# Making Green Improvements to Your House 

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2017/09/making-green-improvements-to-your-house/
- Published: 2017-09-19T04:06:08-04:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

# _Josh Wilson is the owner of a start-up personal finance blog, Family Faith Finance. Feel free to check out his blog and learn more about his journey through life._

Hey all! I am excited to talk to you about this topic today – making green improvements
to your home. It’s a new one for me, but it’s fun all the same. Okay, so let me 
be honest here. I did not truly care about [green](https://greenlivingguy.com/2016/06/food-grade-hair-care-has-arrived-elava-botanik/)
this or green that until my children arrived in this world. After they showed up,
I saw things quite differently. I knew that I needed to make a change with their
future in mind by helping make this world a better place. So, I decided to make 
some green improvements.

## If you are unsure about why you should make some green improvements in your home, I can tell you that there are quite a few benefits.

For starters, you can save money. Second, you can establish a healthier [green home](https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/03/squeezing-more-function-in-green-home-improvement/)
with help. That’s as well as healthy habits for your kids, and you should be able
to make a positive impact on your community and the environment.

Below, I will give you some ideas to help make your home green, and yes, some of
these I have done with the help of my kids and wife. (I must give credit where credit
is due.)

**[⌊Making green improvements to your house ⌉⌊Making green improvements to your 
house ⌉[

## **Plant a Garden in Your Backyard**

If you are like me, then you want something nice to look at in your backyard, but
you just don’t know what. Before I chose to make some green improvements, I settled
for a couple lawn chairs and a few potted plants, but it just wasn’t cutting it.
So, I decided to plant my own garden in the backyard.

This improvement here is kind of two-fold for me. I was tired of seeing how much
money we spent on food and for some of it to go to waste. With a garden full of 
vegetables, we would [be able to save money](https://www.businessinsider.com/growing-our-own-food-saves-us-up-to-24000-a-year-2015-4)
on the grocery bill, and I would be growing my fruits and vegetables in my free 
time, making it a side hustle in a way. Well, I did it, and I have some very successful
plants that help keep up fed throughout the year.

I had to do some research on what plants could grow in my area. Depending on what
state you live in, the types of fruit or vegetables you can grow will vary. Some
of my hardiest crops include cabbage, snap beans, and grapes.

### **Consider Solar Panels for Your Home**

Using the sun’s energy is natural, right? Of course, it is, and you can bet that
we harness it in our home. While we are not solely dependent on solar panels, we
have made use of them to power some of the items that we use frequently such as 
our electrical heating appliances. We save anywhere from $50 to $90 per month alone
on our electric bill which is a lifesaver. There are even financing programs available
that, [in effect](https://lendedu.com/blog/should-homeowners-consider-using-personal-loans-for-solar-panels),
subsidize the cost of installing one of these systems.

#### **Install an Electric Water Heater**

#### You may be wondering just how an 󠀁[electric water heater can help](https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/a28690395/water-heaters/)󠁿 you be green in your home. I originally thought this at first glance, but I quickly learned the reason. First, you can power your electric water heater via your solar panels which saves money on the electricity bill. In addition, you can place a timer on your electric water heater which limits how often it works to heat up your water and thus keep your cost down.⏎  󠀁[⌊Recycling It sounds so easy right While it may sound simple you would be surprised at how many households choose not to recycle I never used to recycle but after doing some research on the effects of not recycling i vowed to recycle after that Furthermore i encourage my kids recycle and hope theyll do so in the future I encourage you to join me on this endeavor⌉](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/food-waste-2.jpg?quality=52&ssl=1)󠁿 **Start Recycling in Your City**

Recycling. It sounds so easy, right? While it may sound simple, you would be surprised
at how many households choose not to recycle. I never used to recycle, but after
doing some research on the [effects of not recycling](https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/06/5-terrible-things-that-happen-when-you-dont-recycle/),
I vowed to recycle after that. Furthermore, I encourage my kids recycle and hope
they’ll do so in the future. I encourage you to join me on this endeavor.

I have included all three of my kids in the process, so they are able to learn more
about why it is so important to recycle. In my house, we recycle it all from glass
to plastic to paper. If your city is anything like mine, then you have to specifically
request recycling services since they do not just do it with your trash service.

Recycling may be hard to get used to at first, but with a little work, you will 
be used to it in no time. Even if you only choose to recycle your aluminum cans,
you will be saving countless animals and can help prevent pollution and debris in
our environment.

#### **Keep Your Finances in Mind Too**

When you start to turn your home into an eco-friendly place, make sure the choices
you make are financially sensible. For example, it would not make sense to install
solar panels at a cost of $20,000 if you will only save about $5,000 over the course
of a 10-year period. As you look for ways to make your home greener, think about
your finances as well. For us, a garden made sense because it helped us save money.
If my wife and I did not have to shell out a lot for it, then we were open to try
it. I know that with a little thinking and planning, you too can make some great
green improvements to your home.

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 greenlivingguy

 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living
expert, and Editor of the McGraw-Hill, TAB Green Guru Guides. Seth is also an Author,
Radio Host, Reporter, Writer and an Environmental Consultant on green living. The
Green Living Guy writes about green living, green lighting, the green guru guides
and more. Seth's books range from: # Build Your Own Electric Vehicle by Bob Brant
and Seth Leitman (2nd and 3rd editions) # Build Your Own Plug-in Hybrid Electric
Vehicle by Seth Leitman # Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle by Carl Vogel # Green
Lighting by Seth Leitman, Brian Clark Howard and Bill Brinsky # Solar Power For 
Your Home by David Findley # Renewable Energies For Your Home by Russel Gehrke #
Do-it-Yourself Home Energy Audits by David Findley # Build Your Own Small Wind Power
System by Brian Clark Howard and Kevin Shea # and more green living books to follow.

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