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Open House

How to Make Homes Greener & Safer

Aired April 21, 2007 - 09:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BRUCE MCMILLAN, SOLVAY PHARMACEUTICALS: Every place that you see these marks here was where server hardware used to be. We started this project, we had 65 physical boxes. Now we're down to about 25.
JERAS: Data centers use 1 to 2 percent of all of the electricity in the United States, and that's expected to double in the next five years. Conservation groups are working with the tech industry to get better performance out of every kilowatt.

NOAH HOROWITZ, NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL: And if we can, we can reduce the need for about a dozen large coal-burning power plants.

JERAS: It's not just the big tech types who need an electronic diet. Consumer electronics now use almost 15 percent of the juice in many homes. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends turning off your computer, monitor, and printer when you're not using them and buying Energy Star-qualified equipment would use up to 70 percent less energy than their conventional counterparts. That way, you'll save gas and electricity when letting your fingers do the buying.

Jackie Jeras, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, from floods to mold to going green, "OPEN HOUSE" with Gerri Willis shows you the latest ways to protect and improve it.

HOLMES: And that show starts right now.

GERRI WILLIS, HOST: Good morning. I'm Gerri Willis, and this is OPEN HOUSE, the show that saves you money. Coming up on this Earth Day weekend, how to go green without breaking the bank, and we'll show you some easy ways to save water and money in your home.

But first, one of the biggest nor'easters in recent memory left its mark from South Carolina all the way up to Maine. New York City got eight inches of rain. That's the second highest amount since they started keeping records 113 years ago. Hundreds of thousands along the Eastern Seaboard lost power, and countless homeowners had to deal with devastation.

But one of the toughest parts of this storm was the impact on countless homes up and down the East Coast, homes that one hour were dry and the next flooded. While the damage is sure to be costly, no damage totals are in yet. FEMA is in the middle of conducting preliminary damage assessments. Right now, though, we want to look ahead and show you what to do if you and your home get hit with a flood. Mike Rimoldi is with flash.org in Tampa, Florida.

Mike, good to see you.

MIKE RIMOLDI, FLASH.ORG: Good to be here, Gerri.

WILLIS: Awesome. You know, let's start with safety first. That's one of the biggest issues when there's a flood. People can forget, it can be dangerous going back into your home.

RIMOLDI: Exactly. One of the things that people often forget is though the water may rise in your home, the electricity is still on. So before you enter into your home and stand in that water, you want to make sure that your electricity to your home is turned off to prevent any possible hazards from that.

WILLIS: Great idea. And of course, you've got to get the water out. That's one of the big things, right?

RIMOLDI: Exactly. One of the big things you see often is people are going into their homes and there's standing water, and the first means of recovery is to get that water out of the home. Get the doors open, get the windows open, obviously, when the weather has cleared up. Get some fans going. Air out and remove any items that are saturated with water, such as carpeting and such.

WILLIS: You know, Mike, this can be harder than you think. I was part of this flood over the weekend, I've got to tell you. You could not buy a sump pump. You couldn't find a fan where I live. You've really got to plan ahead for this stuff.

RIMOLDI: Exactly. It's kind of like hurricane protection, earthquake protection -- or preparation, I should say. Anything that involves a disaster, folks need to have a plan ahead of time, instead of just trying to react at the last minute.

WILLIS: Absolutely. Another thing you say is to check below the water line. What do you mean by that and what are you looking for?

RIMOLDI: If you can ascertain how high the water has come up in your home, obviously you may have seen it when the water was there, or if you're arriving after the water has already receded, you'll be able to see the line that -- the high water mark, so to speak.

And you want to determine what areas below that have been damaged. Is the drywall in that area -- need to be removed and replaced? Any flooring in that area, any molding? And that's something that the homeowner is going to have to check...

WILLIS: How do you know though -- I've got to interrupt you here, