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9 Green Home Solutions to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly in Tucson!

Green Home Solutions

Everyone knows that making your home “greener” can save you a substantial amount of money, help the environment, and extend the longevity of your Tucson Luxury Home! Even though most people have a good idea about the benefits provided by green home solutions, few homeowners actually take the time to implement these solutions despite the simplicity of most of them.

If you believe that you’ll eventually place your home on the market to sell, having these green home solutions (along with a professionally managed interior design) included and reviewed in your home inspection will increase the value of your home. Doing so will also help your home appeal to the modern environment-conscious home buyer. In the meantime, these changes may end up saving you a large sum of money.

Many of today’s homes are built with green in mind, but there is always something that you can do to make your home greener. See our list of easy-to-perform ideas that will get you “thinking green” with your home.

LED Bulbs

9. Swap Your Light Bulbs to LED or CFL

This is among the easiest and most affordable things that you can do to make your home more Eco-friendly. It’s also a simple decision when thinking about your monthly energy bill. Changing your standard incandescent light bulbs to LED or CFL bulbs guarantees that you save a sizable amount of money on your energy bills while also making the lighting in your home more friendly to the environment.

Replacing your incandescent bulbs with CFL or LED bulbs will benefit you in a variety of ways. Both of these bulb types are known to last much longer than the alternatives, which means that you don’t need to go out and buy new ones every six months. Each bulb type is also able to fit into practically any light fixture, which makes replacing your old incandescent bulbs easy. In total, both CFL and LED bulbs should last thousands of hours longer than incandescent ones.

Another way to use lighting to good effect when attempting to make your home more Eco-friendly is by turning the lights off whenever they aren’t in use. You could even install some automatic timers that will shut the lights off for you if ever you forget to do so yourself.

View of landscaping and backyard of Grogan & Grogan’s featured property 6361 N. Placita Derrumbadera

8. Use Native Arizona Plants to Landscape Your Yard

When you want to enhance the look of your yard but don’t want to use any chemicals and fertilizers that are harmful to the environment, consider using native Arizona plants to landscape your yard. By using native plants and trees from Arizona, you’ll be able to spruce up the exteriors of your home in an environmentally-conscious manner.

Native landscaping is very low maintenance in comparison to standard landscaping, which will also help you save money on irrigation and energy bills with these desert native plants. By also avoiding using gas-powered equipment and pesticides around your yard, you’ll be able to reduce the amount of pollution that you put into the environment.

Native landscaping is also beautiful in a way that other landscaping techniques aren’t, which is mainly due to the fact that native plants and trees will blend in well with the environment around your home. Whenever you visit garden nurseries in the future, you should be able to find a section that’s dedicated specifically towards native plants.

You may also consider a rock garden, which meshes particularly well with the desert climate of Arizona. Unlike most gardens, a rock garden requires hardly any maintenance and no water.

7. Practice Efficient Irrigation Techniques and Tools

If natural landscaping is not for you, it’s still possible to use efficient irrigation techniques and tools that will allow you to minimize the amount of water you use.

When searching for efficient ways to water your lawn, the best and most efficient method is to do so manually with a water hose. While some automated sprinklers can be set to turn on and off at specific times, using a hose by hand is estimated to consume around 33 perfect less water than other methods. You also need to make sure that you only spray the water onto your garden and lawn while avoiding areas such as sidewalks or driveways.

If you have an automated sprinkler, consider pairing the sprinkler with a rain sensor that keeps the system turned off whenever it’s raining.

Solar Panels

6. Utilize Solar Energy with Solar Panels

While changing your incandescent light bulbs to CFL or LED bulbs is an affordable way to save money on your energy bills and make your home more Eco-friendly, an even better way to make your home green is by utilizing solar energy by having solar panels installed on the roof of your home.

While the initial cost of installation can be somewhat high, the energy savings are substantial. The costs are also much better now than they were just a few years ago. These panels work by taking energy from the sun and converting it into electricity that can be used throughout your home. If you’re unsure about incurring the full up-front costs of the solar panels, you could consider leasing them instead, which helps minimize some of the initial investment moving towards a green home.

