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!

As of 11/27/09 the Kristine Sage RePage is ranked at 8,241 with 40 points.
The monthly top RePage owner will receive a cash prize. Help this agent by bookmarking this site and posting it to blogs and other Web pages and encourage others to visit.

Local Information for Delray Beach, FL

Latitude: 26.459101 -- Longitude: -80.083038

Other Area Cities: Delray Beach Boca Raton Boynton Beach Deerfield Beach Lake Worth Lantana Ocean Ridge Greenacres

Enter our Photo Sweepstakes and Win $200 for your Delray Beach photos!

To see random photos for other cities Click Here.

Submit your photos of Delray Beach and become eligible to win $200. Click Here for details.

The history of Delray Beach effectively begins with the construction of the Orange Grove House of Refuge in 1876. The house derived its name from the grove of mature sour orange and other tropical fruit trees found at the site chosen for the house of refuge, but no record or evidence of who planted the trees has survived. Indians presumably lived or passed through the area at various times, and hunters, trappers, and run-away slaves may also have lived or passed through the area in the 18th and 19th Centuries, but there is no record or evidence of them. Settlement began around 1890, when African-Americans from the Panhandle of Florida bought land a little inland from the Orange Grove House of Refuge and began farming. By 1894 the African-American community was large enough to establish the first school in the area. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Florida 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Delray Beach	Florida	United States
Population	60,020	15,982,378	281,421,906
Median age	43.8	38.7	35.3
Median age for Male	41.6	37.3	34
Median age for Female	46.1	40.1	36.5
Households	26,787	6,337,929	105,480,101
Household population	59,490	15,593,433	273,643,273
Average household size	2.22	2.46	2.59
Families	15,091	4,210,760	71,787,347
Average family size	2.87	2.98	3.14
Housing units	31,702	7,302,947	115,904,641
Occupied units	26,787	6,337,929	105,480,101
Vacant units	4,915	965,018	10,424,540

Visit US Census