Green home improvements, big and small
By Heather
As I was pondering some of the easy changes you can make for Earth Day, it also occurred to me how many bigger changes that my family and I have made in our house since becoming home-owners five years ago.
My husband, Alec, is a handy guy. He can hang shelves, strap bookcases to the wall, and install our window shades with ease. I also appreciate that he is willing and able to crawl under our house to change the furnace filter from time to time (it is not pleasant down there).
So, allow me to give him a virtual pat on the back and share some of these home improvements we’ve done that are better for the earth (and better for the checkbook) over time.
For one-time home repairs, we had professional help to:
- replace our windows with better ones
- insulate the walls with recycled denim
- insulate our attic and install a lighter color roof
- refinish our bathtub (rather than replace)
- replace our outdated knob and tube electrical wiring with safer wires.
![[close up of denim insulation, photo by slowey]](http://www.safetyathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/blog4.jpg "Denim Insulation")
Close up of Denim Insulation, photo by Slowey
And without needing to call a specialist, we
installed a programmable thermostat. Oh did I say “we”? Yes, Alec did it. But I learned how to use it to set the temperatures lower when we’re not home or sleeping. So, I’ll take one pat on the back over here too.
What green home improvements have you made? Which ones do you leave to the professionals?
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