Buying Green - Or Greenish

November 20, 2008

This year’s energy scare is a taste of what will come. Experts all agree that our use of energy in this country has to change. So if you’re looking to buy a home, how do you choose a home that has a moderate appetite for energy? Although “green” homes are becoming more popular, they come at a price. But there are alternative choices that will provide savings if you are aware when you go looking.

The first thing to look at is the orientation of the home. Passive solar homes are designed to work with the sun. The ideal home is one with most windows facing the south. During the hot summer months, the sun moves over your house but will not directly shine into the south facing windows. During the winter months, the sun is lower and will shine into your south facing windows, providing solar warmth to your home. A home with a lot of west facing windows will have much higher cooling bills as the hot afternoon summer sun will penetrate even double glazed windows.

Next take a look at how the house conserves energy. The existing homeowner may be able to tell you what the energy efficiency rating is on the house. Are the windows double or tripple glazed? Is there insulation in the attic and under the floors (not all areas of the country need insulation under the floors). Do the built-in appliances have an ENERGY STAR rating? Is the home leaking energy? Sealing air leaks is the quickest and cheapest energy improvement you can make. Actual savings vary for each home, but it is possible to reduce energy costs by one-third. Sealing air leaks can save money in other ways, because a tighter home envelop allows for smaller-capacity heating and cooling equipment. The best way to reduce air leaks and implement the right ventilation strategy is to hire an energy analyst to run a blower door test.

Bear in mind that once you buy a home you there are other things you can easily do to increase the energy efficiency of your home. Unplug appliances when not in use, especially chargers. Switch to using energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). Look for ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs by choosing the right lumens (not watts). Use cold water to wash clothes, line dry items, use air dry instead of heated dry on your dishwasher. Invest in thermal shades or drapes.

So with a little forethought, your next home could be a partner in your effort to save both money and the earth’s natural resources!

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Local Information for Cordova, TN

Latitude: 35.089023 -- Longitude: -89.793997

Other Area Cities: Germantown Bartlett Collierville Olive Branch Memphis

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Germantown is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. Germantown is best known as a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee. The city also is home to some of the highest real estate prices in the area. Bordering Memphis to the east, Germantown is a quiet town of streets lined with mature hardwood trees, and often stately homes. There is practically no industry in Germantown, but the city is home to significant retail. In the city center is the Old Town Germantown neighborhood, anchored by a depot and railroad tracks that recall the community's earliest days of development as an outpost along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. Annual events in Germantown include the Germantown Festival, and the Germantown Charity Horse Show which lures equestrians from all over the country.The median income for a household in the city was $94,609, and the median income for a family was $103,726. Males had a median income of $77,857 versus $38,311 for females. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Tennessee 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Germantown	Tennessee	United States
Population	37,348	5,689,283	281,421,906
Median age	41.3	35.9	35.3
Median age for Male	41	34.5	34
Median age for Female	41.5	37.2	36.5
Households	13,220	2,232,905	105,480,101
Household population	37,314	5,541,337	273,643,273
Average household size	2.82	2.48	2.59
Families	11,064	1,547,835	71,787,347
Average family size	3.14	2.99	3.14
Housing units	13,676	2,439,443	115,904,641
Occupied units	13,220	2,232,905	105,480,101
Vacant units	456	206,538	10,424,540

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