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 Clinton Township, MI

Latitude: 42.466086 -- Longitude: -82.946417

Other Area Cities: Grosse Pointe Eastpointe Grosse Pointe Farms Grosse Pointe Park Grosse Pointe Woods Saint Clair Shores

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The community was first settled by Irish and German immigrants in the 1830s. In October 1897, a Post Office was established there with the name of "Half-way", as it was near the halfway point of the stage run between downtown Detroit and the Macomb County seat at Mount Clemens. It incorporated as the village of Halfway in December 1924 and reincorporated as the City of East Detroit in January 1929. The city changed its name to "Eastpointe" after a vote in 1992; the name change had been proposed to reduce its association with the adjacent city of Detroit, and the "-pointe" is intended to associate the city with the exclusive communities of the Grosse Pointes. One effect of changing the city's name was a dramatic rise in property values. Prior to 1924, the majority of the city was part of Erin Township. The school district that serves most of the city was unaffected by the municipal name change, and still uses the name East Detroit Public Schools. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Michigan 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Eastpointe	Michigan	United States
Population	34,077	9,938,444	281,421,906
Median age	36.6	35.5	35.3
Median age for Male	35.1	34.3	34
Median age for Female	38.5	36.6	36.5
Households	13,595	3,785,661	105,480,101
Household population	33,998	9,688,555	273,643,273
Average household size	2.5	2.56	2.59
Families	8,961	2,575,699	71,787,347
Average family size	3.11	3.1	3.14
Housing units	13,965	4,234,279	115,904,641
Occupied units	13,595	3,785,661	105,480,101
Vacant units	370	448,618	10,424,540

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