The Green Home Improvement team got some good words of advice on green living from Chris Salem, co-founder of EnergyFit Living. EnergyFit was founded on the Salem family’s experience of going green in their own home, so their service is inspired by their own passion for what they do. They help create an Energy Efficiency Plan for each home, and install and regularly service all the necessary elements to make the home efficient, emphasizing low costs and real return on investment. Chris shared with us his philosophy on greening the home.
Why did you ultimately decide to go green?
My wife and I were inspired to “go green” for 3 main reasons: to save money, to save energy and to save the environment. We felt the best place to start was here in our home. Together, we wanted to find ways we could quickly reduce our energy costs without having to spend a lot of money up front. So we focused on simple, affordable solutions that would save us the most money and show a quick return on our investment. Realizing the amount of money we saved and how affordable it was, we decided to create a business called EnergyFit Living, so we could help others reap the same benefits and savings.
What’s tough about helping others adopt a green lifestyle?
We faced several challenges along the way. Most, as you might expect, were the same barriers that typically hold people back from going green, such as:
- People think they can’t afford it.
- That it’s someone else’s problem.
- People don’t have the time.
- It’s too big of a problem for me to make a difference.
- Concern about return on investment.
Our business is built around the notion that all homeowners want to reduce their energy usage but don’t because they lack the time, the knowledge, or the money to do so – or have developed some bad habits that increase energy usage. Our services have been designed to overcome these barriers and help clients achieve meaningful reductions in energy consumption by offering quick, affordable solutions.
We want to let others know that they can afford to go green, by educating them on how easy and affordable it is, and that going green will save them money in the short term (as well as long term!).
Tell us about one of your favorite sustainable projects (innovation, creative use of design/materials, etc.)
One of our favorite sustainable projects was going green in our own home, because that is where it all started. This allowed us to try different products to see what works best and what saves us the most money. We practice what we preach to our clients!
In our own home, we made these changes, and they made a huge difference!
- Changed all light bulbs to energy efficient light bulbs.
- Installed a programmable thermostat.
- Sealed all exterior doors and windows to minimize energy loss.
- Installed low-flow showerheads to save water.
- Installed low-flow aerators on all faucets to save water.
- Recycling program for our business.
What advice can you give to homeowners that want to start making their homes sustainable?
- You can afford it!
- There are solutions that save money in the short term.
- There are solutions that will help you eliminate wasted energy.
- We have solutions that don’t cost a lot of money up front.
- EnergyFit takes the guesswork out of conserving energy and water.
- “Going green” is a process of change, not just an end goal.
- Each of us who decide to go green ceases to be part of the problem, and truly becomes a part of the solution.
Going green will create the conditions for an integrated deflection, changing the course of your life and the health of the World, by providing a single integrated source of home products, services, body products and nourishment, deflecting our destination from harm to health and happiness.
This is true for most people. Most people want to be eco-friendly but for the most part at least currently sometimes going green is not financially a good idea.