Here is what is on our "to do green" list:
1. install a solar powered attic fan.
2. install a whole house fan
3. install 2 programmable thermostats
4. make and install several rain barrels
5. install solar lighting at/in the barn where there is none
However......
Our upstairs ac unit has a severe freon leak and only holds a charge for about 1 month. We have been nursing it along for the 5 years we have lived in this house. So, $1000 would be used to replace the ac unit which we would purchase at whole sale from my best friend's brother and get him to install it.

Living in a house is always a never ending "adventure".'
Kimberley

I would spend the $1,000 to re-insulate my upstairs with foam insulation. I had the downstairs re-insulated and it's so comfortable now.
To explain further, We built our house 13 years ago. We were forced to use bat type insulation by code enforcement. we wrapped the house with tyevac before siding it. we also have 2 ft of blown in insulation in the attic. The house was extremely cold and drafty in the winter. We felt we were freezing in the winter. We knew we had to do something. we didn't have enough money to re-insulate the upstairs so we just re-insulated downstairs. The downstairs is now warm!

Sharon Snyder

I'd do a bunch of little things:

2 more rain barrels: $12 (I make them myself)
build my compost heaps: $0 (it's just a matter of getting the pallets)
expand the garden: $50 on soil/peat, etc.
one large freezer for garden excess: $100 (used)
vacuum sealer to store food: $100
build composting toilets: $5
build basement root cellar: $100

That almost leaves me enough to do one "spendy" thing and get that heatpump water heater thing that Mike Fowler mentioned.

So, if anyone has a spare $1,000 laying around and wants to donate to a good, green cause, look no further!

(As a bonus for your donation, you get a huge bunch of dehydrated herbs, organically grown, right from my garden! Act now!)

I have had solar water heating before. But the best bang for the buck is a "Heat Pump Hot water Heater". Not only does it heat your water for 1/3 cost(70 cents/day for me), it also dehumidifies and cools my main floor(I duct the exhausted air to in summer).
Cost: $699.00
Payback: Less than 2 years
http://www.airgenerate.com/products/airtap.html
Tie this with a "Drain Water Heat recovery unit" and you see tremendous savings on your electric bill.
Cost:$700 Payback:7 years
http://renewability.com/general/residential.html
If you're hooked-up to city water, another big savings would be the Staber Washing machine. Loads like top washer, works like front loader. Simple, bearings front and back, no fancy eletronics, easy to repair. Saves us(family of 4) 3,000 gal/mo, plus less HW usage.
Cost:$1299
Payback: 4yrs
http://www.staber.com/washingmachines

I have had solar water heating before. But the best bang for the buck is a "Heat Pump Hot water Heater". Not only does it heat your water for 1/3 cost(70 cents/day for me), it also dehumidifies and cools my main floor(I duct the exhausted air to in summer).
Cost: $699.00
Payback: Less than 2 years
http://www.airgenerate.com/products/airtap.html
Tie this with a "Drain Water Heat recovery unit" and you see tremendous savings on your electric bill.
Cost:$700 Payback:7 years
http://renewability.com/general/residential.html
If you're hooked-up to city water, another big savings would be the Staber Washing machine. Loads like top washer, works like front loader. Simple, bearings front and back, no fancy eletronics, easy to repair. Saves us(family of 4) 3,000 gal/mo, plus less HW usage.
Cost:$1299
Payback: 4yrs
http://www.staber.com/washingmachines

This 100+ yr old house that i have been working on for the last 11 yrs sure could use about 1,000 dollars to insulate the attic and get a start on walls(needs to be blown in)it would also come in handy for solar panels or some of the many other green things but the insulation would be a begining to an end in saving money on heating in cold months as this house is still drafty after foaming cracks,replacing windows(25)taping cracks but the cold air still comes in through the planking on the floors which have been caulked and mostly refinished This house is like an envelope house as the floor joist go from wall to wall scabbed to stud walls (studs go cellar to attic) very little blocking (just where windows are. That 1,000 would go to insulation.

I would buy window tint for my Low-E skylights, caulk and seal my windows and dig up my rock/clay to start a garden.

I would buy window tint for my Low-E skylights, caulk and seal my windows and dig up my rock/clay to start a garden.

I'm going spend about that by taking out my open fire with unused back boiler, which because its been turned into a gas feature fire is only about 5% efficient !
I'm intending to replace it with a Double Bell Masonry Stove.
When and if I get the job done I'll try to post the results, should anybody be interested.
Good Luck to all, you're giving inspiration.

I have a 2400 square foot home that has double pane windows that are broken. I would spend money to get them repaired or replaced.

Almost all of the summer we go without air conditioning in our home thanks to the large 80+ year old oak trees giving us shade.

