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 Florence, SC

Latitude: 34.184088 -- Longitude: -79.774147

Other Area Cities: Florence Darlington

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Florence is the county seat of and largest city in Florence CountyGR6 South Carolina, United States. This 1997 All-America City finalist, with its historic homes and towering medical center towers, came together to form a cultural center for the northeastern portion of South Carolina. The city population was 30,248 as of the 2000 census (67,314 total pop. of Florence Urbanized Area). The Florence metropolitan statistical area, which consists of Florence and Darlington counties, was estimated at 198,443 inhabitants in 2005 by the U.S. Census Bureau, though nearly half of this population is classified as rural. Florence is the primary city of "Pee Dee" region of South Carolina, an area that includes the eight counties of northeastern South Carolina along with sections in southeastern North Carolina.Florence has become a major biomedical and financial center of the eastern carolinas. Many financial institutions and banking centers have regional offices located in the city. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

South Carolina 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Florence	South Carolina	United States
Population	30,248	4,012,012	281,421,906
Median age	36.8	35.4	35.3
Median age for Male	35	34	34
Median age for Female	38.5	36.7	36.5
Households	11,925	1,533,854	105,480,101
Household population	29,093	3,876,975	273,643,273
Average household size	2.44	2.53	2.59
Families	7,878	1,072,822	71,787,347
Average family size	3.03	3.02	3.14
Housing units	13,090	1,753,670	115,904,641
Occupied units	11,925	1,533,854	105,480,101
Vacant units	1,165	219,816	10,424,540

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