We all want to save money, right? Right! Save money, at home, workplace and any public building; This article deals with the structure or fixed elements.

Renewals or upgrades

– spent recycled materials, if you hire a contractor, insist and confirm that only green materials are used: processes, disposal, delivery, packaging, disposal of old materials, non-toxic, safe and multifunctional if possible. Instead of having wall lights operated by a switch, have individual on/off switches, many wall lights already have this feature. Instead of leaving the lights on in a room, even where small children play, install an occupancy sensing switch on an unoccupied timer. Motion sensors are great for outdoors, but not practical for indoors (watching TV, reading, studying, etc.). Money saved over time.

– Hot water tanks are becoming obsolete,as we know them, replacement is much more ‘convenient’, individual instantaneous water heaters in each room with water supply are more environmental, they only heat what you use, you don’t need to use energy -gas, electricity, oil- that we have to pay, just to keep the water hot for hours, days or weeks at a time, no long distances to travel, pipes with extra insulation, no wasting water, turning on the tap and waiting for the water to get hot. The initial installation cost of these instantaneous water heaters is less than the cost of a new/old hot water tank installed in the basement. Money saved now and in the future.

– Talking about energy costsSolar panels are becoming less expensive to purchase and install, if you have a south facing property or even a north facing property the south side of the roof can be used for the panels. As well as generating your own ‘free’ power, if you also use energy efficient appliances and equipment you are way ahead of the game. An added benefit of having solar panels installed is that the longevity of the roofs will be increased, because the actual roof materials are not damaged by direct extreme weather conditions: sun, wind, storms, blizzards. If you also have a few acres of land that is unused, too rocky, or barren where nothing will grow or cannot be used for any other reason, you can lease the space from energy providers in your state or province to install solar panels, and power the ‘net’. Making money off of something you thought was a waste of space. Money saved now and earning money in the future.

I encourage you to research the products and the manufacturer, and ask yourself these questions;

1) Is the manufacturer REALLY environmental or is it just their marketing? Do they manufacture or sell other products that can actually cause damage to the environment and our health? Remember that company – you added 2 liters of water to your 3 liter bottle of bleach. What are the instructions for use? Are there health warnings?

2) What do you do with the packaging? Is it recyclable? To the trash and to the landfill? Excess packaging? Any alternative, can you use something you already have in your kitchen or bathroom?