Show Your Home Some TLC this Thanksgiving

Within the walls of your house, you’ve probably raised a family, made future plans and created years of memories. Take time this month to be thankful for everything your home has given you by giving it some green TLC this Thanksgiving.

With Christmas right around the corner, I know it’s hard to justify spending a lot of money on your home. Below are a few easy and affordable green projects for you to do this Thanksgiving holiday — and they’ll start paying off immediately!

• Buy compact florescent light bulbs. You don’t have to do this all at once. As your light bulbs burn out, replace them with these energy savers for around $3 a piece. They last about ten times longer than incandescent light bulbs and can save you close to $40 over their lifetime.
• Use faucet aerators. These only cost about $10 and are incredibly easy to install. Just unscrew your faucet nozzle or showerhead and slip the aerator in. It can cut your water bill in half by making the water squeeze through tiny holes, which makes it feel like there is more pressure. You’ll also reduce water heating bills because the less hot water you use, the less you’ll have to heat.
• Put in ceiling fans. If you don’t have these in your house, then you’re missing out on a huge energy-saver. Starting around $50, ceiling fans push hot air down and help equalize each room’s temperature — just switch the blade rotation for summer and pull cool air up.
• Replace your old toilet. Older toilets can dispense almost 3.5 gallons per flush, while modern low-flow toilets dispense as little as 1 gallon. If you’re in for more of a handyman challenge, you can purchase these for as low as $150. The more people you have in your house, the more savings you’ll see.

Not only will your home and finances thank you for the green upgrades, but the environment will too.

If you’d like more green ideas you can implement this Thanksgiving break, please call me.

Links:

Green projects

http://homebuying.about.com/od/greenrealestate/qt/Green-Home-Improvements.htm

Ceiling fans

http://home.howstuffworks.com/ceiling-fan.htm

Replace your old toilet

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/bathinstallatoilet