Green Your Home

Understanding Home Energy

You probably already pay attention to the miles per gallon of your car. You might be making choices about what you eat based on the carbon footprint of the food -- whether it is organically and locally produced. And you consider buying carbon offsets when you travel. But what about your home? How much energy do you use for your house and how can you be eco-friendly at home? How much of a difference does it makes compared to the other meaningful things you do to reduce your carbon footprint?

Making Smart Investments

Making your home energy efficient can make a meaningful difference in reducing your carbon footprint. 16% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the US are from the energy used in homes nationwide. So the opportunity for impact is there. But some home energy efficiency projects can be expensive - like putting in new windows, replacing your furnace and mounting solar panels on your roof. So the trick is to make the investments that save the most energy with the least amount of expense. That way, you'll get the biggest bang for your buck and be able to take on as many eco-friendly projects as possible.

Getting Started

Explore energy efficiency. When most people think about how to have an eco-friendly house, the first things they think about are putting solar panels on their roof. While that may make sense for your house to generate your own energy at home, it's also often quite expensive. Smaller projects like air sealing and insulation may allow you to reduce the amount of energy your house consumes with much smaller upfront investments. Check out all the educational resources we have on popular residential energy efficiency topics.

Consult an energy auditor. If you're not sure exactly where to start, it's always a good idea to talk with an energy auditor. Energy auditors test your house and produce an energy analysis that scores your home and gives you a "to do" list for making decisions about adding insulation, and replacing furnaces, air conditioners, and other appliances to maximize your reduction in your carbon footprint.

Get in touch. Contact us if you have a question that you'd like us to answer or if you'd like to stay in touch as we publish new information and resources.

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