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start creating your greener home with these basic steps

Remember that greening your home makes it more energy-efficient, healthier to live in, and more cost effective to run.

Information gleaned from West Virginia Division of Energy, Allegheny Power Company, Energy Star, the U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program, and Consumer Reports Greener Choices.

• Energy Audits
  • A home energy audit is often the first step in making your home more efficient. An audit can help you assess how much energy your home uses and evaluate what measures you can take to improve efficiency. Learn more
  • Do-It-Yourself Audits - If you have five minutes and your last 12 months of utility bills, use the Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home's energy efficiency to similar homes across the country and get recommendations for energy-saving home improvements. You will also need to enter some basic information about your home (such as zip code, age, square footage, and number of occupants). If you don't have your bills, contact your utility for a 12-month summary.
  • For a more indepth audit first contact your utility to see if they offer free audits. If not ask them who they'd recommend.
  • Allegheny Power customers. We called Allegheny Power's 1-800 number and got passed around a bit. The people we spoke to either didn't know what it was or didn't have any recommendations about how we could proceed. We then went online to their web site. At the bottom of the Watt Watcher's Conserve Energy page we found a note on the PA Home Energy Program created to provide homeowners with access to certified energy audit contractors. According to the web site energy audits are just now being established in Pennsylvania and are expected to become available in mid-September. To learn more go to PA Home Energy or call the PA Home Energy hotline at 1-800-743-1408. We called and left a message. If we find out anything we'll post it here.
  • We have not been able to find out anything for West Virginia yet but will post it here when we do.
  • If you'd like for us to inform you when we have more news about this subject drop us a line.
• Heating and Cooling | Learn more
  • Ducts - Keep air registers and vents clear to allow air to flow freely throughout the room.
  • Windows and Doors - During the winter months, replace your screens with storm windows to provide an extra barrier to the cold outside air. Caulk and weather-strip around windows and door frames that leak air.
  • Install ceiling fans throughout your house. They add value to your home and can reduce heating and cooling bills by circulating conditioned air to where you need it.
  • Close the fireplace flue damper tightly or you'll lose warm or air-conditioned air out the chimney.
  • If you use radiator heat, place heat-resistant reflectors between the radiators and the wall to reflect heat back into the room.
  • Install a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust your home's temperature to take advantage of when you're asleep or away.
  • In the summer, keep your shades or curtains drawn on the sunny side of the house during the day to keep from unnecessarily heating those rooms. In the winter keep them open during sunny days and close them at night to help retain heat. This can be your first step into the world of passive solar heating.
  • Room Air Conditioners - buy an qualified model. They use at least 10 percent less energy than standard models.
    In the winter, be sure to insulate room air conditioners from the outside with a tight-fitting a/c unit cover or remove the window unit in the winter months to prevent energy losses.
  • Seal ductwork air leaks using mastic sealant or metal tape and insulate all the ducts that you can access (such as those in attics, crawlspaces, unfinished basements, and garages). Never use duct tape, as it is not long-lasting. Also, make sure that the connections at vents and registers are well-sealed where they meet the floors, walls, and ceiling. These are common locations to find leaks and disconnected ductwork.
• Electronics | Learn more
  • Buy rated electronic products. They use less energy and save you money.
  • Unplug battery chargers or power adapters when not in use. Also at night use the off button on your power strips. Most electronics run power even when off to give you that instant-on feature.
  • Enable power management features on your home computer and monitor.
• Lighting | Learn more
  • Buy light bulbs for every light source. Start by replacing the 5 most used lights in your home.
  • Turn off lights when you leave a room!
  • Buy solar powered path lights for your yard. Always on and no wiring involved. Stores like Lowe's and Target have a wide variety of solar lighting kits.
• Water Usage | Learn more
  • Install low-flow showerheads on your showers.
  • Don't run the water when you brush your teeth. Keep a plastic cup at the bathroom sink to rinse.
  • Install aerators on all your faucets. You'll use less water while increasing the pressure. You can't lose.
  • Fix any leaky faucets. A drip every second or two really adds up over time. Need proof? That's easy. Put a glass, measuring cup, or bowl under the offending drip before you go to bed. If you come back 8 hours later you'll see what I mean. In this example multiply by 3 to see what gets wasted each day. Then by 365 to get a feel for the yearly total. That should convince you.
  • Save water by scraping dishes instead of rinsing them before loading in the dishwasher. Run your dishwasher with a full load and use the air-dry option if available.
• Waste Management | Learn more
  • recycle, recycle, recycle. If you live in the city limits of Morgantown or Westover, you have access to curbside recycling services. If not go to the Mon County Solid Waste Authority's website for recycling drop off locations. Don't throw it in the landfill for future generations to have to deal with. Recycle it.
• Your Lawn | Learn more
  • . Now what's that? Simply speaking its nothing more than taking into account your local environment when adding plants to your yard. Everytime you plant something that is not native to our area, you set yourself up for extra watering, extra chemical usage, and extra maintenance. Our local plants evolved without our help. Let them adorn your property and then with little or no effort they'll bring beauty to your home for years to come.
  • Along that line, consider reducing the size of your lawn. Not your yard but your lawn. That great, green expanse of grass that you spend hours each week mowing. The lawn that no one ever walks upon. This Old House magazine had an October, 2007 article (or view it online) called "Secrets of a less-lawn yard" in their green issue. Pick it up and start moving towards a healthier yard. One that takes less water, fewer chemicals, and less manpower to maintain but rewards you with more birds and butterflies, more sustainable beauty, and more money in your pocket.