Reuse, Reduce, Remodel

REDUCE, REUSE, REMODEL ECO-FRIENDLY HOME UPGRADES THAT PAY YOU BACK With energy costs rising by an average of 6 percent every year, what's a homeowner to do? Green-ovate! After paying for themselves, many green home improvements have a return on investment that far outperforms CDs, savings accounts, and the stock market. If you're looking for a place to put your money, these home improve- ANNUAL SAVINGS PAYBACK TIME 20-YEAR SAVINGS ADDED COST ments have the highest rate of return. Note: The estimates below are a reflection of buying each upgrade system at full price. Homeowners can save even more by taking advantage of local national tax incentives for certain upgrades or by leasing systems such as solar. SOLAR H0T WATER o$280 GREEN ROOF Channeling water from rooftop panels to an existing tank o$2.500 limits the energy used to heat water. o$5,600 o$800 O$16,000 rooftops limit water Plant-filled flat 08.9 yrs 010 yrs run-off and provide o$8,000 greater insulation that saves energy. SOLAR FOR ELECTRICITY SMART ROOF o$1,200 Converting sunlight O $60,000 into electricity can o 10.8 yrs dramatically cut O $13,000 energy costs. Grants o$300 "Smart" shingles or O$6,000 reflective or metal 06.7 yrs roofing limit the O$2.000 heat that's trans- and tax incentives ferred in attics. now make it more affordable for the average homeowner. HIGH-EFFICIENCY SHOWER HEADS o$300 High-performance SEAL DUCT LEAKS O$6,000 shower heads can o$300 Sealed and insu- save as much as 40 00.9 yrs O$6,000 lated ducts make 01.5 yrs heating and cooling more efficient by limiting air lost as it travels. percent of the water used in conventional O$180 O $450 showers. THERMAL MASS FLOORS LOW-EMISSIVE O$400 Flooring materials o$8,000 that hold tempera- ture better (such as ceramic tile) reduce demand on a furnace or A/C, WINDOWS o$300 O$6,000 02.3 yrs energy costs o$700 Low-emissive win- 07.5 yrs o$3,000 dows help reduce because they alter the way windows transfer heat. RADIANT FLOORS PROGRAMMABLE o$550 Radiant systems o$11,000 apply heat directly 07.3 yrs to floors and can o$4,000 decrease heating costs by as much as 40 percent. THERMOSTAT O$180 Programmable o$3,600 thermostats can 0.6 yrs automatically lower O$115 or raise tempera- tures to levels that lower cost. INSULATED WALLS o$300 Properly-insulated o$6,000 walls contain fewer 02.5 yrs gaps, saving energy o$750 and reducing utility costs. LARGE-SCALE WATER RETENTION/ CONSERVATION Rain water or grey- o$216 O $4,320 o 10.2 yrs systems recycle o $2,200 water collection water for irrigation or toilets, decreasing water costs. FURNACE REPLACEMENT WHOLE-HOUSE o $300 High efficiency, O $6,000 variable speed, or 03.8 yrs two-stage system o$1,145 Turnaces can cut WATER FILTERS GEOTHERMAL o $312 o $6,240 o 3.2 yrs O $1,000 Filtration systems supply filtered water to every house faucet, cutting the cost of buying bottled water. SYSTEM o$3,000 Geothermal systems heating and cool- ing costs. O$60,000 use the ground temperature to o10 yrs o$30.000 reduce the energy it takes to heat or cool a home. |One Block Off the Grid SOURCE:GREENANDSAVE.COM GROUP DISCOUNTS ON SOLAR HTTP://1BOG.ORG