Green Homes F
or Sale

 If you've been looking at real estate ads and you've seen one that says "green homes for sale," you might wonder at first why someone would list the color of their home in an offer. That's not what this type of ad is all about. It only states that the homes for sale are earth friendly and energy efficient. Green homes for sale are being built in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint we leave behind.

When you buy a green home, they will include all or some of the following earth-friendly features. Fiber cement cladding
• Alternative energy system such as wind and solar energy
• Recycled building insulation
• Free of VOC stains and paints, which stands for Volatile Organic Compound. It is any compound that is carbon based and will vaporize at standard room temperature• Solar hot water heating

Even if you don't live in a green home, there are things you can do to increase energy savings. It will even contribute to the protection of our environment. Making your home a green home can help reduce global warming and save the homeowner money. It will significantly improve the environment and require little effort for the home owner
Creating a green home

• Start using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) instead of standard light bulbs. By switching to CFLs, you can save over a hundred dollars a year. You can find these lights in the same aisle as your regular light bulbs, but they are a bit more expensive. If every home in the United States switched the type of light bulbs they used to CFLs, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by one trillion pounds.
• Install a thermostat that is programmable – With this type ofthermostat, the homeowner can program the thermostat to turn off the air conditioning or heating when the home owners are not home. A programmable thermostat can be programmed to cool or heat your home shortly before the homeowner gets home. This change could save a homeowner ten percent or more on cooling and heating costsave a homeowner ten percent or more on cooling and heating costs
• Seal air leaks - this will help the homeowner save money and practice conservation. You can do this by installing weatherstripping, preventing rapid temperature fluctuations in your home, and properly sealing windows to stop drafts.
• Energy Star® rated appliances – reduce the amount of electricity needed to operate them, so they have less impact on the environment.