There are many ways to save energy and live the green life, says Paul Denys, a 23-year veteran of the design and renovation industry, who has won design honours for thoughtful restorations of heritage homes.
Old or new, his 29-point approach to sensible design ranges from scaling down our living spaces to buying the most energy-efficient appliances available.
The owner of Denys Builds Designs volunteered to share the knowledge and sources he's gained during a career of small-scale renovations and restorations.
1. Compact living: Denys' first and most important premise to green living is to downscale your spaces, especially when considering an addition.
2. Light touch: Use fluorescent lights and infra-red motion detector light switches in bathrooms, hallways and storage rooms.
3. Dim down: Check out Lutron Maestro fade dimmers at www.prolighting.com. You'll use less electricity and your light bulbs will last five times longer.
4. Day lighting: Before building or adding to your home, carefully look where you will use energy-efficient windows. Then add more natural light with Solatubes (www.solatube.com), an alternative to skylights and switching on a lamp.
5. Recycle: You don't have to always use new products when renovating. There are great architectural doors, flooring and other materials in shops nationwide.
6. Avoid large use of concrete: It's durable and long-lasting, yet takes a lot of energy to manufacture.
7. Turn to bamboo: It is a fast-growing grass that matures in as little as seven years, grows anywhere without fertilizers or pesticides and releases 35 per cent of oxygen back into the air.
8. Wash time: Commit to smaller, longer-lasting, energy-efficient appliances, including the 18-inch Miele dishwasher. This little baby will hold as many dishes as an American-built, 24- inch dishwasher. Also, consider dishwasher drawers.
9. Low flush: Use low-flow toilets and low-flow showerheads.
10. Instant hot: Tankless water heaters are hot commodities, including the Rinnai tankless water heater (www.rinnai.us).
11. Fire's burning: Consider an alcohol-burning fireplace, forget about the need for a flue and never have to fret about heat escaping up your chimney (www.ecomartfire.com/canada/home.php).
12. Old is sometimes good: Did you know that a 100-year-old-window can be weather-stripped for as little as $250 and it will be as air tight as a new version that can cost as much as $2,500.
13. Fence us in: Look beyond cedar and pine when looking to build a fence. Think of bamboo (www.bamboofencer.com).
14. Fresh air: Use green cleaners, low-VOC paints.
15. Rainy days: Save rain water in a barrel.
16. Donate: Give your old kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanity to charity.
17. Test all plaster, insulation and floor material made prior to 1983 for asbestos.
18. If you're stripping old wood work use a steam box or industrial garment steamer.
19. When reproducing a clear finish on interior wood trim, it's best to use a Clear Bull's Eye Shellac, and when staining wood, use a mild solution like vinegar and steel wood to ebonize wood (www.naturalhandyman.com)
20. Plant drought-tolerant plants instead of high water consuming grass to make your outdoors a different shade of green.
21. Compost.
22. Use larger windows on the south side of a building for greater heat gain in the winter.
23. Use cellulose insulation because manufacturers add borate or borax to fire proof, insect proof and mould proof your home.
24. Kirei board is an eco-product made from the Sorghum plant in China. It is an engineered panel product used in interior architectural millwork (www.kireiusa.com).
25. Marmoleum flooring is made from cork, limestone and natural resins. It comes in many colours and can add a retro feel to your renovation (www.themarmoleumstore.com).
26. Engineered flooring is 1/4-inch thick hardwood laminated with plywood to create a stable floor that stretches our hardwood resources (www.bhkofamerica.com and www.kahrs.com).
27. Install a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) and increase the air quality in your home.
28. More green home sources: www.ecologicalhomeideas.com, www.greennest.com, www.debraslist.com, www.organicmatressstore.com and www.greenbuildermag.com, a new magazine by Hanely Wood.
29. One of the best and most informative books available for going green is Green Building Products, The GreenSpec Guide to Residential Building Materials. It's edited by Alex Wilson and Mark Piepkorn and contains valuable information on new appliances to smart insulation. It's co-published by Building Green and New Society Publishers.
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