Green Tips
Recycling and Energy saving Tips
In the Green Tips  section. When building or remodeling a house, there are plenty of ways to practice smart recycling practices.- Buy from material suppliers who commit to zero (or at least less) packaging.
- Use materials from recycled sources first, before moving on to buying new building products. You can find plenty of reclaimed or salvaged home building materials. Wood is a resource that you can often find recycled.
- Always return new, unused materials to your supplier.
- Buy local - this is a big issue if you’re going to need to return an item.
- shipping equals gas use.
- some people find the cost of sending an item back long distance cost prohibitive.
- Make sure to specify that your site is a recycling site. Set up recycling bins that are clearly marked. If you are remodeling, set up reclaimed material bins as well. Use smaller bins for items like nails and screws.
- If you’re using materials and products that can’t be returned to the supplier, say a 1/2 used package, or you’ve got some reclaimed materials that aren’t going to be used, be sure to donate them to a reuse center. Someone else may be able to use your recycled or unused materials.
In Texas, RecycleBank will reward you for recycling, and it pays by the pound.
Solar Water Heaters
In the Green Tips section. Solar water heaters are a cost-effective way to generate hot water for your home. They can be used in any climate, and the fuel they use-sunshine-is free.
Solar water heating systems include storage tanks and solar collectors. There are two types of solar water heating systems: active, which have circulating pumps and controls, and passive, which don't.
Most solar water heaters require a well-insulated storage tank. Solar storage tanks have an additional outlet and inlet connected to and from the collector. In two-tank systems, the solar water heater preheats water before it enters the conventional water heater. In one-tank systems, the back-up heater is combined with the solar storage in one tank.
Cheap Air conditioners
In the Green Tips section. Air conditioners may offer tempting temporary relief from summer heat, but they're a huge environmental no-no. You may be cooling your home, but the fossil fuels you're burning in the process are only making your summers hotter. This summer try these environmentally-friendly alternatives instead.
Insulate your home effectively. Efficient insulation, caulking, and weatherstripping help to keep the heat out in the summer. You can insulate from the outside, too, by shading your home with trees, shrubs, or vines. Well-positioned landscaping and systematic use of blinds can reduce your cooling costs by 40 per cent.
Save Money and CO2
In the Green Tips section. Save some money this year and at the same time save CO2 by being more responsible and conscious of the environment.
Do some work around the house and change your commuting habits and the payoff could be big. You will save money and over 3000 pounds of CO2 per year.
Save Water and Money
In the Green Tips section. From our toilets to our tubs, around 60 percent of a home's water consumption takes place in the bathroom, according to the California Urban Water Conservation Council.
Using 27 percent of a homes supply every year, the toilet is by far the home's largest water user. At that rate, we want to be sure that the federally mandated, 1.6-gallon-per-flush (gpf) model we have really only uses 1.6 gpf-it may use more.
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