Green Connections Radio™ recently focused on green buildings, with valuable information from experts from the Department of Energy, CoR Adviors an intelligent building consultancy, the American Institute of Architects, and EcoSavvvyMoms.
Here are five tips for “greening” your building – and saving money in the process:
- Find incentives – Tax and financial at www.dsireusa.org – or search “Dsire” – in your area. These could include selling your excess energy back to the grid, called Load Management. If you qualify for such a program, you could be paid back for the energy you don’t use, earning a few bucks while you save energy.
- Avoid Volatile Organic Compounds or V.O.C.s – That “new car smell” comes from highly toxic synthetic materials, including carpet/flooring, furniture, vinyl seats, and synthetic drapes or shower curtains.
- Unplug appliances, where possible – Including before you go to bed. Perhaps the microwave does not need to be plugged in through the night, for example.
- Explore motion detector lights – Because they automatically go on and off when someone is within or outside of range, these are a safety tool as well. Often used outdoors for security purposes, they may be appropriate for office building hallways, too.
- Get an energy audit– Go to www.eere.energy.gov for suggestions on finding a qualified energy auditor, as well as a vast amount of useful information on energy efficiency. You’ll discover windows and doors that leak money while they leak air, for example, and can sometimes be sealed simply with inexpensive easy-to-use caulking.
For more information on these tips and on green buildings, including commercial buildings, please go to www.greenconnectionsradio.com and listen to the podcasts of Green Connections Radio™ guests, such as Darlene Lake, Amy Sorter and Jaime Carlson.
This article was originally published by NAFE and was reprinted with permission.
