Dumping the Old Fridge is Greener than Installing Solar Panels
Let's face it. The greenest things you can do for your house and the planet fall a little short in the WOW Factor. Old refrigerators and freezers, and by that I mean almost any model from before 2000, are energy wasters compared to today's most efficient models. Dollar for dollar the best thing you can do for your house is to buy new refrigerators and freezers that use substantially less energy. Payback on a new machine can be as little as two years and most local utilities offer some sort of rebate or upgrade program to encourage their consumers to get a newer model. The government has some useful information about the Energy Star program
The second half of the green refrigeration solution is to make sure your old model gets recycled...and I don't mean the garage to keep your sodas cold, either. If you absolutely, positively want your sodas cold, buy a new refrigerator for the garage or rec room. Your old one, whether it's in the kitchen or the garage, is an energy pig. Modern recycling will safely remove the Freon or other refrigerant and send the steel off to to be made into something new and shiny. You can send it away knowing it will have a rich and worthwhile second life. Don't forget to keep your magnets.
The Joy of Attic Crawling
If the boring wisdom of getting a new refrigerator can't get your green gene fired up, how about a nice crawl through the attic or subfloor? It's very likely that as much as 20% of your heating and air conditioning dollar is being spent to heat and cool parts of your house you don't live in. Improperly sealed ducts, bad connections, and lack of insulation are major sources of wasted energy.
The good news is that I'm not going to ask you to crawl through scratchy fiberglass in your own attic. No, you get to hire a duct cleaning and repair specialist who can bring specialized equipment to clean and pressure test your system. Sadly, there's nothing glamorous left on your roof to show your neighbors you are Greener Than They Are. Maybe later.
Finally, the big bucks to show up the neighbors
Sorry. I feel like the Green Scrooge. You came for hot and sexy green-ness, and all I have for you is warm lime sherbet. I've already walked you through a new refrigerator and some duct repairs. Next on the cost efficiency list wouldn't normally be shiny new photovoltaics or a roof top wind turbine, but attic insulation, dual glazed windows, and weatherstripping instead. Still, it's my post and I'm going to skip that smart stuff and give you a chance to beat the neighbors to have the first photovoltaic installation on the block.
For around $600 installed, you can have a simple, cost-effective, energy saving, building-preserving, roof-extending, moisture reducing solar attic fan. It's a great way to introduce yourself to solar energy, do your house a favor, and have a small touch of one-upmanship in your neighborhood. They work from morning until night all year around helping to keep your attic air circulating. It will help keep your house cooler in the summer and help prevent moisture accumulation in the winter.
Three Green Cool Suggestions
These three green ideas aren't as HOT as some newer comprehensive strategies for sustainability. What they have in common is modest price tags that the average home owner can fit into their long term green budget. Each of them can be accomplished for under $1,000 and typically in one day. Going green can be fast, affordable, and create great long term savings. In my book, that's sexy enough.
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