5 ways to go green and stay comfortable at home

Taking steps to live a greener lifestyle at home can not only help protect the environment, but it can improve the comfort in a home and help save money, too. According to a study conducted by the Home Improvement Research Institute, 41 percent of Americans want to buy green products for their homes. Strategic home feature upgrades and smart habits can help save on utility bills, reduce homeowners’ water use and carbon footprints, and potentially benefit one’s budget long term.

Fortunately, green home improvements don’t have to be difficult. Here are five ideas to make your home more sustainable and help save money:

Install a rainwater barrel: Watering a lawn and garden is essential to the health of the landscape, but running water for hours at a time can be costly and unsustainable. One alternative is investing in a rain barrel. A rain barrel, which can be purchased at a reasonable price, stores rainwater to use later when watering a landscape. Some cities and counties even offer discounted rain barrels to residents to encourage water conservation.

Use a programmable thermostat: A programmable thermostat works by automatically raising or lowering the temperature in your house based on selected settings to keep it comfortable when families are home and save energy when they are not. Smart thermostats are enhanced versions of programmable thermostats that can learn users’ habits and be controlled remotely from an app.

Either option could potentially save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling by simply turning the thermostat back seven to 10 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours a day from its normal setting, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Use natural light, and update bulbs: The natural light that comes into a home does not cost any money, so it is an ideal source to naturally light up a room. Not only does this save on energy costs; the sunshine may also provide a mood boost.

On darker days and in the evening, Energy Star-certified light bulbs can save up to 90 percent in energy consumption when compared to standard bulbs. Using less energy is better for the environment and for the wallet, so individuals should use electric lights only when needed and turn them off when leaving a room.

Upgrade to energy-efficient windows, appliances or HVAC systems: Making energy-efficient home upgrades often requires an investment, but these upgrades can potentially increase your home’s value. For example, installing new energyefficient windows, appliances or heating and cooling systems that use less energy could increase the value of a home.

To help fund certain qualifying home improvements, companies such as Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance often provide loan programs for home upgrades. Such programs allow homeowners to upgrade and repair homes without draining their savings accounts.

Use green cleaning supplies: Natural and eco-friendly cleaning supplies do not use harmful chemicals, which is better for the local water supply and is a great option when cleaning surfaces a family uses often.

There are many cleaning-supply alternatives that are available at local retail stores that contain less potentially harmful chemicals, and some cleaners can be made at home. Pantry staples such as baking soda, distilled white vinegar and lemon juice are common ingredients for creating DIY cleaners that are better for the environment and often cost just pennies to make.