Now that your garage houses an economical hybrid or electric car, you may believe you’ve completed your green duty to the earth. But what about the garage itself? The garage door, lighting and lawn equipment could all use a good dose of green energy.
Lawn Equipment
Every time you pull the rip cord on your gas-powered lawn mower, they wheeze out harmful fumes into the atmosphere. Fortunately, there are a variety of alternatives that emit less, or even zero, emissions. Corded or cordless electric mowers are one option for mowing your lawn without creating noxious exhaust. You may opt for a cordless mower for a larger lawn, but their lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries may need to be charged often. A green alternative is the solar-powered mower. After absorbing three days’ worth of ultraviolet light, it’s ready to mow. There is one final mower that is completely ecological and requires no fuel whatsoever. The greenest choice is the push reel mower. The reel mower is fueled by the power of you. Pushing it spins the blades and manicures the grass. Some homeowners swear by the push reel mower and its role in producing a healthy, verdant lawn. Lawn mowers aren’t the only garage tool that have greener potential. Instead of gas-spewing trimmers, homeowners could use Husqvarna Trimmers that utilize an E-tech engine. These engines’ fuel efficient design produces low exhaust emission levels compared to your standard trimmer.
Lighting
Ditch the fluorescent and incandescent bulbs in your garage. Fluorescent lights contain hazardous mercury, which can be unsafe if a light breaks or it ends up in the landfill. Incandescent bulbs use exorbitant amounts of energy in comparison to some other types of lights. LED illumination uses considerably less energy than the former two lighting methods, according to EarthEasy.com.
Flooring
Instead of concrete slabs lining your garage floor, consider something more environmentally friendly for example something similar to garage floor tiles. Also, try to use a material that doesn’t leach moisture from the ground, suggests AutoMedia.com. One alternative to concrete is a material often found on gym floors. Rubber flooring, created from recycled tires, makes an ideal surface that’s also dirt cheap. Definitely something worth considering is a garage floor epoxy coating for your garage which will raise it to a whole new standard.
Garage Doors
Garage doors are the largest moving part on a house so it’s important that they’re energy efficient. Firstly, any hole or gap in the door or frame can let in a draft that can lead to you turning up your heating which isn’t very eco-friendly. Also, if your doors motor becomes slow or noisy then it is wasting energy and you should get a Garage Door Repair San Jose company to look at it. Eco-friendly garage doors are made from recovered or recycled materials; they’re also insulated to prevent wasted airflow and reduce energy costs. This is especially true when there’s direct access from your garage into your house. According to ClopayDoor.com, garage door insulation can reduce the overall consumption of household energy. Many of Clopay’s doors are insulated with eco-friendly polyurethane made from recycled content. The company’s wooden garage doors use lumber purchased from mills that support sustainability and re-plant for the harvested timber. If you’re looking into replacing your garage door, it must be disposed of properly. Much of a garage door’s components can be recycled or even reused if you’re crafty.