Energy star washer

5. Purchase Energy-Efficient Appliances

A great way to make your home more Eco-friendly is by replacing your current appliances with energy efficient ones. Doing so should also substantially increase the value of your home depending on the appliances you replace. Some of the best appliances to purchase when you want to save money and make your home more friendly to the environment include dryers, dishwashers, ovens, washing machines, and refrigerator units.

When purchasing one of these units, look for an Energy Star label on the system. This is a type of rating system that will help you determine how energy efficient an appliance is. In most cases, higher ratings equal a more energy efficient appliance.

Depending on the appliance you purchase, it’s possible that your utility provider offers a tax rebate that will allow you to get back some of the money you spent on the unit.

Low flow faucet

4. Install Low-Flow Shower Heads and Faucets

When you’re looking for things that you can do to lower your home’s water consumption, consider installing some low-flow shower heads and faucets. Many shower heads and faucets use much more water than they should, which can be wasteful and harmful to the environment. Old shower heads can release as much as six gallons of water every minute, which will quickly add up if several people take showers every day.

Shower heads that are labeled as being low-flow are designed to release under two gallons of water each minute, which will lower your water bill and consumption. The reduced water consumption will also save you energy since you won’t need to use the water heater as much.

Before you buy your own low-flow shower head, call your utility provider to see if they offer free units. The same should be done with the remaining faucets in your home as well as your toilet if possible.

Chrome room fan

3. Install an Attic Fan

Even if you have a high quality and energy efficient HVAC system installed in your home, you still want to search for ways to lower the amount of strain that needs to be placed on the HVAC system. If your home is cooled through other means during the summer, your air conditioning unit won’t need to be turned on as much. One method of reducing the energy that you spend on heating and cooling is by installing an attic fan.

These fans are designed to be placed on the roof and will take hot air out of your attic in order to keep this air from getting into the rest of your home. Since a large portion of hot air is removed from your home, the air conditioner in your house won’t need to be turned on as often.

Consider pairing an attic fan with heavy amounts of insulation for the best results. Attic fans can also be attached to a thermostat to give you additional control over the system.

Energy efficient windows

2. Use Energy Efficient Windows and Air Flow to Control Temperatures

While energy efficient windows are somewhat more modern when compared to other energy efficient appliances, they’ve become exceedingly popular because of how effective they are at reducing the amount of energy that a home uses.

These windows are rated with the Energy Star system, which you should look out for when purchasing new windows. The most energy efficient models are the three-pane windows. An added benefit of these windows is that they will heavily dampen any outside sounds to provide you with a peaceful and relaxing home.

Open some of these windows every now and then to improve the air flow and circulation throughout your home. Make sure that you also place caulk around your windows to keep air from leaking out.

Smart thermostat

1. Install a Smart Thermostat & Smart Plugs

It can be difficult to maintain an Eco-friendly home when the appliances within always operate at a consistent setting regardless of the situation. However, there are a range of smart plugs and thermostats that can change their settings whenever you’re away from home, which will prevent you from wasting energy. While regular thermostats allow you to change the temperature in your home by hand via a control panel, smart thermostats will learn from your repeated behaviors and will react accordingly.

With this type of thermostat, you can control the interface from a remote location with a smartphone. The thermostat can turn off whenever you leave the home and be signaled to turn back on to warm up or cool down the home when you’re minutes away. In most cases, these thermostats will provide you with in-depth statistics of the amount of energy you’re using as well as steps that you can take to reduce the home’s energy consumption.

You should also look into smart plugs for other appliances in your home. These plugs can be controlled remotely and can be placed on a schedule. They can also be connected to a range of appliances that include television sets and coffee makers.

Conclusion

With these green home solutions in hand, you’ll be able to make your home more Eco-friendly and should soon start reaping the benefits on your monthly energy bill!

If you’re currently in the market for a new home in Tucson and want to find one that’s already equipped with some energy efficient solutions, our team of Tucson Real Estate professionals can help guide you through the home purchasing process and will be able to answer any green home questions you may have! Contact Grogan & Grogan Tucson Luxury Real Estate today!