Santa Cruz County Home & Community Information

10 EASY WAYS TO GREEN YOUR HOME

For many in Santa Cruz living in an environmentally conscious way is a priority.  Our homes and the way we use them have a huge impact on the environment.  Green homes and green building has become very popular in California and Santa Cruz. There is a new loan product - Energy Efficient Mortgages - that will help you with the cost too.

 For those looking for ways to make their home more Green here are a few simple ways to do so:

1.  Replace your old appliances with new Energy Efficient appliances.  Make sure to look for the Energy Star sticker.  Consider replacing your hot water heater with a tankless hot water heater - big energy saver!

2.  When repainting your home use low VOC (Volitale Organic Compound) paint.  Most commonly sold paints have toxins and solvents in them that are harmful to your home's air quality.

3.  Conserve Water - replace your old toilets with low-flow toilets and use low-flow shower heads.  There are new dual flush toilets out now that save even more water.  Consider putting in a rainwater catchment system. In Santa Cruz County, Allterra is a great local company that can help a homeowner do this.

4.  Replace your old single pane windows with double pane windows.  Replacing windows can be a big cost but well worth it in the long run.  These new double paned windows will insulate your home cutting down on heating and air conditioning costs.  Weatherstrip and caulk to plug up air leaks in your doors and windows.  Call your local Santa Cruz General Contractor to find out the cost of replacing your old windows.

5.  When putting in hardwood floors use bamboo instead of wood.  Bamboo floors look great and are made from a renewable resource.

6.  The old standby 'Put on a Sweater' when the temperature drops instead of cranking up the heater to 75 degrees.  If you have an older furnace consider replacing it - the newer ones are up to 25% more efficient!  Seal up those heating ducts.

7.  Replace all your light bulbs with Energy Efficient bulbs.  They use much less energy and last up to 10 times longer!  Remember to turn off lights in rooms you are not using. 

8.  Garden Green - use compost instead of fertilizer.  Don't overwater and water before 8am and after 6pm.  Reconsider putting in that new lawn - use drought resistant native landscaping instead.

9.  Recycle - Recycle - Recycle  In Santa Cruz County you can recycle almost everything now in your home refuse so take advantage and cut down on the landfill.

10.  If you can - go solar.  Installing solar hot water panels is a start and if you have enough $ you can install enough solar panels to power your whole home.  There are now solar leasing programs where you don't have to pay the upfront cost of installing solar.  See my post Solar homes for sale in Santa Cruz -add value to your home for more info

In Santa Cruz County there are Green Homes for sale and properties that have some features of Green Homes.  Contact me for a list of these properties or more ways to Green your home.