{"id":1662,"date":"2013-03-15T11:40:16","date_gmt":"2013-03-15T19:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dfdhouseplans.com\/blog\/?p=1662"},"modified":"2013-03-15T13:53:58","modified_gmt":"2013-03-15T21:53:58","slug":"three-simple-ways-to-green-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dfdhouseplans.com\/blog\/three-simple-ways-to-green-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Simple Ways to Green Your Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"center\">Spring is just around the corner and as green starts to make its presence known in the grass and the trees there are simple things that everyone can do to green their new home.\u00a0You can look for eco-friendly building materials and green solutions to many of your home building processes, but while you wait to move in, here are a few more simple solutions to consider.<\/p>\n<p><b>Update Your Appliances<\/b><\/p>\n<p>One of the things that no home should be without is an ENERGY STAR rated refrigerator. The refrigerator is\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dfdhouseplans.com\/articles\/ingredients-for-green-kitchen.asp\">one of the biggest energy hogs in a home<\/a>.\u00a0When a fridge, ten year or older is replaced with an\u00a0ENERGY STAR rated model, the average home owner can save up to $150 according to the Environmental Protection Agency. And according to\u00a0ENERGY STARS\u2019s\u00a0website, if one in ten homes used\u00a0ENERGY STAR appliances, it would be the equivalent to 1.7 acres of new trees.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 567px\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"popular ranch house plan\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dfdhouseplans.com\/plan\/4445\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"popular ranch house plan\" src=\"http:\/\/images.dfdhouseplans.com\/images\/plans\/AEA\/uploads\/Tres-Le-Fleur_Front-Renderi.jpg\" width=\"567\" height=\"257\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dfdhouseplans.com\/plan\/4445\/\">This rustic ranch home<\/a> is not only stylish, but it is also ENERGY STAR rated. Inside this home is an open layout with a large great room and a kitchen that boasts a 8\u2019 by 4\u2019 island. With three bedrooms and three full baths, this is the perfect home for a growing family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><b>Watch the Temperature<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Almost half of a home\u2019s energy is consumed during heating and cooling. You can save that energy by being mindful of the temperature. Keep the thermostat down in cold weather and up in warm weather. For each degree you lower your thermostat during colder weather saves you between 3 and 5 percent more on heat energy. During warmer weather, keeping the thermostat at 78 degrees will help you save money. You can also consider using ceiling fans instead of air conditioners.<\/p>\n<p>If you are planning for next winter, you can also consider buying a new furnace.\u00a0\u00a0Furnaces made today are 25 percent more efficient than those made in the 1980s. You can also find furnaces that carry the\u00a0ENERGY STAR label as well.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 600px\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"cozy cottage house plan\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dfdhouseplans.com\/plan\/3083\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"cozy cottage house plan\" src=\"http:\/\/images.dfdhouseplans.com\/images\/plans\/DDA\/DDA-N-65%20THD3083\/N-65-10_4.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"380\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dfdhouseplans.com\/plan\/3083\/\">ENERGY STAR rated farm house plan<\/a> has plenty of character. Inside is an open layout with a large great room, kitchen, and dining room. The master bedroom is on the first floor with a walk-in closet. The upstairs contains two bedrooms and a loft.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><b>Save Water<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Adding things like an aerator or <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dfdhouseplans.com\/articles\/bathroom-products.asp\">a low-flow toilet, or showerhead<\/a> can help you towards saving water.\u00a0You can save water simply by changing certain behaviors.\u00a0\u00a0For example, shutting off the water while you brush your teeth saves 4.5 gallons every time and using a broom instead of a garden hose to clean your driveway will save 80 gallons of water.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to living green, using green materials is half the battle, but there are always little things that you can do to save more energy and water. Living green doesn\u2019t have to mean making compromise after compromise. You can have style and still be green with some simple lifestyle changes and <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dfdhouseplans.com\/plans\/energystar_house_plans\/\">one of several award winning ENERGY STAR rated <b>house plans<\/b><\/a> from Direct from the Designers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spring is just around the corner and as green starts to make its presence known in the grass and the trees there are simple things that everyone can do to green their new home.\u00a0You can look for eco-friendly building materials and green solutions to many of your home building processes, but while you wait to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[15,95,50],"class_list":["post-1662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-house-plans","tag-green-building-2","tag-green-houses","tag-green-living"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - 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