With rising fuel prices, volatility in the real estate sector, unstable economies and ever rising costs of living, many residential property owners are feeling the crunch. However, despite these pressures mounting steadily, there is a set of green alternatives that such real estate owners can opt for in order to not only give their homes an ecological advantage, but a significant economical advantage as well.

The initial stages of the adoption of these green practices might seem daunting to many owners, given their unfamiliarity with the advantages they offer, as well as uncertainty regarding new technology and initial investment concerns. However, most of these concerns are based entirely on speculation and hearsay.

The fact of the matter remains that green building involves the phased implementation of practices which are designed specifically to reduce the money being wasted, as well as the unnecessary pollution being caused by unaware residential property owners.

Green homes offer a large number of advantages to property holders, which include a healthy environment in the house, along with increased durability and most importantly, impressive energy efficiency. The following pointers should go a long way in making sure that residential property owners maximize the investments they are making in their property.

The first step is to invest in high quality insulation. Having an effective layer of insulation goes a great way in cutting down on the heat loss in a property. The layer of insulation should not only be installed at the right depth, but must also be of the right density in order to prevent heat loss. This means that such real estate owners do not have to work their air conditioning units or furnaces constantly and can so make impressive savings on fuel and electricity costs once the installation is complete.

Another great way to save money is by opting for LED lighting. Many residential property owners avoid these, owing to their higher initial cost. However comparing its features, like an extremely long life and impressive energy efficiency, to other forms of lighting make these the right choice. LEDs last over forty times longer than incandescent lamps and over six times longer than CFLs while providing the same amount of light and consuming one-tenth and half the electricity, as compared to an incandescent bulb and a CFL, respectively.

With the installation of even these two basic features in their households, residential property owners can begin enjoying the benefits of going green without having to break the bank. The best part about these features remains that once installed they end up paying for the added costs in no time, letting residential property owners avail the benefits for a very long time.

Source by Shruti S Sharda