Greening your property can be overwhelming sometimes. So many options to chose from and explore. Using solar and geothermal as reusable energy or choosing high efficiency boilers and windows. Sifting through all the choices and recognizing the savings is sometimes hard to grasp. Many people think that you have to go solar or wind power to make your property green. Becoming a green building is as easy as reducing your usage of electricity. To reduce the amount of Kwh that your property is using is fairly simple and cost effective. Using LED lighting and motion sensors can reduce your lighting usage by 60% and give a fast payback.
LED lighting can lower your lighting bill by a considerable amount. The advantages of going with LED lights range from less watts used to longer useful life (five times longer than fluorescents) and no need to replace a ballasts. LED lights also contain no mercury so there is no need for special disposal. LED lights run cooler then conventional fluorescents, helping reduce cooling costs. The payback for these lights range from two to four years.
Motion sensors can be quite valuable if put in the right application. As with fluorescents, LED lights are not affected by constant cycling. This allows you to get the value out of your lighting from repeated on/off. They assume the responsibility of turning lights on and off when people enter and leave the room or hallway. Motion sensors can be a valuable asset to lowering bills and increasing the life of your fixtures.
Making your property green doesn't require a huge investment of money and time. These simple steps can help the environment and make your property more valuable in the long term. A win-win solution.
Mark Bourbeau is the owner of GreenCents, Pelham, N.Y. Tags: