Low-cost fixes to 'green' your home

Flickr photo by rick.

Given the ceaseless environmental drumbeat we hear, it seems practically un-American not to want to green-up the old homestead these days.

On the other hand, it also would seem practically un-American to be a big-ticket spender, given the current state of the economy.

But sustainable living doesn't always have major dollar signs attached to it, according to its advocates. And beyond monthly utility savings, even modest green-related investments can pay off when it comes time to sell the house, they say. That's because a growing number of consumers equate "green" with "good."

"It doesn't matter which consumer survey you look at, there's something on the order of 20 percent of the market that will only buy green," said John Stovall, an executive with EcoBroker, an Evergreen, Colo., company that trains real estate agents to help clients find and market homes with environmentally friendly features.

Another 25 percent will at least look at such features, meaning that green considerations now affect nearly half of today's homebuyers, he said.

But Stovall says the time to be thinking green is early in your ownership of the house, in order to maximize energy savings. Then, at sale time, utility savings become a marketing tool, he said.

"Literally, you should be able to lay out (to a prospective buyer) the before-and-after utility bills," he said. "It turns into something you can brag about."

But houses are complex organisms, and going green can seem daunting.

"Most homeowners are clueless where to start," said David Johnston, a Boulder, Colo., homebuilding-industry consultant whose company, What's Working Inc., specializes in green building techniques.

Both Johnston and Stovall recommend getting an energy audit to measure a home's consumption and to pinpoint areas to improve. ...CONTINUED

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