We have been bombarded with Green over the last few years, some of the green products and advice are great, and the only green in some of the products and advice is the green going in someones pocket.
The first place we can start to Go Green, and encourage clients to Go Green is through Energy Effeciency. Reducing the energy use in a home has a multitude of benefits.
Most power plants in the southeast burn coal to produce electricity, less electricity use equals less coal burned equals cleaner air, lower electric bills.
Studies show that the efficiency upgrades that will give a homeowner the biggest return on investment are not very expensive to accomplish. Duct leakage from the heating and air conditioning system is one of the first things you want to check, your unit is producing conditioned air(hot or cold depending on the season) but all of that air is not getting into your living space. So your unit has to work longer and harder to get enough conditioned air in to bring it to the temperature you have set on the thermostat.
If your house is not properly insulated, it will not keep your living space at the temperature you have set for very long, so your heating and air unit kicks on again and again to keep dumping conditioned air in to maintain the temperature you desire.
Air leaks AROUND windows and doors and other areas of the house also let air and moisture in and out of the house when you don't want it to.
Resolving these items are the least expensive of all the energy efficiency upgrades you can do. Cheaper than a new heating and air unit, cheaper than new windows. But they will achieve the BIGGEST PAYBACK not only in money saved on your monthly bills, but your home will be more comfortable, usually eliminating hot and cold spots, your equipment will operate less, which will increase the life expectancy of your equipment and reduce the maintenance cost during that time and increase indoor air quality.
If you want to Go Green, Go Energy Efficient, have a professional Energy Audit performed by a RESNET Certified HERS Rater or a BPI Certified Building Analyst. These Auditors can perform duct blaster(Heating and air duct system leakage) testing along with a blower door test(finds where and how much air leaking into and out of the house).
You can help save your clients money, enjoy better indoor air quality and be more comfortable in their home.
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