It's official. The green movement is here to stay. Every day more people make those life decisions that create a more sustainable planet. At Green3DHome we applaud this effort because we understand how daunting it can be. You've got to learn new phrases, ideas and concepts like; photovoltaics, wind turbines, greywater systems, rainwater capture, low/no VOC paints, organics,and more. How do you navigate through it all? We can help.

Whether you are out looking for that new (to you) home, building from the ground up or just wanting to make your beloved home greener than it was yesterday, we have 5 easy green suggestions. Later this month we will publish 5 more easy steps. After that it gets a little tougher.

So here are our top 5 easy steps:

1. Reduce Water Consumption: Potable (healthy for consumption) water is becoming scarce. Creating more by processing and cleaning non-potable water is expensive and energy-intense. There are several easy things you can do to reduce your water consumption:

   Install low-flow fixtures on your faucets and showers. A standard flow faucet or shower puts out approximately 2.5 gallons per minute (you can test your own if you want to see where you are at) while a low-flow fixture can put out as little as .8 gallons per minute. Through increased pressures, you will still get that wonderful shower feeling. A low-flow or dual flush toilet can also drastically reduce your water usage. Your standard home toilet uses 1.6 gallons per flush. This is set as the flow needed for solid waste, but with a dual flush model you have the ability to use the .8 gallon button for liquid only waste. Some models are even more water efficient with 1.28 gallon solid waste flush instead of the 1.6. These toilets are very common in European countries and are gaining popularity in other parts of the world.

   Without spending any money, you can see a big benefit from changing behavior.

   • Turn the faucet off while brushing your teeth
   • Don't leave the sink running in the kitchen
   • Limit lengths of showers to 5-7 minutes
   • Wash laundry on full loads only
   • Compost rather than using your disposal
   • Take showers instead of baths.
   Ok, so that was a heavy dose for the first step. Pick and choose what you think you can do. Our message is simply that by making these changes one by one, you will eventually conserve lots of water.

2. Changing Out Incandescent Light Bulbs: Its probably not news to you, but incandescent bulbs are out. Where once there were only halogens as alternatives, now there are CFL (Compact Fluorescents) and LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs as well.

   The energy savings are pronounced with CFLs. They use only 1/5 to 1/3 the energy of a comparable incandescent. If you change out all the incandescents in your house today with CFL bulbs, you will likely see a 10% decrease in your energy bills. CFLs also last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. CFLs can cost 3 to 5 times as much compared to an incandescent, but the life of the bulb and the energy savings pays that back pretty fast.

   You may have heard that there is mercury in those CFLs. But think of it this way - the mercury in the CFL is less than the mercury that would be emitted by a coal burning power plant as it makes up the difference in power needed to power a comparable incandescent bulb. Most waste disposal companies have policies in place for proper disposal of CFLs.

   LEDs represent a big step forward in home lighting, and we look forward to the day when they are truly ready for prime time. But we aren't there yet. Current LEDs have issues with cost, color rendering, varying color temperatures and loss of efficiency at higher temperatures. On the positive side, LEDs have no mercury, longer life and lower energy consumption than incandescents or CFLs. You can buy these bulbs today, but they range in both price and performance.

   For now, we recommend CFLs for the bulbs in your house. Don't skimp and buy the generics, they really don't perform as well or last as long. You will be paid back through energy savings and longer life if you go with the better bulbs.

3. Installing a Water Heater Blanket: Most of us have a water heater hidden away in the garage or in a utility closet. We take it for granted. Your water heater is constantly working to keep the average temperature in the tank to a specific level. Most of these tanks have insulation, but they are still losing heat. You can do a quick test by just touching your water heater. If it's hot, then it needs more insulation.

   If the water heater you have is working fine, a good green step to take is to install a water heater blanket. These aren't very expensive ($15-20 at your local hardware store). The blanket is a layer of insulation with a heat reflective layer on the outside. They install pretty quickly with some scissors and tape. They work by holding that 'leaking' heat in the water heater, allowing your water heater to work less and reduce your energy bills.

   If you are building new and really want to do water heating right or if you have the ability to do some real change in your existing house, we recommend an on-demand or tankless water heating system. This technology heats water when you need it, and it does it efficiently. So not only will you save money in the end, you also won't ever run out of hot water.

   If you are building new also look into insulating your hot water pipes as they go through the house. If hot water gets to the faucet or shower faster, you save water, not having to wait for the hot water to force all the cooled water still in the lines.

4. Insulating Your Garage Door: This one is so easy. In most houses, the garage door is the largest uninsulated opening,. Most of us don't heat or cool our garages – we just treat them as storage areas. All sorts of manufacturers make kits that can help solve this problem. Some are hard boards, some are blankets like the water heater ones from above. The basics for all of them is to add insulation to the panels of your garage door. There is also an added benefit of sound insulation, meaning that when in the garage with those power tools, your won't be heard around the neighborhood.

   It's still best to keep the garage door closed most of the time, especially during the winter. The colder the air in the garage gets, the more the heating in the house will have to work in order to make up for the heat lost to the garage.

5. Installing a Programmable Thermostat: This step really can help. The average person spends 8-10 hours each work day away from the home. Most of us don't change the thermostat when we leave So we are heating and cooling an other wise empty house all day long. With a programmable thermostat, you can set the temperature to a higher level for summer and a lower level for winter during the hours you are not home. It can be set so that it will readjust the temperature before you get home . Some of the newer models can even be tied into the internet, so if you are going to have to stay late at work to finish that project, you can just update the thermostat and save a few hours of heating and cooling. Sounds nice doesn't it, and it can save you a fair amount of money on your power bills.

   If you have pets or work out of the home, then this might not be the right choice for you, but you can still save on your heating and cooling bills. We all have a given temperature that we like our house. For some of us its hotter or colder than it could be. Test things out. See if you can adapt and be comfortable in a home that is one or two degrees warmer or cooler than you are accustomed to. Its a little step but it can make a big difference.

We've built an interactive calculator that can show you how much energy savings you can expect when you make these changes.