Michael Steward, Adam Duran, Saul Magallanes, and Timothy Engle
Being environmentally friendly has been a well discussed issue in recent years. As the population continues to grow at a steady rate, it’s crucial that actions are taken now in order to sustain a quality lifestyle later. Considering water and energy are the two resources that people rely on the most for a comfortable lifestyle, extensive research was done in order to help implement resource conservation. Living in an environmentally sustainable home can have a significant impact on resource conservation as well as homeowners’ savings. With the addition of improved insulation, windows, heating and cooling systems, solar panels, and water conservation, a homeowner can expect to make $15,000 over the 30-year life of a typical loan with an interest rate of 5.25%. The return on the investment will occur shortly after 18 years. This includes an additional initial investment of about $16,000, with a savings of $1570 per year, when compared to conventional homes.
Many people at home do not realize how much, or how important it is to have energy and water at home. Without these two resources, life would be nearly nonexistent. Considering the 129 plus million housing units throughout the United States, a massive amount of energy and water are needed daily. A few problems associated with generating so much energy are air quality, global warming, and cost of electricity. Another problem is the mass amount of water usage, along with the lack of recycling water. With an environmentally sustainable home; energy required from power plants can be significantly decreased saving money on an electric bill, water can be conserved by methods of storage, reuse, and irrigation saving on the water bill, proper insulation and mechanical equipment that includes duct work, heating and cooling, and windows contribute significantly to the energy efficiency.
When selecting this topic, the question arose, “Why aren’t more people going green?” There are a few factors that come into play, one being the current economic situation in the United States. Consumers may be weary of investing additional dollars into their homes in fear they won’t see any savings or won’t get a return on their investment.
Another factor is likely to be that most consumers are uninformed on this topic. Limited research and government programs have been established to encourage the practice of building sustainable and efficient homes. Another major factor is the current cost of the technology required to build a green home. As with all technological advances, cost will trend downward with time. The goal here is to show there is no need to wait.
Many people at home do not realize how much, or how important it is to have energy and water at home. Without these two resources, life would be nearly nonexistent. Considering the 129 plus million housing units throughout the United States, a massive amount of energy and water are needed daily. A few problems associated with generating so much energy are air quality, global warming, and cost of electricity. Another problem is the mass amount of water usage, along with the lack of recycling water. With an environmentally sustainable home; energy required from power plants can be significantly decreased saving money on an electric bill, water can be conserved by methods of storage, reuse, and irrigation saving on the water bill, proper insulation and mechanical equipment that includes duct work, heating and cooling, and windows contribute significantly to the energy efficiency.
When selecting this topic, the question arose, “Why aren’t more people going green?” There are a few factors that come into play, one being the current economic situation in the United States. Consumers may be weary of investing additional dollars into their homes in fear they won’t see any savings or won’t get a return on their investment.
Another factor is likely to be that most consumers are uninformed on this topic. Limited research and government programs have been established to encourage the practice of building sustainable and efficient homes. Another major factor is the current cost of the technology required to build a green home. As with all technological advances, cost will trend downward with time. The goal here is to show there is no need to wait.
