Your home’s most banal object gets the iTouch.

Tony Fadell, the inventor of the iPod, left Apple last year to revolutionize the thermostat. Hot, huh? But not too.

Did you know that heating and cooling costs take up half of our monthly household energy bills? That’s as much as the refrigerator, lighting, TVs, computers, and stereos combined. Thermostats are in control of all that usage. In the United States, thermostats determine 10% of our consumed energy usage overall, which equals some 1.7 billion barrels of oil per year.

The thermostat is boxy and stout and not nearly as sleek as a brand new Energy Star icebox, but it is an essential tool in the fight against climate change. Nevertheless, need it look so plain and utilitarian?

Heck no, says Fadell who founded Nest Labs upon his departure from Apple. In October, they released their first product: the world’s sexiest thermostat.

At $249 it’s expensive and, by some accounts, a bit tricky to install. Nest however, is smarter than your average thermostat in that it literally learns to program itself according to your real-life habits.

We encourage programming your thermostat, which can save you 20% on your energy bill, but proper programming requires you to adhere to a strict schedule: lower it when you go to work in the morning, turn it up when you come home, lower it again at bedtime. But you, yourself, rarely adhere to a strict schedule. You go out, sometimes all night, occasionally not taking the walk of shame through your front door until two, three days later. It’s not your thermostat’s job to guilt you; the Nest encourages an active social life.

It builds a schedule around your habits, and can figure out when you’re not there. You can also control it from your laptop and phone.

The Nest uses the same wheel interface as the iPod nestled in a stainless steel frame.

When the little green leaf appears, that means the system is in energy-conserving mode.

If you live in a mega green home and require more than one thermostat, install extra Nests and they’ll communicate with one another.

Considering the thermostats we’re used to:

The Nest is elevating the mundane one degree at a time.

Images: Nest; Passive Aggressive Notes

The post Meet Nest, The World’s Sexiest Thermostat appeared first on EcoSalon.

They say it’s a buyer’s market and agents love listing those dwellings with solar panels, efficient water heaters and appliances, good insulation and nontoxic flooring and finishes.

Here are a few easy green fixes for your property to reduce your own footprint in coming winter months while hoping to land an offer you can’t refuse.

1. Upgrade to Energy Star Appliances

The Energy Star Symbol on products such as the GE Profile Frontload Washer with Steam, is an important statement reflecting high environmental standards. Even if  you have to put out some cash on new appliances, you are letting prospective buyers know your fridge, washer and dryer are not energy hogs. If you own an Energy Star refrigerator, Smart Homeowner recommends you clean the coils to increase efficiency.

2. Repaint with Nontoxic Paint

There is nothing cheaper and more effective than repainting your walls as a design selling point and you’ll get kudos for disclosing you applied low- or non-VOC paint to your rooms, since we now know that lead-based enamel products emit harmful fumes.

3. Consider New Windows

While new energy-efficient windows can run several thousand dollars, the heat that escapes through poorly designed single-paned old ones accounts for as much as 25 percent of your heating bills. It can be worth replacing single paned models in the long run as they do increase property value and are good selling point for noise reduction, as well. Adding screens also is a good way to reduce air conditioning use in the summer and window covers help insulate in the winter.

4. Insulate Pipes and Water Heater

According to the Home Know it All, the process of insulating is easy by just buying a good insulation ($2 to $4 per strip), duct tape and a utility knife. Cut to fit the length and diameter of your pipes and secure every foot or so with the tape. Wrapping the exposed hot water pipes will reduce waste by increasing the temperature of hot water out of your faucets by as much as 4 degrees. Older models might require adding an insulation blanket (check the manual to see if advisable). Gas water heaters should be professionally insulated by a heating contractor.

5. Change the Lights

Talk about a quick and easy fix, something you should have already done by now but might have neglected. The Department of Energy figures green bulbs (CFLs) can reduce lighting energy costs by as much as 75 percent. Lighting adds up to 11 percent of your house’s energy budget, so the wearing of the green bulbs is a major statement about the efficiency of your property.

Sure, there are many other fixes such as adding those solar panels, replacing chemical treated carpets with sustainable bamboo hardwood and installing programmable thermostats and eco ceiling fans. Just remember, all these investments pay off in the end, even after you have moved on to a new place of your own.

Images: Cursed Thing, General Electric, New York Times

The post Want an Offer You Can’t Refuse? Show ‘Em How You Reduce & Reuse! appeared first on EcoSalon.