AFTER HOW WE DRIVE, THE NEXT-BEST OPPORTUNITY for savings, of both money and greenhouse gas emissions, are the homes we live in. Our homes account for more than 20 percent of our national energy demand and produce more than 20 percent of our national carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, according to The Alliance to Save Energy, the average home emits twice as much CO2 as the average car.
Why do our homes use so much energy? Two reasons: First, homes in this country have become “supersized.” Back in 1973, a quarter of new houses were smaller than 1,200 square feet. Today, only 4 percent are. Between 1978 and 2006, the average home grew from 1,750 to nearly 2,500 square feet—more than a third larger. Now 23 percent of new homes in the United States are more than 3,000 square feet. And more space means more resources—to light, heat, and cool.
Second, all the stuff we buy to fill our homes and make them more comfortable—like big-screen TVs, computers, air conditioners, fancy kitchen appliances—simply devour amazing amounts of energy.
So the first thing I suggest to make your home greener and your wallet weightier is to consider downsizing—and consider it a lifestyle upgrade. You’ll pocket the profits from selling the bigger house, and you’ll reduce your monthly bills. If you’re building new, build smaller. At a cost of $150 per square foot, for every 500 square feet you scale back, you’ll save $75,000 on construction costs.
But on any scale, there are plenty of things you can do to get energy-smart and all-around green where you live. As I shared in the Introduction, one of the things that propelled me into living a greener lifestyle was moving into America’s first environmentally advanced residential tower, the Solaire (www.thesolaire.com). It uses 35 percent less energy than a typical building of the same size and two-thirds as much water, and most of the materials used in building it have recycled content. A pesticide-free rooftop garden helps keep the apartments warm in winter and cool in summer. And the building’s developers selected materials and paints that have lower-than-normal emissions of toxic chemicals. As healthy as this building is for the planet, it’s even healthier for the people living in it.
The most surprising thing to me about all this is that I am using fewer resources and spending less on energy, and yet I am actually getting more out of life. You might not live in a green building, but you can find many of the same benefits in the place you already live. Read on.
Get an Energy Audit
THE BEST PLACE TO START TO REDUCE YOUR HOME’S energy use and lower your utility bills is to get a professional home-energy audit. The results of an energy audit can lead you to make changes that will save as much as 30 percent on your utility bills. That is not small change when you consider that the cost to heat a home this year was almost $1,000.
Your first step is to call your local utility company and tell them you’re interested in a whole-house evaluation. Many utility companies even offer this service for free to customers.
SAVE
up to 30 percent on your energy bills.
REDUCE
your CO2 emissions by 9,515 pounds a year.
The audit should start with a review of your past utility bills, so be sure to have them handy. It will include a thorough room-by-room inspection of your heating/cooling equipment, major appliances like your washer and dryer, lighting, and windows and doors. The energy expert who performs the audit will use certain tools and tests to evaluate your home. The blower door infiltration test will identify air leaks, and infrared cameras will reveal missing insulation, cold-air pathways, and moisture problems.
After the audit, you will be given a full report and a list of recommendations, including an estimate of how much the upgrades may cost and how much you can expect to save on future energy costs.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
Use the ENERGY STAR Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home’s energy efficiency with that of similar homes across the country. You’ll need your utility bills from the past 12 months, and once you answer a few questions about your home you’ll receive a report of recommendations. Go to www.energystar.gov and click on “Home Improvements.”
To find a professional in your area who will conduct an energy audit, start with your local utility company. A state or local energy agency can also make a recommendation. You can even try the Yellow Pages under “Energy.” Be sure to ask for references, and check them out with the Better Business Bureau by visiting www.BBB.org. A professional energy audit can cost $50 to $200—or even more, depending on where you live and how big your house is. But the investment is well worth it.
If you prefer to start small, you can do a scaled-down energy audit yourself. Visit the Consumer’s Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at www.eere.energy.gov. Just click on “Energy Audits” in the Quick Links section.
