Building a green home today

What does it mean when people say that they are building a green home? There are several features that most green homes have include using the sun and land for natural heating and cooling, reduced construction waste, using sustainable resources, and/or using energy efficient appliances and fixtures. There are many ways that these features can be implemented in both building a green home and in updating existing homes. So, in what way can you go about building a green home? There are really some very simple steps you can take to improve the home that you have now or to take into consideration when building a green home.

A huge step you can take on the road to greenness is to update fixtures and appliances, most importantly, those which use water. An essential step to take is to update your toilet. Old toilets use much more water than updated ones and can be replaced relatively easily. It is also important to check your faucets in your home. Gallons of water can be wasted each day from leaky faucets and you may not even realize it! I realize that replacement is expensive, but top-loading washers do use more water than do front loading washers.

Don't run out and buy a new washer today, but do keep this in mind when you are in the market for one. Other features to keep in mind when building a green home or updating an existing home are windows and insulation. When building a green home, energy efficient windows can really help cut heating costs, especially with fuel costs the way that they are. Also, having your home properly insulated can cut heating and cooling costs. While I understand that it is not always possible to go out and spend a lot of money on updates for your home, there are many things that you can do to that are very inexpensive.

I think the most inexpensive thing that I have done to make my home more green is to purchase a water-saving showerhead. I only paid seven dollars for it, and it uses half of the water that my old showerhead did. Building a green home is pretty simple and doesn't have to be expensive.

For more on green home designs, go to GreenHomeGuide.org.
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