The best to way to "green" your home

That is great! However for places with more sun all year round, such as tropical countries, would it be more advisable to invest on a solar panel?

The only setback I see is when rainy season comes. But think of the energy saved not to mention the savings from this. What do you think?

I saw a feature of this house that had several pipes dug in deep into the ground. It somehow sucked in the cold from the ground during hot seasons and maintained the heat during winter... Something like that. I wonder how much that cost, but it sure looked like a very good investment.

Originally Posted by Franchette

I saw a feature of this house that had several pipes dug in deep into the ground. It somehow sucked in the cold from the ground during hot seasons and maintained the heat during winter... Something like that. I wonder how much that cost, but it sure looked like a very good investment.

You should take a look at the video linked above explaining what geothermal is. The feature you saw was geothermal.

There are actually many house plants that do clean and filter the air in your home and you only need 1 plant per room. As example is the spider plant, don't worry if you are not green fingered as they love neglect and don't mind dark rooms and over watering.

The best thing is to build your house green from the start!! Otherwise, green remodeling can be done. Adding solar electric, solar hot water, straw bale super insulation, thermal mass sun rooms to grow food and heat in the winter. Getting rid of heavy electric or energy use items like CRT TVs and monitors in favor of LED types, energy star appliances, and get rid of the clothes dryers!!! Use a line outside and the 6 line stretch across your garage types (we have both). Switching to insulated roofing, from recyclable to living roof types. Low water use and gray water use, by efficiency and conscious effort, plus low water use Staber and other front loader type efficient washing machines for clothes, and super efficient dish washing by hand or the newest low water use, low power use electric models. Replace your refrigerator with a really efficient one like Sun Frost, or a small Dometic. On demand hot water heater, natural landscaping and gardens for growing food. Reduce family size to one child or none, and reduce house size from the piggish American average (by greedy "developers"). Buy American, and don't use immigrant labor--do it yourself.

Geothermal is the future "to heat" in Europe... But in US burning coal or gasoline is not made to stop now...
I did write a few articles about "Geothermal". Geothermal Energy = Green Energy « Green San Diego's Blog
Geothermal is a clean, renewable energy, even if the renewal is not as immediate as solar or wind power.

Geothermal is generally very expensive and energy intensive. Some places, like Phoenix, have an underground temperature of 70*F, right in the comfort zone, down 6' and more. No heat pump or deep drilling needed! But do they build "the right way" there? NO!! Now Obama is allowing an increase in coal burning that will have the USA putting out 50% more CO2 in 15 years, while they spend a couple billion on solar and push themselves as green.
Remodeling existing homes with Earthship style mass walls and sun rooms for heat and growing food, attaching straw bales to super insulate the rest of the house, putting solar panels on the roof, and hybrid/electric cars in the garage are what is needed by the many millions--like all 80 million homes in the USA. No more coal!!! Phase out the coal plants here, immediately!!

The above, along with the biggest green thing a person can do---go to one or no child families, and tell the politicians to shut off immigration and kick out the illegals. Overpopulation is the root cause of nearly all environmental problems, along with consumerism like selling products. So many who advertize "green" are bull. Trinkets won't stop the population crash. Trinkets won't cause a 90% reduction in HGHGs to mitigate AGW.. Population must be lowered 2/3 to sustainable, along with green lifestyles, homes, and transportation. Time is of the essence.

Originally Posted by Val

The best thing is to build your house green from the start!! Otherwise, green remodeling can be done. Adding solar electric, solar hot water, straw bale super insulation, thermal mass sun rooms to grow food and heat in the winter. Getting rid of heavy electric or energy use items like CRT TVs and monitors in favor of LED types, energy star appliances, and get rid of the clothes dryers!!! Use a line outside and the 6 line stretch across your garage types (we have both). Switching to insulated roofing, from recyclable to living roof types. Low water use and gray water use, by efficiency and conscious effort, plus low water use Staber and other front loader type efficient washing machines for clothes, and super efficient dis washing by hand or the newest low water use, low power use electric models. Replace your refrigerator with a really efficient one like Sun Frost. On demand hot water heater, natural landscaping and gardens for growing food. Reduce family size to one child or none, and reduce house size from the piggish American average (by greedy "developers"). Buy American, and don't use immigrant labor--do it yourself.

That's a good idea

Originally Posted by Val

The above, along with the biggest green thing a person can do---go to one or no child families, and tell the politicians to shut off immigration and kick out the illegals. Overpopulation is the root cause of nearly all environmental problems, along with consumerism like selling products. So may who advertize "green" are bull. Trinkets won't stop the population crash. Trinkets won't cause a 90% reduction in HGHGs to mitigate AGW.. Population must be lowered 2/3 to sustainable, along with green lifestyles, homes, and transportation. Time is of the essence.

Thank you, vanessa, don't forget this, too! If we just enforced laws, the fines owed would way more than pay off the National Debt. Population reduction, consumption per capita, and a large reduction in HGHG emissions are all essential and needed ASAP. Tipping points have been reached, and we must pull back from them or face a "natural" huge population crash, followed by a "thermageddon" extinction.

Thanks for the info.Energy efficient appliances can help in conserving energy. Trees can used to shade exterior air-conditioning units, they will use less energy. They also provide shade cooling and protect from drafts and winds. Choose cooling appliances that is adequate to room size. A larger unit may be wasting energy. The electricity on air condition can be saved, raise the setting by a couple of degrees; you will not notice the change, only the energy savings. Get more such energy conservation tips

Originally Posted by Val

Thank you, vanessa, don't forget this, too! If we just enforced laws, the fines owed would way more than pay off the National Debt. Population reduction, consumption per capita, and a large reduction in HGHG emissions are all essential and needed ASAP. Tipping points have been reached, and we must pull back from them or face a "natural" huge population crash, followed by a "thermageddon" extinction.

Conservation ISN'T ENOUGH!!

Originally Posted by Val

The best thing is to build your house green from the start!! Otherwise, green remodeling can be done. Adding solar electric, solar hot water, straw bale super insulation, thermal mass sun rooms to grow food and heat in the winter. Getting rid of heavy electric or energy use items like CRT TVs and monitors in favor of LED types, energy star appliances, and get rid of the clothes dryers!!! Use a line outside and the 6 line stretch across your garage types (we have both). Switching to insulated roofing, from recyclable to living roof types. Low water use and gray water use, by efficiency and conscious effort, plus low water use Staber and other front loader type efficient washing machines for clothes, and super efficient dis washing by hand or the newest low water use, low power use electric models. Replace your refrigerator with a really efficient one like Sun Frost. On demand hot water heater, natural landscaping and gardens for growing food. Reduce family size to one child or none, and reduce house size from the piggish American average (by greedy "developers"). Buy American, and don't use immigrant labor--do it yourself.

To me, eco homes must have as many of these characteristics as possible;
1)Low wood use, 2)a lot of thermal mass,3) use of indigenous materials,4) solar thermal gain, 5)solar power and/or wind power, 6)water catchment and/or recycling/minimal use,7) use of recycled materials, 8)super insulation and 9) interior year around gardens that grow food.
The Earthship is the "Holy Grail" of eco-homes because it can have all 9 characteristics. Others can be designed to have all nine also, like straw bale homes with trombe walls and interior gardens. An A frame could have up to 7 out of 9, and a dome maybe up to 6 out of 9 with difficulty.
That's the real green!!!