Green homes India. 5 easy steps to turn your's into a greener home!

Green homes are the future in India too!

Going green is the 'in' thing. And why not? We just have one planet and we need to save it from being wasted. This is all we have and we need to ensure that our children and their's, have a great life too.

Indian real estate for dummies is all for going the green way. We being you, 5 easy tips that can turn your home greener in a jiffy. Read on;

1. Buy Energy Star appliances - did you know you could save up to a third of your energy bill just by buying Energy Star rated appliances? 5 star rated ones save the most amount of energy!

2. Close up gaps where air and moisture can escape – just by caulking and weather-stripping, you can prevent a/c escapes, and in the cases of Kolkata, Chennai and other humid cities, moisture and heat coming in! – insulating attics and walls in your villa also can do a lot for your power bill.

3. Do a blow test - (Okay, its not what you are thinking!) Knowing how air flows through a space—and where it gets out—is crucial to making sure the least amount of energy is used to heat or cool your home. But how can a homeowner determine that? Air, after all, is invisible and rarely gusts indoors. Nor is insulation a cure-all. Randy Hansell of Portland (Ore.) nonprofit Earth Advantage says: "insulation is good but if air goes through insulation then it's only a big filter." One way to gain an understanding of this tricky problem is through a blower door test.

To perform the test, someone mounts a strong fan called a blower door on a frame of an exterior door. When the fan gets turned on it sucks air through the house. When the house is windy, one can walk around with a smoke pencil, a small device that shoots out bursts of visible gas, and by watching where the gas flies the tester can find elusive holes.

4. Watch your water consumption – from flow reducers in faucets to recirculation systems in hot water heaters

5. Upgrade windows – although this can be costly, insulated windows will pay off in the long run (you can even get Impact Resistant Windows and kill two birds with one stone), insulated windows also help with noise reduction if you live near a busy intersection or train tracks (think Mumbai)!