How to make your house greener

The guide outlines several ways to make a home greener, focusing on lighting, heating and cooling, insulation, and appliances. It recommends switching to LED bulbs, using smart thermostats, sealing air leaks, and upgrading to energy-efficient appliances. It also mentions the benefits of eco-friendly paint, residential solar panels, and the emergence of green leases.

• Lighting accounts for approximately 14% of total residential energy consumption. Replacing incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs is recommended because LEDs use at least 75% less energy and last 25 times longer.
• Heating and cooling make up half of a home's energy usage. Efficiency can be improved by using smart thermostats for scheduling and remote access, as well as sealing air leaks in doors and windows with caulk and weather stripping.
• Proper insulation, including the insulation of duct systems, significantly increases energy efficiency. Additionally, choosing eco-friendly paint reduces environmental impact, as wasted paint in the USA generates over 720,000 tons of CO2e annually.
• Upgrading to energy-efficient appliances, such as Energy Star branded refrigerators, can lower monthly energy bills enough to offset higher upfront costs. Other sustainable options include the installation of residential solar panels to reduce carbon footprints and the use of green leases by landlords to encourage tenant energy savings.

APA

Engels, T. (2015). How to make your house greener. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-to-make-your-house-greener/

Chicago

Engels, Terri. How to make your house greener. World Economic Forum, 2015. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-to-make-your-house-greener/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Engels |first1=Terri |title=How to make your house greener |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=9 December 2015 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-to-make-your-house-greener/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{engels2015how, author = {Engels, Terri}, title = {{How to make your house greener}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-to-make-your-house-greener/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }