Why did you choose to move to Hawaii? Some people move here because of the weather, and others move to the state because they love the scenery. It may sound a little strange, but some people may choose to move here because they want to live in an environmentally-friendly area. In a state where almost 1/4th of the gross domestic product comes from tourism, the environment is important. In order to keep people coming to Hawaii, the air needs to be clean and the land needs to be pollution free, and you could be doing your part to keep it that way by making your home more green.

Making your home more eco-friendly can help the environment, but it’ll also have a substantial impact in your wallet. The National Association of Home Builders did a What Home Buyers Really Want study, and energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly features topped their list. They found that 94% of the people they surveyed wanted a home that came with Energy Star rated appliances, and 91% wanted to own an Energy Star rating for their home. Making your home more environmentally friendly can also make it more attractive to future buyers. You don’t have to spend a lot of money or time on home renovation projects, as there are plenty of inexpensive and efficient repairs and lifestyle changes you can invest in.

Turn off your HVAC system when you aren’t at home

If you want to make your home a little greener, shut down your HVAC system when you aren’t there. Most people leave their AC or heater on during the day, since they want the home to be comfortable when they come home. It may not seem like that much of an energy or money loss, but you’re essentially running your system for 1/3rd of the day for no real reason. It won’t take long for your home to heat up or cool down once you get home, and leaving it off can save you a considerable amount of money on your energy bill.

Replace your windows

When most people think about things to replace to make their home greener, windows don’t usually spring to mind. Your windows may not consume energy like your typical appliances, but the wrong kind of windows can let air escape from your home and make your HVAC system work harder to keep your home comfortable. Eco-friendly windows can help reduce the amount of heat lost in your home during the winter, and reduce the amount of heat in your home during the summer.

Relax your yard maintenance

It’s understandable that you want a beautiful yard, but maintaining the “perfect” lawn consumes a lot of energy and resources. If you really want to have your lawn looking its best, you should scale back on your yard maintenance tasks. Most species of grass do best when they’re kept at two and a half inches tall. The extra length creates more surface area to absorb sunlight, and that extra energy will create stronger and deeper roots that can absorb more water (which will be useful for those times when it downpours at of the blue).

Update your roof

Your roof does a lot more for your home than just keep the rain out of it. If you’re thinking about updating your roof in the near future, consider using sustainable roofing products. Asphalt, wooden shingles and shakes, and tile are environmentally friendly and can make your roof look great. You can easily find sustainable roofing material in Hawaii. Don’t worry too much about price when you get your work done – sustainable and green roofing material is often cheaper than the regular variety, so you’ll be able to save a considerable amount of money.