Home improvement sounds like a great idea right off the bat. Remodel your kitchen, a bathroom and perhaps a bedroom or two, and you’ll feel like you’re living in a totally new house.
Not all improvement is about remodeling rooms. Take LEED improvements, for example. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and it’s a green or energy-efficient certification program for buildings and houses. It may take a conscious effort and a tad bit more money to certify your house, but making these LEED improvements ensure sustainability, improve the quality of life for residents, and most importantly, lower costs overall.
To be LEED certified and save money, the following are a few areas in which you should make tenant improvements in Carlsbad, CA:
- Water Efficiency: This part of the LEED code asks that the resident purchase and install fixtures, like shower heads and sink faucets, that use 20 percent less water than what the building permits. Ensuring that your fixtures don’t use more water than needed saves you money on your water bill and will help save water for the future.
- Energy and Atmosphere: The LEED program created this part of the code to make sure that all of the machines and appliances you use in your home are energy-efficient. One way to do that is to install ENERGY STAR equipment. ENERGY STAR equipment, like refrigerators and washers and dryers, automatically use the least amount of energy possible to do the tasks they are designed to do. When you switch over, you will see a dramatic drop in your energy bill. While these appliances can be a bit more expensive, the machines will pay for themselves when you get your energy bill each month. In addition, the machines are better for the environment.
- Materials and Resources: It’s important to keep track of how you dispose of certain materials in your living environment. Much of the material in this part of the code is based on the three R’s: reduce, reuse and, especially, recycle. To keep up to code, a resident must have one recycling bin for paper and cardboard, one for glass, aluminum and plastic, another one for batteries, a fourth one for fluorescent light bulbs, another from printer and copier cartridges and another for small electronics, such as cell phones or other hand-held devices. Recycling is not only great for the environment, but it can make a resident feel environmentally- conscious.
- Indoor Environment Quality: Even what you do inside affects the environment. This part of the code enforces a no smoking policy inside as well as using and installing adhesives, sealants, paint and flooring that is environmentally-friendly. In addition, it asks for an all-green cleaning system. While following these rules help sustainability substantially, it also improves a resident’s quality of life. Smoking and inhaling potentially dangerous chemicals are bad for your health and the health of your family.
- Innovation in Design: If you’re planning to modify, update or make any changes to your home, this part of the code requires that at least one member of the construction team is a LEED professional.
To make LEED tenant improvements in Carlsbad, CA, visit Mullen Construction.