Modern homes or homes built in the couple of decades or so are much more energy efficient. Rooms and strategic places of a new house are likely to be insulated and homeowners would have quite a few energy efficient fixtures.
Older homes neither have proper insulation nor are there any energy efficient fixtures. It is not practically possible to redo the entire design and structure of an old home to make it energy efficient. A green home can save a lot of money apart from contributing to the preservation of the environment which makes it an essential necessity as well. Thus, if one has to covert an older home into a green property, one has to endorse green technology that is affordable and can be put in place in an old home.
There are various ways to transform an older house to a green property. First, you can look at your water requisites and how you attend to all such needs. Your home would have water heaters, you may have plants and flowers that need water to thrive and you will need water for all your utilities. You can easily install a solar water heater instead of an old thermal water heater or electric water heater.
A solar water heater would be a one off investment and it can cut down your energy costs substantially. Solar panels that provide off-grid electricity for the home are another idea. Many older houses can be equipped with a set of solar panels quickly and easily.
To water the plants, flowers and for general washing of the driveway, outdoor areas and others, you can easily use rain water. All that you need is a rain funnel which will act as a rain harvesting system. You do not have an alternative to water requirements for all your utilities but you can cut down on waste. For instance, when you flush the toilet, it wastes a lot of water.
To flush liquid waste in the toilet you do not need several gallons of water a dozen times a day. You can easily install a dual flush toilet that will flush liquid waste with less water and solid waste with adequate water, thus saving dozens of gallons on a daily basis.
If you’re not a DIY expert, and if you live in the right location, then you may be able to get some outside help in turning your older home a bit greener. For instance, in the United Kingdom the Warm Up North programme will help with cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, boiler repair or replacement and energy advice. There are also other ecological consultants in the UK that can help with other environmental home issues that will make your dwelling a bit more habitable.
There are, of course, other ways you can create a green home, irrespective of how aged it is. Once again, if you live in the right location, you can replace your present heating system with a geothermal heating system. It will save you a lot of money and it is completely green. If your home is in a windy area, a wind turbine in your backyard would be very handy and if you have a running stream, microhydro can also help cut energy bills along with your carbon footprint.