What Is An Everyday Green Home?

I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I welcome you to the first unit of teaching based on my book, Living Green Effortlessly- Simple Choices for a Better Home.

I would like to talk to you about green homes and explain why they are the best homes of all. I’d also like to tell you how easy it is to green your home, and if you want to go all-in and create your own dream green home, we can talk about that too. Are you ready to learn more about green homes and how to have one? Then stay tuned!

This series will cover some of the highlights of my book. And it will help you to learn about what you may be able to do in your home.

Today, we will be covering Chapter One: What Is An Everyday Green Home?

Life happens in your home

Your home is your refuge, and it is also the place where life happens. Our homes have a secret life with all the complexity of modern life. We could unknowingly be living in, building, or remodeling a home that is not in our best interest. It may be something big, like old lead paint or mold, new paint, and cabinets that off-gas, or the small stuff, like the leaky toilet, drafty window, or the products you use to clean and sanitize.

Having a greener home does not have to be hard or require sacrifice. A green home is not all or nothing. It starts with making smart choices about products and materials as you live in, build, or remodel your home. Just making a different choice – an appliance, plumbing, a lighting fixture, or even paint – can set you on the course to a home that works better for you and yours.

With the help of my book, Living Green Effortlessly- Simple Choices for a Better Home, I will cover the basics of the systems and features of your home and explain how to make the best of them.

My primary goal in writing this book is to help you improve your comfort, health, and safety in your own home.

Choices

Our choices, in terms of location, design, materials, and heating and cooling methods, have a direct effect on our health, that of our family, and of the community in which we live.

We are all part of the natural system

Despite all the modern conveniences, we are all still part of the natural system that creates, sustains, and perpetuates this living earth. Now is the time for us to look at all the systems in our homes to see if they are truly serving our needs as well as the needs of the earth.

Going green

Going green is not only about energy. It’s about living healthier lives and taking responsibility for all our actions.

Common sense

Having a green home is about common sense. You want your home to look and feel and perform well. You want to live in comfort and safety, breathe easier, and feel healthier by reducing pollutants, toxins through better airflow systems and quality material choices. You also want to feel comfortable with the temperature by providing a well-sealed and insulated shell with better heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.

Save time 

Save time using materials, fixtures, and finishes that perform better, last longer, and require less maintenance.

Save money

You will save a lot of money on energy and maintenance costs.

A higher selling price for a green home

You will get a higher selling price for certified green homes. And as you gain more knowledge, you will start understanding the value of owning a green home more and more, so you can point out all the features to a potential buyer.

Our homes are a system of systems   

Our homes are a system of systems. Understanding how all the systems work together, how they support and depend on each other, and how to care for them and maintain them is crucial to maintaining your health, comfort, and safety in your home.

Your home is a system

Your home is a system, and so changing one thing will impact others.

Home Energy Professionals

It’s time to bring in a home energy professional when you want to do a remodel, do something that could impact the systems in your home, get an energy assessment, or have your home evaluated. They will help you understand the priorities and tell you what you can fix to give you the biggest bang for your buck.

You will find them through your local utility company.

How Well Does Your Home Perform?

Adding up all the utility bills will let you know how well your home is performing. Don’t forget the water, sewer, and trash bills!

Cutting the waste and being efficient

Cutting the waste out of your home, and becoming more efficient with how you use resources and energy, will save you money and allow your resources to go a lot further.

Electricity

Use your electricity and everything else as wisely as you can. If you only use what you need and no more, you will make sure that there’s enough to go around, and you won’t be wasting a valuable resource.

Online energy tools

You can go to www.energystar.gov or Building Performance Institute for Homeowners to find out what you need to know and get some tools if you‘re not yet at the point where you need to bring a professional home energy assessor in to help you.

Referral Links:

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home

Curated collection for you

A Bit of BS (Building Science) about your home

Energy Star Savings at Home 

Building Performance Institute for Homeowners

Are you interested in making your next home a healthy, eco-friendly one? We’ve partnered with RealtySagePros.com to help match you to expert agents who are matched based on your unique real estate needs. It’s free, no obligations and takes less than 5 minutes.

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself.