Home Improved: Cool new ways to save money--and the planet

摘要

GET THIS: Your home is already an ecological wonder. Over the last 25 years the amount of energy used by the typical refrigerator dropped fay two-thirds; washing-machine energy needs have been reduced by nearly half; the use of redwood decking has fallen by two-thirds; and toilets use less than half the water that they did in the 1970s. You had no idea how good you were being, did you? Making choices that help the environment doesn't mean sacrificing comfort and, in fact, many green-home products aredownright luxurious. Unfortunately, this contributes to the perception that the products are budget busters--a myth, says Alex Wilson, executive editor of Environmental Building News, "Certainly there are high-end green homes that demonstrate what's feasible, but the average homeowner can use many green strategies--and some actually reduce the cost of a home."