Run a Tight Ship
UNLESS YOU HAD YOUR HOUSE CUSTOM BUILT WITH energy efficiency in mind, chances are a home energy audit will reveal it’s not as well sealed as it should be. Sealing leaks and adding insulation where needed are the cheapest and quickest energy improvements you can make to your home. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, fixing poor insulation and reducing drafts and other air leaks can save you up to 20 percent—several hundred dollars or more each year—on your utility bills, because you won’t be paying to heat or cool air that then escapes from your house.
SAVE up to 20 percent on your energy bills.
REDUCE your home’s emissions of CO2 by 2,808 pounds a year.
Roughly half of our home energy expenses come from heating and cooling, which also sends 150 million tons of CO2 emissions into the air every year.
You can easily fix leaks in attics, basements, crawl spaces and around doors, windows, and recessed lighting fixtures with inexpensive tools from your hardware store, like caulk and weather stripping.
Using tape or mastic to seal connections on heating ducts, then wrapping ducts in insulation can make your home’s heating system 20 percent more efficient. It will also help keep out dust and toxins.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
Download the Guide to ENERGY STAR Home Sealing at www.energystar.gov. Click on “Air Seal and Insulate” under Home Improvement. The site also offers tips on improving heating and cooling systems in your home. Click on “Heat and Cool Efficiently” under Home Improvement.
Then download Xcel Energy’s Smart Energy Guide, which offers detailed tips on reducing your home’s energy loss. Find it at www.xcelenergy.com/docs/retail/SmartEnergyGuide.pdf.
Seal leaks and add insulation where needed.
Get Green Energy
BRAD PITT IS LEADING A PROJECT IN NEW ORLEANS to build affordable homes that are completely powered by solar energy. “The idea that we pay utility bills is absolutely unnecessary,” he says.
Is he right?
Today, 85 percent of energy in the United States comes from fossil fuels. They’re called “fossil fuels” because they are the remains of organisms that lived roughly 300 million years ago. They include coal, oil, and gas, so chances are the home you live in is powered by one or more of these sources. There are two problems with that: One, they pollute our air and are the leading cause of global warming; and two, they’re nonrenewable resources, and many experts believe world production of oil could peak in the next two to twenty years.
So what can you (or even Brad Pitt) do about it? You have two options:
The first is to wait it out. Right now, your home is very likely connected to the “grid” of public utilities, which means you are dependent on whatever energy sources your local utilities provide. The exciting news is that the options are expanding.
For now, clean renewable energy is more expensive for utilities to access than fossil fuels. But as I write, massive amounts of money—close to $120 billion are being invested in renewable-energy projects around the world. And much of that research is focused on creating affordable green energy sources.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
Find out what type of green power is available to you right now, as well as what it costs, at the Department of Energy’s Green Power Network. Go to http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower.
Estimate the cost, size, and savings of a PV system, and find a solar energy professional in your area, at www.findsolar.com.
To see what tax credits your state offers, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy, www.dsireusa.org. The site also has information on the federal tax credit—just click on “Federal Incentives.”
Investment giant Goldman Sachs has already invested $1.5 billion in alternative energy and clean tech worldwide. Morgan Stanley estimates that global sales from clean-energy sources like wind, solar, geothermal power, and biofuels could grow to $1 trillion by 2030. Even Google’s getting into the game! They recently announced plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on research and development and related investments in renewable energy. Their hope is that by funding research on promising technologies, investing in promising new companies, and doing a lot of their own R&D, they will help to “spark a green electricity revolution that will deliver breakthrough technologies priced lower than coal.”
Go solar and one day…
PAY
ZERO for energy.
REACH
ZERO emissions for the planet.
Later in this book, you’ll learn about how you, too, can invest in what promises to be a huge green economic boom. For now, it is enough to say that this massive investment is sure to transform the way your home is powered in the future. But what can you do right now?
Electricity from renewable sources might already be available to you. Call your utility company today to find out what your choices are right now. If there are no green choices available, you can probably opt to pay a small premium on your energy bill to support development of renewable energy. That’s an investment you would make today to encourage availability of affordable sources in the future.
But there’s a more aggressive choice you can make right now, and that is to install solar panels (photovoltaic panels, known as PV) on your home, helping to reduce your reliance on the utility grid. You don’t have to be a movie star like Brad Pitt to let the star nearest to Earth power your home.
