Energy-Saving Resources
HouseSmart Green Solutions offers many ideas to improve home energy efficiency.
To help, we’ve grouped solutions together — no cost, low cost and long range:
No-Cost Energy-Saving Tips | Low-Cost Energy-Saving Tips | Long-Range Energy-Saving Tips
American Lung Association Health House
A collaborative effort of the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest and the American Lung Association national office to provide quality information for home builders and homeowners regarding home design, construction, renovation and operation with a focus on healthy indoor air quality.
BuildIt Green
This organization provides standards and ratings specifically applicable to California residential properties for design, construction, and operation of new high-performance green homes, as well as remodels of existing residential properties. The whole-building approach emphasizes performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Points are awarded to each project based on how many standards are met.
Carbon Calculators
Cradle to Cradle
Provides companies with a tangible, credible measure of achievement in environmentally-intelligent design, which means using environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material reutilization, such as recycling or composting; the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency; efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production; and instituting strategies for social responsibility. A Products can be certified as Silver, Gold or Platinum, or as a Technical/Biological Nutrient (available for homogeneous materials or less complex products).
Energy Star
Established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to help protect the environment through certification of energy-efficient products and practices. Since its inception, the program has grown to encompass more than 35 product categories for the home, workplace, new home construction, and organizational energy management.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
An international organization that operates an Accreditation Program to promote responsible stewardship of the world’s forests. The FSC product label allows consumers worldwide to recognize products that support the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.
Green-e
The nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy. The Green-e logo identifies superior, certified renewable energy options, and is used by businesses to communicate the purchase and / or generation of certified renewable energy.
GREENGUARD
An industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees a certification program that establishes acceptable standards for indoor products, environments, and buildings. GREENGUARD currently has third-party certification programs for indoor air quality, interior building materials for schools, and mold prevention during building design, construction, and operations.
Green Seal
Provides science-based environmental certification standards to help manufacturers, purchasers, and end users make responsible choices that positively impact business behavior and improve quality of life. Hundreds of products and services from major companies such as 3M, Benjamin Moore, and Andersen Windows are certified to meet Green Seal standards.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED®) Green Building Rating System™
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, now the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. Promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
US Green Building Council
A 501 c3 non-profit organization committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.