number of homeowners have the opportunity to zero-out that cost.

“It’s too good to believe,” said Dave Spencer of his net-zero-energy home in Gainesville, Fla. Last month, his energy bill was $2.01 — and that was just because of service fees — after receiving over $10 in credit for energy his home generated. Both semiretired, Spencer and his wife, Sandy, moved into the 1,752-square-foot home last October and have not paid for any energy yet, he said.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Disney’s Vision Home at EPCOT – Green Home of the Future

Posted on April 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

ORLANDO — With a smog-eating roof, digitally controlled showerheads and recycled glass countertops, Vision House will open at Epcot on Earth Day.

Conceived by Eastsound, Wash.,-based Green Builder Media and designed by Walt Disney’s Imagineers, the 4,500 square-foot show house—located inside the theme park’s 100,000-square foot innovations building—displays numerous easy-on-the-environment products.

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com to determine value of your green features.

Some, like cotton-fiber insulation and LED light bulbs, are familiar and relatively cheap, while others are cutting edge and pricey, like a remote-controlled $6,400 water-saving toilet and a $1,000 electric car charger.

Ron Jones, president of the media firm, says the decision to combine common and exotic products was deliberate. While sexy products always grab attention, he wanted to make sure that each park visitor comes away with at least one affordable idea to live more sustainably. “Going green isn’t just for the rich and famous,” he said during a preview tour.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Category Archives: energy savings

Green Home Trends: From Baby Steps to Extreme Updates

Update your bulbs

Energy-star appliances

Demand Spikes for Zero-Energy-Cost Homes

Disney’s Vision Home at EPCOT – Green Home of the Future

Follow Blog