Converting to solar costs money, but tax incentives can slash the cost by as much as two-thirds, and once you’ve paid for the system, your electricity is free. A three-kilowatt system, which would generate most of the power for an average home, costs around $20,000 but may be reduced to as little as $7,000 by rebates and credits.
Think of financing a PV installation as paying a mortgage versus renting. Instead of sending money to the utility company every month (like rent), you’re making payments on solar panels—an investment that not only saves you money over time but also increases the value of your home.
If a million homes went solar-powered, it would keep 4.3 million tons of CO2 out of the air every year.
You can also go solar to meet your hot water needs, from sinks and showers to hot tubs to hot-water-heating systems. Solar thermal systems are less expensive to install than PV—roughly $3,500 to $5,000—and also qualify for tax credits and other incentives. Imagine having a home with zero utility costs! It’s not just a dream. It’s the new reality.
Do It by Degrees
WHEN I WAS A KID, I WOULD COMPLAIN THAT MY parents made us freeze in the winter. Turning the heat up would often cause a war, because Dad and Mom kept the thermostat at 67 degrees and told us to wear a sweater. Turns out my parents were “green” before green was in.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
Learn how to install a programmable thermostat from actor/green guru Ed Begley in Home Depot’s “Celebrity Workshops” series at www.homedepotclinics.com. Click on “Celebrity Workshops” in the online workshop section, then go to Begley’s series and click on the thermostat video.
Turn your thermostat down three degrees in winter, and program your thermostat way down at night and when you are at work or school.
You don’t have to freeze to be green. Adjusting your thermostat up or down by just three degrees Fahrenheit all year round will save you about $114 on a 1,500-square-foot home and will keep two and a half tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
The biggest savings are seen during the colder months. For every degree you turn the heat down in winter, you’ll bring your energy bill down by as much as 5 percent. According to the Department of Energy, lowering your thermostat by just one degree Fahrenheit—an imperceptible amount—can save up to $40 a year. Melt 3 percent off your energy bill for every degree you turn the thermostat up in the summer.
If you install a programmable thermostat, that’s even better. You can set it to turn your temperature way down or up when you’re at work or sleeping. It’ll cost you about $70, and it could save you $150 a year.
SAVE
$114 yearly on your energy bills.
REDUCE
your home’s annual emissions of CO2 by 2,683 pounds.
Unplug It
IF THERE IS ONE OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE IN THIS book of stuff we spend money on for no good reason and without even realizing it, it is the energy drain known as “phantom load.” Amazingly enough, even when your appliances are technically turned off, they continue to suck energy out of the wall and money out of your wallet. The phantom load accounts for more than 27 million tons of CO2 emissions in the United States every year, as well as mountains of resources wasted to produce the power.
GO GREENACTION STEPS
Smart power strips can be purchased for about $35 apiece at any hardware store. Or shop online at the Smart Strip Store. Visit www.bitsltd.net.
Switch the power strips off at night, when you are not home, when you are away, and when you are not using your appliances for an extended period.
Your phantom load, also known as standby power or idle current, totals 5 to 15 percent of your monthly electricity bill. Cube-shaped transformers—those oversized AC plugs—have phantom loads of 20 to 50 percent of their regular energy use. They consume so much electricity that they’re sometimes referred to as “vampires.”
STRIP
$94 off your yearly electric bills.
REDUCE
your home’s emissions of CO2 by 1,430 pounds per year.
In all, Americans spend about $4 billion a year on electricity for things they’re not using.
To eliminate phantom loads, you’ve got to unplug your devices and appliances. Make it easy on yourself by using smart power strips with on/off switches you can turn off when you’re not running anything, when you go to sleep, and when you go away on vacation.
Be an ENERGY STAR
THIS ONE IS A NO-BRAINER. IT WILL SAVE A TON OF energy without much effort on your part at all, and save you a lot of money to boot.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
For info on Energy Star models, savings calculators, and energy efficiency tips, visit www.energystar.gov.
For helpful tips on buying energy-saving appliances, check out the Natural Resources Defense Council web site. Visit www.nrdc.org and enter “appliances” in the search box.
Some cities offer tax credits for installing energy-efficient appliances, which can save you even more money. Check with your utility company or local government office.
