Remodeling the Green Way

Go over your home: Get an energy audit from a home energy expert to show you any problems and to point out specific ways you can improve the efficiancy of your home.

Seal up your home: Have a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) contractor's check up. Doing this as part of the inspection when buying a home is a must, and doing improvments before you sell or as a part of regular home upkeep is necessary.

Seal it even more: Add extra insulation to the attic, crawlspace, and basement. Choose from sprayed-in, closed-cell and Volatile Organic Compounds-free (VOC) foam insulations that can

Reuse original components, or ones from friends and families homes. Recycle items that can't be reused. Re-purpose materials, and buy from recycling improvement centers.

Choose VOC-free paints and varnishes, and use engineered wood products and Forestry Stewardship Council-certified (FSC) woods, along with carpet made from natural fibers and cork flooring. Not only will this keep chemicals from affecting you, they are also easier to break down if the next person to own your house sends them to the landfill.

Improve energy efficiency by installing the latest, most efficient HVAC equipment, and by using double or triple-paned windows with reflective coating if windows need to be replaced. Select EnergyStar rated appliances for the kitchen and install newer low-flow, dual flush toilets.

Don't stop, green your house all the way to the roof. By extending the roof overhangs you protect the exterior from weather and also provide shade for the summer. Go even further by installing solar panels on a roof with unobstructed, south-facing access to sunlight.

Any time you work on your home try to be as green as possible. Even if you are only doing one thing at a time it can make a difference, and over the years it can add up. Even without remodeling you can make improvements, just changing the filter in your furnace makes it run more efficiently and cleanly, and prolongs its life.