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Joyce Cohen -
Manhattan, New York

With cleaning up our planet becoming more and more urgent, green home renovations are starting to make sense to everyone.  So where do we start doing the right thing -- the green way?  How do you identify manufacturers and products that you know are using "green" materials? It's like anything else -- a little research will provide you with what you need to know and make you feel "greener" already!

Most companies that have gone "green" want everyone to know that they have so their websites are a great place to start. Most of them have developed an environmental policy that talks about how they have accomplished this and what they do to ensure that their products are green.

When shopping, most people read the labels to determine the contents of a product or how to clean it and so on -- so checking out the label is a great place to look to see what the product is made of. It should list any raw materials used and where they are from. For instance, are the materials from renewable resources and is the process to manufacture them energy efficient? Are any harmful substances released into the atmosphere during the process? Do they use adhesives to make the product or put any type of coating or finish that makes the product more viable -- if so -- what are they?

Will this product really do what it's supposed to do and how much energy will it use to operate? Does it have a benefit that will reduce energy and is the product stable and durable? Can you recycle it? How do you dispose of it? Can you return it to the manufacturer to be recycled or can it be made into something else? These are all questions you might ask about trying to find green products. Some products advertise that they are green but do not really offer the health and environmental benefits that they are supposed to -- these are called green washing.

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To be green, products should be energy or water efficient and they should offer non-toxic materials that are healthier for you and that can be recycled or renewed in some way. They could be biodegradable or more durable and there are a vast variety of products that cover just about every area of our lives. There are some directories that can help you to determine the best products that are available and have listings of many environmentally friendly products.

Good to be Green -- This is a directory of building products and service providers.  Their products are designed to conserve energy, water and wood resources while improving air quality. It lists products that can be used during construction to provide a lower environmental impact.

Green2Green -- This is an organization that provides information about green building products with comparisons showing their environmental impact and other data about green materials that can be used.

Green Building pages -- This is an online resource for building industry professionals.

Greenspec Directory -- This is an online directory that has environmentally friendly products that does not charge for listings.

Oikos -- This is a website for professionals devoted to green construction and design.

The Green Guide -- This is National Geographic's guide that reviews home improvement products, appliances and other products for a green environment.

By researching these directories and other sites that offer information about green products, you can improve your chances of doing a home renovation project that is entirely green. Much of the research is slow and painstaking but well worth the effort when you finish a home renovation and know that you have done it entirely with the environment in mind -- totally green.

One example of a home improvement project done this way is a bathroom that was completely stripped down to its studs and restructured using a cement backboard on the wall and floor without paper faced board underneath. A nontoxic mortar is used on the tile with a nontoxic grout and grout sealer to complete the tiling. You can reduce your energy costs by redesigning and weatherizing your home so that uneven heating and air conditioning is controlled by sealing areas that were energy drains and redesigning the ducting and improving insulation in attic and other areas. This in turn significantly improves the air filtration. An energy efficient water heater will be a vast improvement and makes the amount of energy consumed significantly less.

Using a contractor that is dedicated to evaluating your home for energy deficiencies doing computer modeling and calculating electrical loads then making recommendations that will improve your energy consumption is a big step in the right direction. These professionals are trained to examine every avenue available to make your living space more sustainable and efficient. You can make improvements outside by using natural materials such as stone for walkways or decorative accents and drought tolerant native plants that will not require much water. Often you can find limestone or other rocks from local sources that might be surplus or not being used making them even better choices for you as the price will be right!

Seeking ways to make home improvements and renovations that provide a green approach and are environmentally friendly makes you feel that all the effort is well worth it. Once you start seeing progress from your labor you will be enthusiastic about continuing to find ways to make greener investments. Once your gas and electric and other bills start reducing, it will be a cause for celebration that will keep you striving to find more ways to make these changes that are so positive. All it takes is one step towards making your home a little greener and you will be hooked on trying to make as many improvements as you can that will not only make you feel good about what you are doing for the environment but will be happy about all the money and energy you are saving as well. That is an awesome feeling!

