SanJoseGreenHome.com

Unawareness can be costly… Please, someone tell her the facts before she flushes!

Did you know most home owners are not aware that their green upgrades can affect their insurance?  Sadly, most insurance agents are also in the dark.  That is why you should be pro-active and take the savings opportunities into your own hands. 

Truth is, in some ways, homes are like auto drivers – the safer the property the better insurance rate one should get.  Energy efficiency improvements will save you on your energy bills, so why not take an extra step and save on your insurance? 

Here are top 5 ways to save real dough: 

PLUMBING, HVAC, ELECTRICAL:  As homes age, they require maintenance, and at some point plumbing, HVAC, and Electrical will have to be updated. The newer infrastructure is often safer, healthier, and more energy efficient. Not only is this greener for your life, but greener in your pocket. Be sure to tell your agent about home infrastructure updates because it will give you a better rate on your policy. 

SOLAR POWER/ENERGY STAR HOMES:  Often I get asked how and where to buy solar system insurance. I tell people that buying insurance specifically for your home solar system is like buying an auto insurance policy, and then buying a second insurance policy for your tires. It doesn’t make sense! Add the solar system to your home owner’s insurance policy because (more…)

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Let’s face it, no home is truly green without supporting the health of its inhabitants.  With a rise of cases where more and more people, and especially our children, are developing allergies, asthma, and chemical sensitivities, many are looking for solutions in the the quality of their indoor air as never before. 

Want to hear some awesome news?  We have an abundance of options to keep our in-home air as fresh as the Amazon rain forest.  OK ok, maybe not like the Amazon, but close.  Come with us on a tour of non-toxic and sustainable materials to learn some things you can do to give your lungs a break that they deserve. 

PART II

If you have learned something new here, please share it with your family and friends.  They will thank you for it.

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Some say that remodeling green is an incredibly joyful adventure.  Some feel that planning, choosing, and fighting with one’s spouse over the colors and materials is more painful than waxing ears.  Whatever your position is, these tips will make your experience more enjoyable.  Most of this advice comes from experience or friends in the community.  

When remodeling green, avoid making these mistakes: 

1.  Getting excited about eco-chic materials first and busting your budget.  It’s hard to resist starting with items like recycled glass countertops  or FSC  certified cabinets but do focus on upgrading you home’s energy efficiency first.  Start with things like water tightening you walls, insulation, windows, furnace and solar water heater.  If you have money left, go for the updates that make your nest more fun and cozy.

2.  Going overboard on upgrades for the neighborhood.  Significantly over-improving only feels good until you’re trying to sell your home.  If you only knew how often an overpriced home simply sits on the market because the homeowners are trying to recoup their fortune that they spent on remodeling…  Depending on the price range, few buyers will likely pay extra $30,000 – $50,000 above neighborhood market price, even if your home is a model of energy efficiency.

3.  Failing to take a holistic approach.  Often, when you change your home’s one component, it affects all others.  For example, (more…)

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Homes in Mexico built from garage doors salvaged from Bay Area and LA. Photo is a courtesy of The Reuse People. http://thereusepeople.org/

You’ve heard the saying: “One man’s trash is another one’s treasure.”  Nothing can be more true when speaking about the actual parts of your house.  We reuse and recycle things like plastic to paper without giving it a thought so why should it be any different when it comes to our home?  Various parts and systems of the house can be often reused in other properties and often re-purposed for building homes for the less affluent ones in Bay Area or even across the border.  Amazingly, deconstruction can even be more cost effective than plain demolition. 

The questions abound… If you are tearing down an old home or a part of it do you demolish or deconstruct?  Do you take it to a landfill or would you rather have someone else enjoy your “trash” as their treasure?  What’s more cost effective and what’s more reasonable for the environment?  Most people believe plain old demolition is the way to go but hold your horses; you may be up for a surprise.  

Salvaging means deconstructing the house piece by piece to keep the materials and systems in tact.  The advantages can be enormous: 

• Salvaging saves embodied energy – the energy that was used in the work of making a product. This lifecycle of each product includes raw material extraction, transport, manufacturing, assembly, installation, disassembly, etc. 
• Salvaging can actually improve a standard of living – allows low income members of society to buy materials at a fraction of the cost.   This can really mean the difference between a straw barn or a functional house, like in the case of homes in (more…)

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Did you know that your roof color can actually affect your energy bill, your comfort in the house and even contribute to climate change?  It’s true.  Our usually dark colored composition roofs contribute to what is called an “urban heat island.”  The problem with most of home roofs is that they absorb the heat of the sun, the temperature of the area rises and our air conditioners have to work much harder to keep us all cool and cozy. 

What’s a Heat Island? 

