Sustainable Ideas...

By Susan Seliger

The headlines are filled with the bad news — the housing market is in the biggest slump in decades. But there is a silver lining you may not have read so much about: Homeowners are doing more green home improvements than ever. They may not be updating the whole kitchen, but they are doing the small jobs that count for saving energy and money, such as weather-stripping, caulking those breezy windows, buying CFL bulbs and insulating their bathrooms and water heaters.

Execs at Home Depot, the gigantic retailer for all things DIY around the home, reports in a New York Times article, that, in addition to green repairs, people are also stocking up on pellet fuel before winter hits.

“This is a trend we expect to continue into the third quarter,” one of those execs is quoted as saying, in the Times article: Home Repairs Become Focus as Consumers Feel Pinched. .

Third quarter? How forward-looking!

Try “the next decade” sir.

And as usual, consumers lead the way — and retailers try to keep up.

So what should you do for your home if you can only do one thing to improve energy-efficiency — and save some money?

Big step: Replace old leaky windows.

Medium step: Put up storm windows to keep the heat in.

Small step: Caulk, caulk, caulk. And if storms are too costly, make your own heavy curtains — leave them open during the say to let the sun (passive solar heat) in, and close them up at night to keep the heat high and your heating bills low. And start socking away some cash to tackle that first Big Step one day soon.

And for more on passive solar design in homes, check out this article on the subject by Ellen Honigstock, RiverWired’s Leading LEED green architect.

And check out a great blog on greening your home by Jennifer Chait: Best Green Home Tips.

Photo credit: http://www.housecareservice.com/images/house_wvz9.jpg