It would certainly be impossible to provide a full instructional manual on how to transform your existing home into a green home, but it is perfectly possible to provide some general guidelines that could lead you in the right direction. The following tips and hints come from the REGREEN Residential Remodeling Guidelines, as described by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and the American Society of Interior Designers Foundation (ASID).

Are you prepared to retrofit your home with green home alternatives? Two primary concepts that you should keep in mind is that all of your “regreen” projects should be systems-based and they should be goal-oriented. Let’s get to work!

A Green Kitchen

Because the kitchen is such a hub of activity and it is populated by so many appliances, it is perhaps the most important room in a green home that can benefit from a “regreen” project. Some strategies that you may want to consider when building a greener system in your kitchen include the following:

• Remodeling window fixtures to maximize use of natural light and to minimize loss of heat during the winter (insulation and sealants)
• Installing more energy-efficient appliances, including the refrigerator, range, oven, and microwave
• Installing more efficient kitchen faucets to reduce water use
• Including under-sink water filtration system
• Reconfiguring plumbing to more efficiently distribute domestic hot water
• Providing adequate ventilation and ensuring ducts are clear
• Selecting cabinets, fixtures, and fittings that do not absorb moisture
• Using water that is no hotter than necessary

Going Green in the Bathroom

Just as the kitchen is populated by several appliances and opportunities for reducing energy use, the bathroom is the room in the home that perhaps uses the most amount of water. The primary goal in “going green” in the bathroom involves the maximizing the efficiency of water use.

Some bathroom projects include the following:

• Installing a low-flow toilet
• Utilizing highest-performing showerheads and faucets
• Using wall fixtures (tiles, paint) that can best handle both liquid water and high humidity
• Installing efficient exhaust fans to move water vapor out of the space
• Ensuring that available windows provide plenty of natural light while still retaining an adequate level of privacy
• Using durable materials for the countertop to reduce the need to replace them in the future

Bedrooms in Green Homes

Bedrooms are where we spend eight hours or more each night and so it is important that the bedroom is designed in such a way to be quiet, safe, and restorative to our health. Energy usage is relatively minimal in most bedrooms, but there is still a lot of opportunity for making the bedroom a sustainable feature in your green home.

Some features of the ideal green bedroom include the following:

• Hypoallergenic bedding and mattress
• Windows that can provide plenty of natural light during the day, but with window coverings that provide enough darkness for a good night’s sleep
• Environmentally-friendly furniture, including those made from reclaimed and recycled materials
• Proper insulation to reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer
• Hard-surface flooring made from reclaimed wood to improve air quality
• Area rugs to capture heat in the winter, rather than wall-to-wall carpeting