Dan's Papers - April 24, 2009 - This Spring, Give Your Home a Green Makeover

These days, most people are interested in going green and reducing their carbon footprint. There is a wealth of helpful information available out there for people who don't know where to start. Unfortunately, this massive amount of information might also be overwhelming to the average person looking to make changes in his or her life.

Luckily for homeowners, there's a new company, which was established last fall, called Green Irene that will help you give your home a green makeover. For $99, a Green Irene eco-consultant will go on a walkthrough of your home suggesting eco-friendly changes that will cost you no money to make immediately, but will save you money in the long run. The company also now offers similar services for offices. "People feel a responsibility to go green, and they also really like the idea," said Alicia Wiltshire, the East Hampton based Green Irene representative who serves all of Long Island. "But they don't know where to start."

Wiltshire will come to your home and help you develop a customized set of recommendations for conserving energy and making your home a greener place. Some of the topics she'll discuss with you are energy efficient lighting, water and energy conservation, how to improve indoor air quality, recycling and also the many tax credits, rebates and other financial incentives available to homeowners.

"All our recommendations are free things a homeowner can do and won't cost them anything," Wiltshire said. "I'll show them things like how to fill air leaks or how to get their HVAC to work better." Energy conservation is a huge issue in many homes, she said, and most people don't realize that by simply lowering their thermostat one or two degrees they can save 2% of their energy bill each month. Air quality is another big topic of interest amongst homeowners, she said. Often, the air in your home might even be of a lesser quality than the air outside because of the toxicity from the formaldehyde used in paints and cleaners that pollute the air.

Many of the tips are common sense things that people may have heard before but for one reason or another, have never implemented in their homes. So Wiltshire "gives them the numbers" and homeowners can see not only how much money they can save, but also the impact these minor adjustments can have on the environment. "For the most part, a lot of us already know all this, but we don't realize the difference it can make," she said. "For instance, we all know we shouldn't leave our fireplace vent open, because the air goes out, but most of us do."

The green home makeover will also give you a six-month subscription to Ask Green Irene, giving you access to the company's expertise in all things green. Green Irene also has a catalogue of green products that they either sell or recommend. In fact, Wiltshire will come armed with some of these products to show you how they work and tell you about the benefits that come from using them. Some of these products include rechargeable hybrid batteries, energy conserving power strips, water filters and low flow showerheads. And in this age, Tupperware parties are a thing of the past. Similar to these parties, Green Irene will come to your home and show you and your friends many of these products at a Go Green Workshop.