No, it’s not an island in the Bahamas.  The term “heat island” describes built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas.  According to the EPA, the annual air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1.8–5.4°F warmer than its surroundings. In the evening, the difference can be as high as 22°F. 

Source: EPA Website

Heat islands are no joke.  They can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and heat-related illness.    

What Can Home Owners Do? 

Very simple.  Next time you are replacing your roof, opt for a (more…)

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For obvious benefits, many home owners will remodel their home before putting it on the market for a better re-sale value. Being a busy Realtor, my job requires touring a lot of home listings. What I notice is that following the advice of their agent, the majority of folks pick granite counter tops as the choice to update their kitchens and appeal to the modern buyer. But is granite a true must when it comes to style?

Mining of granite so that our kitchen counters can look just like everyone else’s is not only becoming boring but is also blight on the environment. You see, most of it is quarried from an open-pit mine, which then just becomes an open pit that is often used as a landfill. Plus there’s the issue of how far the granite has to be transported and the carbon footprint it leaves behind. Some of the mines are in desert areas of the United States, but others are in China and India. That’s one long way for it to travel before it reaches our kitchen. That is not necessary.

If you are in a mood for a chic new look and a much more sustainable product check out recycled glass counter tops. You may be absolutely stunned by how great this product looks (I sure was). Your friends will always inquire about it and drop their jaws when they find out how it’s made.

At the West Coast Geen 2009 I interviewed Ryan Bloom. He works with IceStone products for Cerami Inc. In this video Ryan briefly discussed environmental impacts of granite mining and provides an overview of the new recycled glass countertops. It’s only 3 minutes long so enjoy!

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West Coast Green 2009 was as informative and inspiring as ever.  Hundreds of vendors and thousands of people have gathered once again in San Francisco to check out world’s latest cutting-edge green building technologies. 

I anxiously waited for this event and when the day finally arrived, I jumped out of bed full of enthusiasm, grabbed my mini HD camera and “went to town”.  In this video I interviewed a few vendors that offered some clever and innovative solutions on how to go “eco friendly” at home.  They were asked to give their “green” pitch in 20 seconds and describe the product or a service.  I had some fun at the end so make sure to watch the entire video…  Enjoy.

Keep your eyes out for two more videos where I interviewed a lovely lady from PG&E asking her why PG&E cares about sustainability.  Considering the usual behavior of big corporations all these incentives to “save energy” and spend less money on gas and electricity just didn’t make sense.  Normally businesses want us to spend more don’t they?  Well I got some answers and some of them will surprise you.

Stay tuned and make sure to subscribe to our updates.  This way you’ll stay on top of the local events and latest developments very effortlessly.  In addition, you’ll get an informative manual on how you can Go Green and $ave Green at the Same Time.  You may love the fact that living a more eco friendly life actually makes financial sense!

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Whether you live in San Jose or any other part of the world, energy is an essential part of our lives. Our bodies need it to function and stay focused, and our homes need it for lighting, powering appliances, electronics, heating, cooling and even charging our cell phones. Most of us don’t even think about energy until a power outage occurs and we find ourselves reading our favorite novel under the candle light.  Yet another punch of reality may settle in when we are faced with that ever bigger utility bill. 

Did you know that residential buildings account for nearly a quarter of the worlds carbon emissions (21%)?  Nationally, energy prices in the residential building sector have maintained the highest in relation to other well known sectors such as transportation, industrial, and commercial buildings. The state of California is ranked among the top states in the nation for highest energy costs – only coming in lower than some east coast states and Hawaii.  

So what can we do to lower the pain on those energy bills and go easy on the environment?  Well, one way is to start being mindful of it and applying some “controlled conservation.”  It is easily one of the best methods of reducing high energy costs.  It includes shutting off lights, taking shorter showers and using energy at off peak hours.  This just the tip of the iceberg for energy conservation but most of us don’t do it.  Why?  Well, controlled conservation can (more…)

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When most people hear about “Greening” their San Jose home they automatically think solar panels. While it is true that getting off the grid is fun and rewarding there are many more simple steps we can take towards a more greener home.  In fact, installing expensive solar panels may not make sense if we have a drafty, energy leaking house.

Since homes produce twice as more greenhouse gas emissions than all passenger cars, giving your San Jose house a green energy tune-up may be the best place to start.  It is incredible how much money you can save by simply implementing a few tips: 

1.      If your heating bill is higher than your mortgage and your Persian cat is wearing a sweater it’s time to change those windows.  By replacing old single pane windows you will not only be more comfortable in your house but also put a plug into one of your main enegry leaking sources.       

2.         Switch all of your light bulbs to fluorescent type. They are four times as efficient as traditional incandescent bulbs, and they last 10 times as long.  You can find them (more…)

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