There is no single prototype for living green. Lowering energy bills is the best way to increase long-term affordability of home ownership. Some builders create smaller spaces with a luxury feel or rustic Santa Fe style adobe housing. The quest to lower electric bills increases the foreign market for solar and wind energy.
It is not one size fits all. Going green is based on lowering your carbon footprint. It includes a new solar or hybrid car, solar pool heaters, solar hot water heaters, increased attic or wall insulation, and energy-efficient home monitoring systems to reduce energy use.
Installing solar lights along the driveway is easy and affordable. Solar gates are used on ranches for over a decade preventing expensive electric wiring in remote areas.These solar gates work very well with back-up batteries.
Water issues are a key driver in green living. It requires switching out shower heads for those which use less water and replacing old toilets with low-flow toilets. Overhauling older home systems with new solar air conditioning, tank-less hot water heaters, water efficient dishwashers, and solar exterior house lights bring a new hipness to older homes.
California has experienced drought for over a decade. Electronic metering and remote metering systems reduce water usage and lower water bills. Native landscaping often lowers the water bill in many areas of the world.
Green living is centered around living with less waste and higher energy efficiency. Green home are optimized for energy-efficient appliances, solar heating and cooling systems that use less energy and water. Green building materials could be recycled or natural.
Green energy includes windmills, recycled water for lawns, cisterns to collect water, and/or solar energy. It could be lowering water usage and rezoning AC systems to react to smartphone APP. It is possible to use smartphone APPs to lower the thermostat for your home while riding down the office elevator to your car? Many home automation systems control kitchen appliances, light bulbs, hot water heaters, home thermostats, and pool systems. The best systems offer exterior and interior lights, along with home security systems. The smartphone APPs are encrypted and fairly safe. Nothing is perfect and hackers can get past the encryption protecting car computers for navigation. Switch passwords often and never give these to your neighbors.
Windmills and solar farms can seem expensive. These renewable energy systems can be financed. Home owners can sell the excess power to the local utility company. Windmills have few maintenance issues and may last a century or longer.
Credit: Source by Dr. Rebecca Stone
