Have you thought about adding a small herb garden to your kitchen? This can be an easy way to add live plants to your green kitchen design, bringing in function, uniqueness, and wonderful aromas.

You’ll need a spot for these herbs, preferably a sunny one. If there’s room on a windowsill, place your potted herbs there. One way to increase sill space around your kitchen is to add a taller, shallow cabinet behind your 24” deep base cabinetry that aligns with the height of your windowsill and runs along an entire wall of your kitchen.

You could also have a more vertical arrangement of your herbs, placing them on shelves alongside or close to a window. These can be part of your kitchen cabinetry or free mounted shelves. You can also add areas for drying your herbs!

The containers you choose add personality to your herb garden. Try to plant your herbs in recycled containers, like large cans or jars. Check out this photo gallery for some whimsical planting containers. Make sure you know the needs of the herbs you are growing so containers are the appropriate size and shape. Also be sure to think about drainage for your herbs with a layer of pebbles or terra cotta chips in the bottom of each container. Each herb also doesn’t need its own container. Some herbs are taller, some more like ground cover – mixing these herbs together utilizes all of your potting space.

There are lots of herbs you can plant (basil, oregano, mint, parsley, thyme, dill, etc.). Choose herbs that you frequently use when you cook! But don’t be afraid to try something new—you might find your new favorite herb for seasoning.

How can you affect the 29% +17% of Heating and Cooling energy use?

Tip #5 Smart Heating & Cooling: This is the biggest chunk of your energy usage, so it’s important that you make sure this area of energy is being used wisely.

• Keep your heating temperature at 68 degrees and your cooling temperature at 78 degrees to save energy and money. If this is a little cooler/hotter then you are used to, don’t panic—dressing in warmer clothes during the winter and lighter clothes in the summer when you’re indoors will help you adjust. (Drinking hot chocolate & eating popsicles might also help as well!) Remember to adjust your thermostat by a degree or two when you’ll be gone from home for the day.

• Be aware of how your heating and cooling system is working. Have it serviced regularly and if it’s becoming archaic, think about having it replaced with a more efficient model if your budget allows. There are even rebate programs offered for this type of upgrade.

• Replace your Return Air Filter once a month.

• Make sure weather-stripping around doors and windows are in good shape and repaired if necessary. Any penetration of your home envelope (plumbing, venting, etc.) should be properly sealed. This will help prevent heat/cold from escaping or entering depending on the season. Preventing the leakage of air from your home (or into your home) is a major way to increase the efficiency of your Heating & Cooling system.

• Use blinds and curtains to control sunlight in spaces of your home. Remember direct sunlight brings heat, which may be welcome in the winter, but not in the summer.

•  One way that you can become more aware of changes you can make in your home is to have a Home Energy Audit. The audit includes certain tests that identify problem areas that need to be addressed to increase your home’s efficiency. Better insulation, more efficient windows and Heating & Cooling systems, as well as sealing gaps or cracks in your home with spray foam insulation are all building related improvements that can be suggested by a home energy audit.

We hope you’ve found this blog series informative, and that it helps you discover adjustments you can make to save energy. If you have any comments or questions, please share them. We at Stearns always value and appreciate your input!

How can you affect the 14% of energy used for Water Heating in your home?

Tip #4 Conserve Water: Firstly, become aware of your overall household water use, and conserve water with low flow fixtures. Hot water is mostly used for showers, laundry and dish washing– focusing on efficient water use in these areas will help to reduce your energy spent on heating water.

• Try to shorten your shower by a few minutes if possible.
• In accordance with yesterday’s tip about appliance use, try to wash a majority of your clothes with cold water, reducing the amount of water heated. Adjust laundry load sizes to also help monitor the amount of water used.
• Wash only full loads of dishes on an economy setting if one is available.
• Explore water heating options that are more efficient! The traditional tank water heater, which has a store of water it is constantly reheating, isn’t the only option. For example, tankless/instant water heaters directly heat water on demand, on an as need basis. A solar water heater is a different option that uses sunlight to heat water. These can be active (with a pump) or passive. Solar water heaters are often used in conjunction with traditional tank heaters, which are a back up system for cloudy days as wells as a storage system.

