Green Home Improvement

More than 65 green home improvement projects that will save energy, cut utility bills, boost home comfort and help the environment.

Expert advice helps you zero in on the most do-able, highest payback green projects for your home. Everyone is talking about green living and there are a lot of good reasons to go green. Fuel costs are skyrocketing. Water shortages are spreading. Natural resources are being depleted. Illness is increasingly linked to building materials. Here are 65 projects you can do many of them yourself and at low cost that will make a difference in your living expenses, health and comfort and help the environment.

This book, written by a leading authority and consultant to the Discovery Channels Planet Green Network, makes it easy to choose the improvements that will mean the most to you and your home. Youll see at a glance what each project involves, how much it costs and what the benefits are. Projects include:

• Flooring, paint, cabinetry, and countertops
• Windows and doors
• Insulation and weather-stripping
• Roofing and siding
• High-efficiency heating and cooling systems
• Radon testing
• Efficient lighting, appliances and plumbing fixtures including Energy Star and WaterSense models
• Solar electric and water heating systems
• Plusses and minuses of wood and pellet stoves and fireplace inserts
• Green choices for patios, decks, walkways, driveways, pools, landscaping and much more.

Some improvements cost less than $5 or nothing at all except a few minutes of your time. For professional installations, you'll get cost estimates from RSMeans, the nations leading construction cost authority, to help you plan, budget and prioritize.

Protect your familys health by improving your homes air quality, making life better for anyone with allergies, asthma or chemical sensitivities. And increase your homes value with green improvements that command higher selling prices in a tight real estate market. Includes more than 100 Go Green tips super-quick, easy, often low- or no-cost things you can do right now to make your home and lifestyle greener. You also get guidance for building a new home or addition and practical advice on the best green products.

About the Author

Dan Chiras, nationally known green building expert, has published 23 books and hundreds of articles on green design and construction. A consultant to the Discovery Channels Planet Green Network, Dan also teaches at universities and advises homeowners, architects, and builders throughout the country. He carried out many of this books projects in building his own green home, featured in numerous magazines and on NBC Nightly News.