Real Estate Matters
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Silver Edition. News
& Issues for the Mature Market
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Quarterly Newsletter –May, 2007 |
www.seniorsrealestate.com |
“Greening” Your Home as a Cost Savvy
Senior
After all
the Earth Day celebrations and the media hoopla surrounding the events in April, maybe you feel guilty about even
stepping out of bed each day and turning on a light. Or you’re simply
overwhelmed by the information and think the steps to a better environment
(also called greening) are too complex or expensive.
But you
needn’t diminish your lifestyle or make radical changes to live a greener life.
In fact, you can implement small solutions to save you energy and as a cost
conscious Senior, hold onto more of your money, all
while doing a good turn for the environment.
Here are
some strategies:
Federal Tax Incentives: The Energy Policy Act
of 2005 (EPACT) allows you to get a tax
credit of up to $500 for buying and installing products, such as
energy-efficient windows and doors, insulation, roofs, and heating/cooling equipment.
The changes must be made to your principal residence, and the tax credits apply
to improvements made between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007. For more
information, visit http://www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm
Lighting:
-Turn off
unneeded lights.
-Consider swapping traditional light bulbs for compact
fluorescents (CFLs). Though the initial cost of CFLs is higher, they last much longer than incandescent
bulbs and use less energy, so you’ll save money over the life of the bulb. As
an example, by replacing just one incandescent light
bulb with a CFL, you could save $88.90 over the life of that bulb. You can calculate the savings you’d realize
by using CFLs at http://www.onebillionbulbs.com/PromoteEnergySavingsCalculator.aspx?frame=Detail
-Rather
than lighting an entire room, consider task lighting. That is, use just a lamp
for reading or
operate only the under-cabinet lighting
when working in the kitchen.
-Use timers to automatically turn lights on and
off
at a set time. It’s a good
way to boost home security without leaving lights on all night. The same
approach can be used for outdoor security lights.
-Install
motion sensors outside so that security lights turn on when movement—someone
walking up to the door, for example—is sensed, versus keeping a bulb burning
all night.
Water:
-Take
shorter showers
-Install low-flow showerheads to reduce hot water usage. Two-and-a-half-gallon-per-minute
showerheads, costing about $10 to $20, can reduce water consumption by one-third to
one-half.
-Lower the thermostat
setting on your water heater. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, each
10° reduction in water temperature can reduce energy costs by 3% to 5%.
Appliances: Home appliances can be energy hogs,
so when it’s time to replace appliances, consider purchasing those with the
ENERGY STAR® label. Below are some energy reduction ideas you can use everyday:
-Preheat
ovens only when it’s absolutely necessary.
-Don’t open
the oven frequently to check on food. Opening the door causes the temperature
to drop each time and requires extra energy.
-Plan ahead
and make multiple meals at once
-Reheat
food in the microwave or toaster oven, rather than using the oven.
-Use the
proper size burner for the task. It’s wasteful, for example, to simmer a small
pan on a giant flame.
-Do only
full loads and use cold water for clothes washer.
-Wash only
full loads in the dishwasher. Cut energy consumption by letting the dishes air
dry, versus using the heat-dry setting.
-
Automatic ice-makers
and through-the-door
dispensers
increase energy use by 14% to 20%,
according
to Flex Your Power.
-Clean
refrigerator coils to improve operational efficiency.
-A
full refrigerator retains cold better than an empty one.
-Keep
the refrigerator’s temperature between 35° and 38° and freezers at 0 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Heating and cooling:
-Install a
programmable thermostat that automatically keeps the heat lower when you’re out
or asleep.
-Raise the
temperature in the summer and lower it in the winter.
-Keep
your filters clean. Dirty filters can restrict airflow and can cause your HVAC system
to run longer than required to heat and cool your home.
-Don’t
let cooled or heated air seep out. Use weather-stripping and caulking to seal
doors and windows, especially important in the hot summer months ahead.
There’s
an abundance of information online about saving energy and improving the environment.
Here are some useful sites:
Green cleaning—
(http://www.theworldwomenwant.com/yourworld/home/cleansers.php?page=cn)
The site illustrates
ways to
save money and reduce the chemicals in your house by making your own cleaning
products
with
commonly found products, like baking soda.
Database of
State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (http://www.dsireusa.org/)--You can find state,
local, utility, and federal incentives for renewable energy and energy
efficiency.
Flex Your Power--(http://www.fypower.org/)
Universally applicable ideas from
Energy Star—(http://www.energystar.gov/) It is a
joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S.
Department of Energy that aims to save dollars and the environment through
energy efficient products and practices.
The Home
Energy Saver--(http://hes.lbl.gov/)--You can
type in your zip code, some facts about your home (size, number of windows, and
so forth) and energy use, and the calculator will show the changes you can make
to reduce energy consumption and save money.