Eco-Friendly Tips With Low Costs and High Savings

Most homeowners have weather-stripped their doors to maximize climate control, and have switched out traditional incandescent light bulbs with eco-friendly CFL models. Short of installing double paned windows or making other costly home improvements, what more can you do to make your home “greener” without emptying your wallet?

Change filters often. Change air conditioning filters monthly to keep the system running at peak performance.

Dry bigger loads. Your dryer has more capacity than you think. Dry two or more loads at once so the dryer cools down and heats up less frequently. And clean out the lint filter often.

Check the fridge seal. Feel for cold air around your closed refrigerator door to be sure the seal is in good condition.

Adjust stove top cooking. Avoid wasting heat by matching up your pot/pan size to the correct burner.

Unplug battery chargers. Many chargers continue to draw power even when not connected to a device, so unplug yours after charging.

Use a laptop. They use less energy than your desktop computer, so use them instead when you can.

Reduce hot water consumption. Install low-flow, aerating faucets and shower heads. Select a shower head with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gallons per minute.

Choose drought-tolerant plants. Any number of plants and ground covers can add greenery to a yard without gulping lots of water – including clover, certain breeds of grass like Bermuda and Zoysia, and edible plants like herbs and strawberries. (Note: you may want to put in some type of wood or brick border to contain groundcovers or plants in the area you want them to stay in.)

Local Real Estate Market Update

Although there’s been some marginal improvement in the market, existing home inventory remains low and the average closed price of homes are still higher than last year in Douglas and Sarpy counties. Now is a great time to sell. Contact Sallie Elliott at 402-630-5953 for more information.

Potty Talk – 2021 Toilet Trends

Who thinks about these things? Designers do.

Believe it or not the pièce de resistance of a great bathroom design can be the toilet. Recently, Kohler hosted an event at Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery on toilet trends for next year. My design team and I were fortunate enough to be able to attend. We were excited to see what is new in styles, technology, and mounting options. And we found out there were many new things to see.

One Piece or Two Piece? That is the Question

There are choices for one piece or two-piece toilets as well as one piece tankless and they come in traditional and more contemporary to modern styles. Tomorrow’s two-piece options are more cost effective and a little bit more on the traditional side. In terms of functionality, there are several choices of flush levers both on the side of the tank, on the front of the tank or directly on top making the look of tank more streamlined. Each one has it’s aesthetic benefits as well as functional benefit. One-piece options slant toward the more modern to ultra-modern style and can be tankless. This design option tends to be more sleek and less flashy in terms of looks. and Either way, there’s one for everyone’s taste.

Technology

Surprise, surprise there are commodes that have one touch functionality. Some options come with a full complement of convenient features including heated seat, customizable cleansing, night-light, hands-free opening/closing, automatic flush, plus a touchscreen remote. The styles, again, tend to be more on the modern side for these toilets and the price tag is higher so you might want to reserve this one for the master bath with more custom features. And they come in interesting colors like white with rose gold trim. Check out our video with a snippet of a new high-tech toilet.

Wall Mounted

New 2021 options for wall mounted toilets are my personal favorite. They are great for smaller bathrooms, making the room look larger, and they have clean sleek lines that simplify your design. It almost looks as if the toilet is floating. Choices and prices also vary for these. They can be more affordable then you think, and they come in mod styles or more classic choices. Let’s not forget the ability to easily clean around the bowl. Also, there is a color choice of black in addition to white.