In winter though, the windows leak some and I'm not happy with them. Our biggest electric bill is about 270.00 for January. Not a horrible amount (I've heard of a lot worse for 2400 square foot), but I'd like it to be better.

Aggie

Hi,

If we were to have $1000.00 it would definitely get used to put a second string on the solar array. We already have a 1400watt system which is capable of a second array of 1400 watts. Our house has been gone over already doing everything possible to make it energy efficient like new windows, blown in insulation, low flow toilets and water strainers, energy efficient lighting, solar attic fans, ect. We want to build an overhang on the back of the house, to not only shade the house from the southern sun in the summer, but mount the other 7 solar panels. This would offset the second half of the electric bill. Granted the panels are almost $1000.00 each, but it would be a start!

Thanks,

Matt Tirpak

Hi,

If we were to have $100.00 it would definitely get used to put a second string on the solar array. We already have a 1400watt system which is capable of a second array of 1400 watts. Our house has been gone over already doing everything possible to make it energy efficient like new windows, blown in insulation, low flow toilets and water strainers, energy efficient lighting, solar attic fans, ect. We want to build an overhang on the back of the house, to not only shade the house from the southern sun in the summer, but mount the other 7 solar panels.

Thanks,

Matt Tirpak

If I had the funds to do as I really dreamed to make my home and farm truely green. I would start with building my root celler and cold storage center. Living in Texas's east hill country, we have a problem with oppressive heat and unreliable water tables. So digging out to create the cellar is not an option. My son-in-law sudgested we build a shed and insulate it both inside and outside with 1/2 inch stryafome and then fill in around the shed with soil, to retard rodent and pest we would use sheet metal salvaged from construction sites we had gathered to seal the interior. This shed wouled be constructed using lumber saved when we tore-down an old house for one of our friends. Adding Solar Panals to the roof to help run ehaust fans to help keep it cool and batterie operated lights. This is just one of the many improvements we would love to make for our farm.

The money would be best spent on new energy efficient appliances for me. I might add some more batteries to my wind power system, but the appliances would conserve more energy quicker.

I would spend the $1000 to put in a solar roof fan and rain barrels. Fiber cement siding would be nice, but I think that cost a lot more than a $1000.

I would put the money into a Garden by installing a small greenhouse, root cellar, composter, chipper shredder,metal roof and rain barrels. I would also plant fruit trees, shrubs,and grape vines, canning supplies and with monies left over would buy hardware to build tire fence.

I would invest in Rain barrels and small solar panels

The $1000 would go a long way toward adding soffit vent extenders to the attic crawl space before adding additional insulation and possibly improved air venting above insulation. Re-caulk the windows and frames and beef-up the sill insulation and seal the crack between the siding, foam insulation and gap between siding and foundation walls. One door frame needs to be replaced to the outside entrance to the house. The 80 gallon hot water heater has served its life and should be replaced with a tankless water heater. Since the house was built over 30 years ago, the heat ducting should be cleaned and joints taped or mastic sealed to aid heat and air conditioning efficiency.

I have a bit of wind tunnel on the back side of house so I would like to harness some wind power to lower the electricity bill. Also gather rain water for the garden & a green house.

Being the electrician that I am, I would try to reduce my electrical usage by converting the rest of my compact flourescent lamps to high power LED lamps. I would also try to isolate my lighting circuit to later power with a solar array. That part would be free for me. I would also like to upgrade my 110 volt attic fan to a solar powered one. With any money left over, I would burn up buying soffit vents. These would increase the airflow to my new attic fan. Well, heres what I want to do, how do collect on the $1000? $1000 would just get me started!!!

We have already insulated, put in new windows and new furnace. We burn scrap wood and dead fall wood and roofed with a a good product. Our electric is great and our well is done with an economic new pump.

So I would do my final dream. Buy as many panels to produce electricity or tubes to heat water as the money will buy.

I would LOVE to do ALOT of green things to my house. However, I have to be realistic. My first priority would be to upgrade my A/C and/or freezer to EnergyStar. These items are probably 20-25 years old. I bet they're big energy hogs. We can't replace them yet just to save a couple bucks a month. But, I have faith that if I keep my eyes and ears open the right opportunity at the right time will present itself.

I see a lot of comments about greywater. I did a simple greywater recycling project by divering my washing machine water into a 30 gallon trashcan and attaching a hose to the bottom with which i water the yard/garden. We use ecover laundry soap. It's illegal to use greywater here in san diego, but in our current drought situation, do we really have a choice? The cost for my project was under $30.

We are fortunate to already have energy efficient windows, live in a moderate climate, have bamboo flooring, and, except for the washer/dryer, have all new appliances. I'd spend the $1000 on a new washer/dryer. Currently, my gas and electric are about $60 a month in our 1500 sf house. would like to reduce that further.

