Making your home more energy efficient can save you a lot of money in the long run. One way to make a home more energy efficient is insulating the water pipes, the water heater and the solar power system.

With the water heater it takes a bit of energy to heat up the water in your home. If you insulate the pipes and the water heater you can save on a significant amount on your energy bills. One other thing when it comes to the water heater is when you use less water it tends to save you money on your energy bills. If you take the steps to reduce your water bill it will almost always reduce your energy bill also.

Another way to make your home more energy efficient is to replace all the incandescent bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs give you the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs, but use twenty five percent less power. One other benefit of using compact fluorescent bulbs is they last ten times longer.

One last way to make your home more energy efficient is to turn off lights and appliances when not in use. A lot of money and energy is lost when lights and appliances are left on when no one is using them. One other thing when it comes to appliances is when you're buying a new appliance, look for one with the energy star on it. Making your home more energy efficient does take a bit of work, but if done right it can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Can a company do lighting control by reducing energy usage to lighting, and not affect customers?

Yes, lighting is essential for any retailer or company who wants to ensure their products look good to their customers. However, there is an interesting fact about how we perceive light.

The marketing team for a company sometimes feel "the brighter, the better." Yet customers sometimes complain that a store is too bright or that there is too much glare. So the question is what the optimum light level in a store is. Let's look at what the experts say:

Examples: General department stores, large bookstores

Goals: Provide pleasing, comfortable environment, stay longer to make product decisions, provide a place where people would want to shop, not just find and buy; it is often desirable to have display areas for key merchandise

Recommended Light Level

Circulation areas: 20 fc

Merchandise: 75 fc

So, if 75 foot candles are the average lighting for merchandise, then it gives retailers and companies the option to reduce energy costs, by reducing the brightness of their lights.

By doing lighting controller a company can reduce energy costs by 25% and reduce the depletion of natural resources, since it will use less energy. The company can even have a sticker on their front door informing their clients that they are reducing energy usage on their lights to reduce their carbon footprint.

Being green doesn't mean you have to lose the green in your pocket. What's happened to the term energy efficient home?

"The energy-efficient home acts as a smooth-functioning machine in which the equipment produces as much, if not more energy capacity than needed to operate the ideal human environment, including air quality, moisture conditions, temperature, and lighting. The ideal energy-efficient home retains the best environment for human habitation while minimizing the cost of energy."

Thank you for this simple explanation! I finally understand what an energy-efficient home is.

But, what I don't get then is what green building means?

I hear people suggest growing grass on my roof. Wouldn't I need a flat roof? I heard flat roofs need repairs more frequently, once every ten years. That is more than pitched roofs. Where will I put the soil when it needs repaired? When it needs mowed how does the mover get onto the roof? I already have enough lawn to mow.

Won't there be added weight on the building from the soil and moisture from rain? I would be concerned about molds forming from the moist soil.

I certainly don't want my walls made out of straw bail. What happens if a tiny hole occurs in the wall? That'd be a great nesting place for rodents. What happens if there is a fire, straw will immediately spark right?

Has anyone really thought through the term "green building"? Or was the term developed as a new marketing ploy to sell products? I think I'll stick with my home being energy efficient. At least I understand what it means and won't have to rebuild my house. Energy efficiency is a series of modifications you can make to your home to make more efficient then what is it currently operating at.

I recommend you consider wellsee products on www.wellsee.cc, which is a great website that will explain and tell you how to make your home a better operating, more efficient, money saving, unit.