Green energy in the home consists of recycling, re-using, solving your home's energy deficiencies, and then considering
renewable energy sources.
What makes a product green? I'm glad you asked, but are you ready for a pretty complicated answer? The equation for any green calculation can be pretty involved. One reason for this complexity has to do with something called life cycle analysis - a comprehensive account of a product's life, beginning with the raw materials and energy consumed during manufacturing and shipping, continuing with durability and safety during the product's life, and ending with a recycling potential that can range from easy to impossible.
Very few products will emerge totally green from a life cycle analysis. But some will definitely be greener than others. For example, vinyl siding gets a green plus because it provides an alternative to wood siding, helping to preserve forest reserves. But PVC (polyvinyl chloride), the main ingredient in vinyl siding (and vinyl flooring), is a petroleum product that's very energy-intensive to produce. To fine-tune your radar for green stuff, check out some of the basic green values explained below, or contact Dr. Energy Saver to schedule a home energy audit and receive personalized explanations!
Used bricks, salvaged lumber, and secondhand sinks are examples of salvaged material that can be reused in its basic form. More common are products that incorporate recycled or waste material. Examples include fiberglass insulation made from 30% recycled glass, rubber flooring made from old automobile tires, and cellulose insulation made from recycled newsprint.
Here's a category that's deeply green and doubly attractive, since you can save money while you're helping to save the planet. Buildings consume 71% of the electricity used in the U.S. and generate 39% of the nation's carbon emissions. By making your home more energy efficient, you're helping to cut carbon emissions from power plants and from appliances in your home (like a furnace or water heater) that burn fossil fuels. At the same time, you get to pay less for electricity, fuel oil and/or gas.
It's green to harness the power of the sun, the wind or the water, because none of these natural resources cause pollution. But before you invest in technology to generate energy, it's important to invest in SAVING energy. The improvements that increase a home's energy efficiency are much more affordable than the cost of photovoltaic, solar thermal and wind power systems, and that's why most folks choose to complete them first. But in many parts of the country, it is possible to choose an electric utility that generates some of its power using renewable energy resources - electricity from wind turbines, hydroelectric dams and solar panels.
Oriented strand board (OSB) and other engineered lumber products help conserve old-growth forests because they can be manufactured from fast-growing trees in managed forests. Low-flow toilets and showerheads conserve another natural resource, just like the Energy Star dishwashers and washing machines designed for minimal water use.
Products gain green value when they don't require regular treatment with paints and finishes and when they're durable enough to stay out of the landfill for many years. Examples include fiber-cement siding, ceramic tile, and synthetic decking made from recycled plastic.
It goes against green principles when a product poses environmental and/or health risks during or after its manufacture. Old-fashioned linoleum (made from sawdust, pigment and linseed oil) is greener than some types of vinyl flooring because of a gas emitted with potentially hazardous vapors after installation.
Putting less into landfills is an important green priority. Fortunately, we're steadily improving our recycling efforts. Items we used to throw in the garbage - newspapers, plastic containers, soda cans, batteries, computer equipment and more - can now be recycled through local collection points.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) starts with appliances & electronics, electricity usage, heating & cooling, insulation & air sealing, landscaping, lighting, water heating, windows, doors, & skylights when they talk about saving energy at home. And the first sentence on the page is: Start with an energy assessment. Dr. Energy Saver starts with a 95-point home energy audit. Contact us today!
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