I see a lot of comments about greywater. I did a simple greywater recycling project by divering my washing machine water into a 30 gallon trashcan and attaching a hose to the bottom with which i water the yard/garden. We use ecover laundry soap. It's illegal to use greywater here in san diego, but in our current drought situation, do we really have a choice? The cost for my project was under $30.

We are fortunate to already have energy efficient windows, live in a moderate climate, have bamboo flooring, and, except for the washer/dryer, have all new appliances. I'd spend the $1000 on a new washer/dryer. Currently, my gas and electric are about $60 a month in our 1500 sf house. would like to reduce that further.

We would look into a solar powered heating system. Propane is very expensive. Second on our list would be grey water filteration and snd snow and rain capture for garden useage.

My 1940 cement block home has original windows which need to be replaced. There is no insulation, so an insulative siding might improve energy loss. Installing rain gutters and rain barrels would save water. Some of the do-it-yourself projects like gray-water systems, cold frames, wall-unit passive solar heating, and solar water heating with boxed black hoses could help with water/food/heating costs. The kitchen and bathroom have not been remodeled since the 60's, so energy-efficient appliances and a water-saving toilet would be nice. I would like to do whatever saves the most money/energy first and then tackle the rest in descending order of money/energy savings.

A happy choice here in dry Southern California. We'd put that $1000 towards a greywater and/or rainwater capture and filter system. Currently roof rainwater makes mischief and is too soon gone, while greywater collection is still illegal. Meanwhile we import and buy water from places that are running short. It's time to change our municipal codes to reflect the real world!

It may sound corny, but I dream of this kind of stuff all the time. I dream of going completely off-grid for electricity (so much so that we can sell some back) and being able to cut our water bill by using grey water recycling. I think for us, because we are in South Florida, the most important thing would be energy conversation - our electric bill is through the roof (pun intended!) and we are a one-income family, so it hurts when we pay that each month. Solar panels and a tankless water heater would be a great start. It would take us at least a year to save $1000 to even begin to start a project like this, and everything I've looked into is so bloody expensive. It's a shame that going green has to be so incredibly expen$ive!

I would definately replace the original 1890's windows in my home. Any money left over would go towards either a hopper wagon to store stove corn or rebuild motor on stand by generator.

I would build a couple of "grabbers" and add plumbing to them for solar water.

I would put the money into my Garden by installing a small greenhouse, root cellar, tumbling composter, chipper shredder and rain barrels. I would also plant fruit trees and shrubs.

I would invest the money in my garden, ie: install a small greenhouse, root cellar, rainbarrels, tumbling composter, chipper-shredder, and plant fruit trees/shrubs.

I would buy a whole house on demand water heater and re-run my water supply lines with PEX. After that I would sell the copper to make some of the money back :)

I would invest a £1000 on a a grey water system to water my garden.

I think I would upgrade our wood burning stove to something smaller and more efficient for our small house. I'd also get new windows, since we have a couple hat allow drafts in the house. If I had any money left over after that, I would buy rain barrels.

If I had $1000 allocated for saving man it would be a Transformer for solar. One that I can add solar panels as I like. Start with two panels and work my way up to whatever it could handle or the power company would let me pump back into the system.

The first thing I would do with $1000.00 is build a solar powered Evap cooler. This would cool my house and eliminate the need for the A/C all together.

With the money left over - I think I'd sit back in my cool house and enjoy a mint Julip or two. :)

We would like to rebuild our south and east facing wrap around porch to become a passive solar collection space. We also would likely have exterior walls and rafter space re-insulated. As much as we would like to upgrade the windows, we've been told this would not be the best expediture for maximum savings.

$1000 towards something which would do the most good for me would be spray foam insulating my rafters and sealing my attic. Not only would it help conserve energy, but would silence some of the neighborhood noise.

I think $1000 would correlate quite well to a partial grey water system piped into a garden irrigation system. Any money left over I would use to build a nice set of cold frames for the garden so I could have leafy greens all winter.

I think $1000 would correlate quite well to a partial grey water system piped into a garden irrigation system. Any money left over I would use to build a nice set of cold frames for the garden so I could have leafy greens all winter.

Originally, I started thinking solar panels, a big greenhouse, or maybe even a rain barrel system to automatically water our chickens, but then I started thinking specifically of my house. We have 6 floor to ceiling windows plus 4 more different shaped windows that are all original to our home, which was built in 1989. While we have a wonderful, beautiful house, 20 year old windows just aren't working any more. We have always wanted to purchase new windows, but it just hasn't been in the budget. We've had to make repairs along the way, like when one of the window panes fell out, we glued it back in, but these windows just aren't doing there job when it comes to keeping the cool air inside in the summer and the warm air inside in the winter. As an experiment, we taped plastic around our windows one winter and were shocked by the bubble that formed from all the outside air blowing in! That's what I would do to green up my home with $1000!