 If you're renovating your home, adding green features won't actually cost much more than using conventional features, but you'll save money over time. A famous study done in 2003 in California found that going green with renovations costs only about 2% more than conventional renovations, but that over time the average operational savings was 20%. That means that you receive ten times the return on your investment. Many experts actually estimate the savings over time to be much higher; even as much as 60%. There are also government incentives for going green. For example, the State of Massachusetts offers a 15% tax credit for alternative energy installations.
The problem with statistics is that they can seem very abstract to an individual. For that reason, take a look at some very concrete, real examples. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are a great example. Most homes are currently maintained with HVAC systems that are too big for the home. When HVAC systems are too big, there are a lot of problems associated with their capacity. Temperatures can be uneven, which leads to the need to overheat or overcool a home. Placing a higher demand on an HVAC system can translate into higher maintenance costs as well as a larger environmental impact and carbon footprint. Considering the fact that your HVAC system accounts for almost half of your utility bill, it makes sense to get the most energy-efficient system available. You can determine the efficiency of your new HVAC system with a few numbers. The first is the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). SEER ratings range from 13 to 23. An HVAC system is considered efficient when its SEER rating is above 14. You also need to look at the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER). The EER rating tops off in the low 20's, and a rating of 19 or 20 is great, though Energy Star requires that the minimum EEF be at least 7. All of these numbers translate into lower operating costs. Energy Star claims that an energy efficient HVAC system will yield about $200 in annual savings (which is about equal to the additional price of an energy efficient system).
Perhaps the best example of how going green saves money over time (and reduces your carbon footprint) can be seen by changing your light bulbs. An incandescent bulb, which is the bulb that you probably have in most of your fixtures now, is not very efficient as only about 2% of the energy it uses actually produces light. The other 98% percent or so of the energy is emitted as heat, not light. Suppose you replace just one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb. An incandescent bulb costs about $1.00 and lasts about 1,000 hours. A CFL bulb costs $5.00 and lasts about 10,000 hours. So, you need to buy 10 incandescent bulbs to replace 1 CFL bulb. Therefore, the cost of CFL bulbs is half the cost of incandescent bulbs over time. The CFL bulb is more efficient, so a 28-watt CLF bulb provides the same amount of light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb. Throughout the 10,000 hours of a CFL bulb, the energy would cost about $32 (if your electricity costs about $0.12/kWh) compared to $120 for an incandescent bulb. Now imagine if you replaced every incandescent bulb in your home with CFL bulbs. The savings would add up fast!
EnviroCitizen.org hopes that these facts and figures will further persuade you that green renovations are best for the environment and your wallet in the long run.
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