If you want to be an even better steward of the environment, then green housing might be something you want to consider.

It goes without saying that green housing goes much further than recycling and composting ever could, and fortunately Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is a wealth of information when it comes to explaining what green housing is and delving into why you should even care.

In a nut shell, green housing is a term that encompasses environmentally friendly building and renovating procedures, strategies to help you reduce energy and water use, and ways to ensure that your home is a healthier habitat for you and yours.

Building on Green Principles

The CMHC leads a country-wide sustainable housing demonstration initiative known as EQuilibrium. Through this effort, private and public sector entities combine their capabilities to create homes that merge energy-efficient equipment with renewable energy solutions so that you can lessen your environmental impact.

Reducing Energy Use in the Home

One aspect of green housing involves being more responsible as it relates to energy consumption. Setback thermostats are one way that this can be accomplished. Traditional thermostats regulate the heating and cooling equipment in your home. A setback thermostat, meanwhile, allows you to switch the temperature setting automatically whenever you want. This allows you to program it to lower the air condition setting when people are generally not home, which in turn, helps to reduce energy consumption in your home.

Another aspect of green housing involves properly advising air leakage issues. For example, air leakage can lead to drafts that make your home colder than it should be in the winter and hotter than it should be in the summer. Be sure to fix any and all problem areas.

You can also make your house greener by retaining the heat during the cold weather months. For instance, you should open your windows during the winter since doing so will only force you furnace to work harder to heat up your home.

Building and Renovating

Proper insulation will help you maintain comfortable temperature all year round, which is why it is an important aspect of green housing. During the winter, signs of insulation issues include overly cold floors and substantial heating bills. In the summer, the signs that could suggest problems with insulation include high cooling bills and very hot air inside. Fiberglass, cotton, and mineral wood are just a few insulation materials available.

Achieving green housing isn’t something that will happen overnight, but you can take some steps in that direction and then build upon it until you’ve reached the green housing ideal.