Conserving water is on all of our minds, especially with the drought we’ve been going through in the Brazos area. Water conservation is actually one of College Station’s green goals –find out more about it here.

These are the average annual percentages of energy use in a home in case this is your first glance at the blog series:

29% Heating

17% Cooling

14% Water Heating

13% Appliances

12% Lighting

4% Electronics

11% Other (external power adapters, telephones, set up boxes, ceiling fans, vent fans, home audio, ovens, microwaves, small appliances etc. Basically all the little things plugged in around your home)

Once again, here’s the breakdown of average annual energy use in a home:

29% Heating

17% Cooling

14% Water Heating

13% Appliances

12% Lighting

4% Electronics

11% Other (external power adapters, telephones, set up boxes, ceiling fans, vent fans, home audio, ovens, microwaves, small appliances etc. Basically all the little things plugged in around your home)

How can you affect that 13% of Appliance energy use?

Tip # 3 Savvy Appliance Use: Upgrading your appliances to energy efficient models is of course the most ideal thing to do. Energy Star labels and CEE tiers (this is the Consortium for Energy Efficiency certification with III being the most efficient) can help guide your choices. But if new purchases aren’t in your budget for the time being, the careful and conscious use of your appliances can help you reduce your energy use and save you money.

• Use cold water for a majority of your laundry loads (which reduces the energy needed for heating water). Also make sure that you select the appropriate size load for a sufficient but not excess water level.
• Although wrinkle free settings on dryers are seemingly smart ideas, they cause the dryer to continually turn on/off if you don’t remove your laundry after the cycle ends. Turn these settings off to avoid this energy waste.
• Only wash full loads in your dishwasher and choose an economy setting if it’s available. Turn off the heated dry on the dishwasher and let your dishes air dry. Your dishes may take a little longer to dry, but it saves.
• During the summer, try to stick to countertop appliances (crock pots, griddles, etc) to do your cooking instead of ovens. These use less electricity and also produce less heat that you’re a/c has to counter balance.
• Remember not to leave your refrigerator door open while you’re doing other things. Also, opening your freezer just to cool yourself off isn’t a very energy conscious habit. (I only mention this because I’m guilty of doing this in the past! Maybe some of you can sympathize).

We hope you found this tip and accompanying suggestions helpful. Don’t forget to read our blog tomorrow for tips about water heating and water use!

Before we get into today’s tip, let’s take one more look at the percentages of energy use in an average home:

29% Heating

17% Cooling

14% Water Heating

13% Appliances

12% Lighting

4% Electronics

11% Other (external power adapters, telephones, set up boxes, ceiling fans, vent fans, home audio, ovens, microwaves, small appliances etc. Basically all the little things plugged in around your home)

How can you affect that 12% of Lighting energy use?

Tip #2 Light Updates: Reducing your overall energy use where lighting is concerned is as easy as changing your lighting – update to energy efficient fixtures and get rid of those incandescents! Also, turn off lights in rooms when they aren’t in use and utilize natural daylight during the day instead of electric lighting.

We have a whole section on lighting in our blog with helpful information. So, check it out if you have questions about what kind of lights are most efficient, or if you want to learn more about daylighting.

There was a recent article in the Environmental Building News that discussed the need for occupants (you!) to understand how they impact the energy use and the efficiency of their homes and businesses through their day to day choices. Design of a home can allow for opportunities and an environment for green living to take place, but it’s really up to you as a home owner to make the most of those opportunities through your choices. This is especially true for energy efficiency and the lower energy bills that come as a result.

To help you understand how your choices affect the efficiency of your home, lets take a look at a breakdown of annual energy use in an average home (these percentages are found on the EnergyStar website):

29% Heating

17% Cooling

14% Water Heating

13% Appliances

12% Lighting

4% Electronics

11% Other (external power adapters, telephones, set up boxes, ceiling fans, vent fans, home audio, ovens, microwaves, small appliances etc. Basically all the little things plugged in around your home)

How can you affect that 4% + 11% of Electronic energy use?