Air conditioning is a terrific thing to have, and in many parts of the United States it is considered a necessity and not just a luxury because of the high temperatures in the summer months. Air conditioning requires energy though, and this means higher electric bills every month. This does not have to be true though, especially with the number of energy efficient central air conditioning units available on the market today. Many of the newest central air units require less power than the window operated units of fifteen or twenty years ago. Energy conservation is important, and having a central air conditioning unit installed that is energy efficient is one of the best ways to stay cool and conserve energy at the same time.

Central air conditioning units are responsible for circulating cool air using supply and return ducts. These units can be either split system or packaged unit. A split system has a cabinet outside that holds the compressor and condenser for the system, while the evaporator is inside the home in another cabinet. A packaged unit combines all three main components in the outside cabinet. Normally a split system unit is cheaper to install. If your home does not have central air, or the unit is old, it may be a wise move to install or replace the unit. Newer models are much more energy efficient, and many use very little electricity to operate.

In central air conditioning units, energy efficiency is gauged by a figure called the SEER rating. In 1980, a typical air conditioning unit had a SEER of 6. Today's models can have a SEER rating of twenty or higher for super efficient models, making them cost a third of what these units did twenty nine years ago to operate. Do the research and look at the SEER rating of models you are considering. A central air conditioning unit with a higher SEER rating will cost a little more initially, but you will actually save money over the life of the furnace in electricity costs to cool your home. There are a number of high quality central air conditioning units on the market that can help you lower your energy costs every month while still keeping your home at the ideal indoor temperature.

One central air conditioning unit that is very energy efficient is the Bryant 187 Evolution Series. With a SEER rating of twenty, this unit is one of the best. It is a unit that has two stages, and this means that the unit runs on low most of the time to conserve energy and still keep the temperature in your home at the right spot. This unit comes with a ten year warranty on the air conditioner compressor, and all the other parts are covered for five years. Another excellent model that is extremely efficient is the Carrier Infinity Series, which carries a SEER rating of up to twenty one, depending on the specific model you choose. These units are very quiet, and may run as low as seventy decibels. These air conditioning units are also two stage models, and they offer superior humidity and indoor air quality control. There is a ten year warranty on the compressor and five years worth of warranty coverage on the other parts.

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Another central air conditioner that is very efficient and energy conservative is the Lennox XC21. It has a SEER rating of twenty and a half and is a two cycle model. This unit has a warranty of ten years for all covered parts, making it a little more protected. This is one of the quietest units on the market, and the company advertises that it makes less than one tenth the noise most air conditioners do. Several noise reduction technologies were used in designing and creating this unit. One unit that comes close but does not quite reach a SEER rating of twenty is the Trane XL 19i, which has a rating of nineteen and a half.

There are a number of models and brands available that have a SEER rating above twelve, and this makes these models at least twice as efficient as older models to run. They may not be as efficient as the models listed above, but they can still give you considerable cost savings and help conserve energy and electricity at the same time. The American Standard Allegiance 18 has a SEER rating of eighteen point nine, but this model uses the R-22 refrigerant which is being replaced because it can cause damage to the atmosphere if released. This is also a two stage unit, just like most of the other energy efficient models, and comes with a ten year compressor warranty and a five year warranty for other parts. This central air conditioning unit is very quiet.

The 15 SEER Carrier Performance Series may be very quiet, but with a SEER rating of just fifteen this model may be midline when it comes to energy efficiency. It is certainly preferable to the older models and newer units which have a lower SEER rating, but it is only about three fourths as efficient as a unit rated at a SEER of twenty or above. The units in this series are single stage units, which may be one reason that they are not as efficient. They do not have a low power setting, so they are either in the on or off position. There are units available that have an even lower SEER rating, such as twelve, thirteen, or fourteen, and these models may be much cheaper because they are not energy efficient and cost much more to run. If you are considering a new air conditioning unit, get the most energy efficient one you can afford. The cost may be a little more at first, but the benefits and savings you will see later on make these units the best to buy when it comes to central air conditioning units. Compare SEER ratings for units that are within your price range, and then go with the highest possible SEER as long as the warranty and quality are the same.