Comey & Shepherd - Cincinnati Living Online

Green Interior Home Improvements

Here are some green eco-friendly home improvements that will enhance your indoor living environment and marketability of your home. Home buyers want efficient and healthy homes in today’s real estate market and here are a few improvement you can make today.

Air Quality:

Speak with an HVAC contractor and see about adding an advanced air filter to your existing system. There are a number of filter types (HEPA, Electrostatic, UV) that do a variety of things to clean your indoor air. Also evaluate the need fora  dehumidifier in damp places such as the basement.

Water Quality:

Whole home water softeners can drastically improve water quality. Traditionally they use salt to remove Calcium and other minerals from hard water.  Carbon filters are  a good idea, especially installed near a sink. They filter out additional pollutants from drinking water improving the quality and taste.  Finally you can conserve water by installing a large cistern to collect rain water from the gutters for irrigation. If digging up a yard for a cistern is extreme, there are numerous attractive rain barrel options.

Remodeling Materials:

Choosing the right materials, especially in a remodeling project, can seriously impact indoor health. Be proactive and require low VOC (Volatile Organic Chemicals) products. Paints, wood floor finishes, and carpets release VOCs into the air and recently low VOC options are coming into the market. VOCs are responsible for that ‘New Car Smell’ but over time and in certain amounts are not good for your health.

Lighting:

The trend towards CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights) is well underway. A New breed of ultra high efficient LED lights is on the horizon and they promise even greater energy savings and longevity. Better than any bulb is free light from a skylight or sun tunnel. Just make sure you have a qualified and licensed contractor doing the install to avoid costly roof leaks.