What is the Path to a Green Home? Where does it start?
I have great news for you! You’ve already started.
The first step is simply showing interest and asking questions. If you are reading this page, you have already done that!
Below I’ll outline the six steps to not only getting started, but moving forward to executing.
- Show interest, ask questions.
- Identify your goals.
- Understand your options and log your baseline (current state).
- Identify your budget / understand ROI (Return on Investment) on specific items.
- Pick 3-5 items to focus on.
- Once done, pick another item. Repeat.
Show Interest, ask Questions
Given the fact that you’ve clicked on this page, you obviously have interest in better understanding the Path to a Green Home. Maybe you’ve done a ton or research already or maybe this is the first site that you’ve visited. Either way, the below steps will help you to 1) understand the journey, 2) help you to decide if it’s right for you, and 3) work as a guide if you decide to pursue this path further.
Identify your Goals
Different people have different reasons for exploring the Path to a Green Home. Below are the typical reasons – you may be focused on one of these reasons or multiple.
* to save on utility bills
* to create a more comfortable home
* to add value to your house (for resale or to tap into equity)
* to help preserve the environment and/or to help slow climate change
These are all common reasons or benefits to having a greener home. Feel free to reference the What’s Your Motivation page for more detail. Moving forward, you will want to select a primary goal and rank the others in order of priority. The path is similar for all goals, but will include some subtle nuances specifically beneficial to each.
Understand Options / Calculating your Baseline
With any journey, you need to know where you are going, but you also need to know your starting point. This allows you to map the path from A to B – from current to desired.
Calculating your baseline will differ from goal to goal.
For example, if your primary goal is to reduce your utility bills, you’ll want to log your current utility bills (in usage not dollars). Whereas, if your goal is to reduce climate change, you’ll want to use carbon footprint calculators (see Calculate and Plan). If you want to add value to your house, you’ll want to get a current comp to understand your current home value – and comps of houses that are similar in size and location but include green features. Lastly, if you want to create a more comfortable home, you’ll want to make notes of the current comfort level.
Identify budget / Understand Costs / ROI on specific items
One of the toughest steps, in my opinion, is to understand the costs of certain ‘green’ improvements, understand the ROI on those items and to align with a budget. I’ve generally found that this is a circular step and not a sequential one. More details can be found on our Calculate & Plan page.
Pick 3-5 items to focus on
Based on your investment strategy above, pick 3-5 items from your home utility list that you feel comfortable with. Ideally the 3-5 items that give you the biggest bang for your buck – the items with the best ROI.
Create a plan (including a financial budget, ‘who’ will do the work, timeline, etc.) on how to complete these items and measure your progress against your baseline on a monthly or quarterly basis.
Repeat
Once you complete 2-3 items (or work them into your regular lifestyle), pick another item or two from the list to get started on.
Congrats, you are well on your Path to a Green Home!
Please leverage the Calculate & Plan page for more details on items 3-5 above.