Greener House Made Simple

If the idea of having an eco-friendly home seems unrealistic, you should know that you have a lot of options that can make a noticeable difference. We San Diegans enjoy the outdoors, and do our best to take care of the environment, but sometimes when it comes to our homes we’re not quite sure how to make a substantial change. The truth is, you don’t have to install solar panels or wind turbines-just follow these suggestions:

Change your Lightbulbs!

LED lighting uses significantly less energy, and produces light levels comparable to traditional lighting. LED bulbs have a lifespan of 50,000 hours, and only use 10 watts of energy. Installing LED lighting in your home is a quick and easy way to make a big change in terms of efficiency, and cost.

Split-Ductless A/C Systems

Conventional air conditioning systems run large air ducts from a central unit throughout the house. Air ducts account for 30% of energy loss, while Split-Ductless A/C systems use multiple small units spread throughout the home. With a Split-Ductless system, you’re in control of the temperature in each room so that you only need to heat and cool them individually, the heat/cold is delivered directly from the source, and it’s 300% more efficient than conventional central air.

Water Conservation

Turning off the water in the sink while you brush your teeth, and trying to take shorter showers are both good ways to conserve water, but investing in eco-friendly low-flow toilets, and tankless water heaters are even better. Eco-friendly toilets use less that one gallon of water to flush, and for an average 3-bedroom home, that can save you 6,000 to 9,000 gallons of water annually. Tankless water heaters only heat water on demand, and are therefore 34% more efficient than traditional water heaters. You can even use rain collection barrels to collect rain water as an alternative source of water for your yard.

Being eco-conscious is not only great for our planet, it can be a fantastic way to save money.