The best to way to "green" your home

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The most power consuming act a home owner can do is heat up their home in the winter and cool it down in the summer. Unfortunately this is 100% necessary for modern living. So how can you do both of these things with extremely low power consumption?

That's where geothermal comes in. If you have never heard of it, or are unsure exactly how it works, check out this short video explanation.

YouTube - MrKeepthelightson's Channel

It requires a sizable investment upfront to install, but pays itself back even faster then photovoltaics or wind generators. I truly believe that this is the way to go, especially if you own your home and know you will be there for a little while.

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?

Yea probably.

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.

Excellent! i like it.

That's a good idea. With some exposure and a protptype, which I assume you have, this could do well.

Here are some energy saving tips for your home as demonstrated in this funny take on Cribs: YouTube - Digs - Mega Watt

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.

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!!

LeSTO Energy Saving Survey - great way to find out how to save energy in the home.

Originally Posted by Val

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!!

This is truly making your home green!

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.