Tip #1 Plug Loads: This 15% of energy usage can be summarized as plug loads. You can decrease your overall energy use in this category by unplugging items that are not in use or using power strips so that multiple electronic devices can be “unplugged” at once. This decreases “phantom loads” in your home, or in other words eliminates the energy that is drawn by products when they are not in use but still plugged into the wall. This is an easy tip to help reduce your energy bill. All you have to do is get into the habit of unplugging electronic devices!

For more detailed information about phantom loads and plug loads, read one of our previous blog entries about Cutting Useless Energy Use. We’ll also be giving you tips throughout the rest of the week concerning the other major uses of energy in your home. Be sure to keep on reading!

As more and more green products develop, it becomes harder to compare them and choose between them. What does it even mean when a product is “green”? And what qualities should you look for when selecting products for your home? The following are some green product criteria that we felt would help clarify what really makes a product green.

Green products can excel in a single or multiple criteria – in this way, defining green products depends on the circumstance of how the product is being used and what it is potentially replacing. We’re going to categorize these green characteristics based on what a product is made of and what the product does when in use.

Products are green if they are made from materials that are recycled or salvaged. Other green product materials include agricultural waste, or rapidly renewable/certified resources. If a product requires less material for its production than similar products and/or reduces pollutants when manufactured it can also be considered green. The minimizing of transportation is also an important factor to be taken into account for a product to truly be green. This includes the transportation of materials for production of the product and the transportation of the final product for use.

Criteria for green products while in use include the high durability of the product, which means there is less need for it to be replaced. A product can also be considered green if it requires less maintenance as compared to similar products. Reducing or eliminate emissions while in use (toxic or otherwise) is another way a product can be distinguished as green. Green products are also ones that reduce energy and water consumption while still performing excellently. Overall a product is green when it supports and contributes to a healthy home environment.

Remember that even if a product is green, it also needs to be used in a green way that compliments and cooperates with the design and site of your home. This allows it to reach its maximum potential.  Careful thought and ingenuity are just as important in green home design as green products!

For and even more in depth look at defining green products, read through this article from the Environmental Building News.

If your utility bill seems absurdly high, you home’s heating/cooling system and lack of adequate amounts of insulation are two possible culprits. Cracks and openings in your house allow outside air in and let inside air out. While it’s good to have ventilation and to get fresh air, this is not the desired means to do so. Air leakage through cracks and openings is uncontrollable and can’t be monitored— you can never tell how much air is getting in or out. Attics are a specific concern in homes because of their inefficiency in regards to air leakage. How can you gain back control?

There are different options for sealing you home and making your attic efficient. The first is called spot sealing. Using technology such as an infrared camera, your contractor can locate specific areas of leakage and directly seal those with spray foam. For all of the following techniques to be truly successful, you should have spot sealing done around your home.

Another option is to have the floor of your attic spray foamed and reinsulated. This process seals in all the air below the attic floor to prevent hot or cold air (in summer or winter) from infiltrating your living spaces.

You can also create an unvented attic by having the under-side of your roof sprayed with foam. By sealing your attic space at the roof, you essentially extend the conditioned (heating and cooling) space to your roof line. This makes it easier on ducts in the attic that normally have to move cold air through very hot temperatures during the summers. This option does have some complications—if for example your attic is as big as the usable living area of your house. Then, you have essentially doubled the amount of area in your home you have to condition. Also, any fuel burning appliances, such as water heaters, must be sealed (with an exhaust vent and air intake vent), as sealing the attic prevents outside air from coming in for combustion purposes.

It’s important to also understand that sealing your home doesn’t mean there is absolutely no air flowing through it. However, instead of having unpredictable air flow through cracks, you will have controlled ventilation, through your whole-house system of fans and ducts, as well as localized exhaust fans.