By now you’re probably familiar with the blue and white ENERGY STAR label, created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to help consumers identify energy-efficient products. You can spot it on thousands of approved appliances and equipment in more than 50 categories for your home and office.
ENERGY STAR has already helped us to collectively…
SAVE
enough energy to power 25 million cars.
SAVE
$14 billion on our utility bills.
In 2006, Americans saved enough energy by using Energy Star appliances to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 25 million cars—and also saved $14 billion on their utility bills.
That’s a huge amount of savings, and it is only partly offset by the higher initial cost of these appliances. An ENERGY STAR washing machine, for example, costs about $150 over a less efficient model, but you’ll save $50 a year on your energy bill. And it will cut water use by up to 7,000 gallons per year.
I wouldn’t go out and replace a perfectly good (but inefficient) appliance for the $400 lifetime savings alone, but when it is time to buy a new one, make sure it has the ENERGY STAR label.
Think twice before breaking the bank to buy a plasma-screen high-definition TV. I admit I have one. But I didn’t realize until I wrote this book that they can use nearly twice as much energy as their LCD-screen counterparts, and more than three times as much as the standard models. TVs account for 4 percent of our energy use nationally, and with more and more plasma models appearing in living rooms, that number could reach 8 percent before the decade is out.
Switch to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
IN NOVEMBER 2006, WAL-MART, A COMPANY COMMITTED to “greening” its business, set a target of selling 100 million compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) before the end of 2007. The company reached its goal three months early, and as a result the bulbs Wal-Mart’s customers bought will collectively save them $3 billion on energy costs and keep more than 22 million tons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
SAVE
$45 over the lifetime of a bulb.
REDUCE
emissions of CO2 by 67 pounds over the lifetime of a bulb.
This, to me, is a prime example of how positive changes are being made in the “green space.” Businesses like Wal-Mart are helping consumers like you to make easy choices that are better for your bottom line AND better for the planet. It is a huge win-win.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
As your existing bulbs burn out, replace them with CFLs.
One drawback of CFLs is that they contain small amounts of mercury, so proper disposal will eventually be a concern. IKEA has stepped up to the plate by offering a CFL-recycling program (kudos to IKEA), and you can look for other local recycling options at www.earth911.org.
CFLs use 75 percent less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. They are more expensive—around $4 a bulb versus roughly $1—but the investment will pay for itself 10 times over during the life of the bulb. This is an easy one, folks.
For 100 years, we’ve used “incandescent” bulbs to light our homes. They’re incredibly inefficient; only about 5 percent of the energy supplied to them is converted into light. The newer technology, CFLs, are basically a bulb version of those tube-shaped fluorescent lights you’re used to seeing—only softer and easier on the eyes.
Plant Trees
HERE’S AN INCREDIBLY SIMPLE WAY TO SAVE ON energy costs: Plant trees. Strategically planting trees and shrubs to shade your home can lower surrounding air temperatures during warm summer months by up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit—and can reduce your wall and roof temperatures by 20 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping your home naturally cooler.
In winter, trees can function as windbreaks as well, reducing your heating bill.
SAVE $177 annually on energy costs.
REDUCE your home’s emissions by 3,952 pounds per year.
Over the course of a year, the average home could save between $150 and $250 on energy costs—simply with smart landscaping.
Of course, there are lots of other reasons to plant trees. Besides providing food and housing for insects, birds, and other backyard wildlife, trees protect against erosion and clean the air as they soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Just be sure to choose species that are either native to or well-suited for your location. You don’t want your shade-bearer requiring excessive water or crowding out established elements of your garden.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
Learn about landscape shading, including regional and microclimate considerations, at the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy site, www.eere.energy.gov/consumer. Click on “Landscaping” in the quick links.
The National Renewable Energy Lab’s guide Landscaping for Energy Efficiency covers the basics as well as plant selection. Download it at www.nrel.gov. Type “landscaping” into the search box, then click on the name of the guide.
Start planting practically free. The Arbor Day Foundation offers ten free shade trees when you purchase an annual membership for $15. Their site is an amazing resource, with tons of information on planting, growing, and learning about trees. Visit them at www.arborday.org.