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Addison Homes builds upon the belief that every day is Earth Day.

Happy Earth Day!

This eco-friendly occasion – celebrated every April 22 since 1970 – is designed to raise environmental awareness. An estimated 1 billion people across the globe participate in Earth Day-related activities, making this annual observance the largest civic event in the world with an emphasis on recycling, energy-efficiency, water conservation and more.

Addison Homes builds upon the belief that every day is Earth Day. We build all of our new homes to rigorous environmental standards such as Energy Star® and the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program. These energy-smart homes are beautiful – and beautifully sustainable, too – meeting strict guidelines for resource-efficiency via effective insulation, tight construction and ducts, efficient HVAC equipment, and high-performance products such as windows, lighting fixtures, fans and appliances.

These tried-and-true features increase homeowner comfort while decreasing energy consumption and reducing air pollution. Simply put, an Addison-built home provides higher performance at a lower total cost of home ownership, with the added benefit of protecting the environment.

Whether or not you’re building a new home, you can celebrate Earth Day – today and every day – by becoming more energy-efficient, thus lowering your energy bills and reducing greenhouse gas emissions without sacrificing function, style or comfort. Here are some tips from our partners at ENERGY STAR:

AT HOME

LIGHTEN UP. Change out the bulbs in your home’s five most frequently used light fixtures to bulbs that have earned the ENERGY STAR label, and save $70 per year in energy costs.

GET UNPLUGGED. Remember to unplug electronics such as cell phones and MP3 players once they are charged. Don’t leave the adapters plugged into outlets either. Those “vampires” are still sucking energy even though they are not charging anything.

SLEEP IS GOOD. Enable the power management settings on your computer and monitor so they go to sleep (switch to low-power mode) when you are not working, and wake up with just a key stroke. This can save up to $85 per year.

DON’T LET THE AIR OUT. Use caulk, spray foam, and weather stripping to seal cracks around windows, doors, pipes, electrical sockets and other places where conditioned air can leak out. Proper levels of insulation, especially in your attic, can also improve energy efficiency and comfort. And, don’t forget to check your duct system for leaks and disconnections.

TURN ON THE SAVING. Appliances that earn the ENERGY STAR label can save you up to $700 in energy costs over the lifetime of your refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes washer and room air-conditioner.

GET PROGRAMMED FOR SAVINGS. A programmable thermostat, when used properly, can save up to $180 a year in energy costs. You can save with a manual thermostat too, by adjusting the temperatures daily before leaving home and when going to bed at night.

AT WORK

SLEEP IS GOOD AT WORK, TOO. Put your office computer and monitor to sleep while not in use.

DOUBLE UP. Print and copy double-sided on each piece of paper.

LIGHTS OUT. Turn off your light(s) when leaving the office for the day.

RECYCLE. If you don’t recycle at work, start; if you already do, commit to recycling 10%more.

IN THE CAR

DRIVE SMART. Go easy on the brakes and gas pedal, avoid hard accelerations, reduce time spent idling and unload the junk in your trunk.

STAY TUNED. Keep your car well-tuned. A properly maintained vehicle is more fuel efficient, more reliable and safer.

KEEP THE PRESSURE UP. Check tire pressure regularly. Under inflation causes increased wear and decreased gas mileage.

GIVE YOUR CAR A BREAK. Try to combine activities into a single trip; use mass transit; walk or bike whenever possible.

BE A SMART CONSUMER. When buying a new vehicle, make a smart choice. Look for the Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Scores at EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide.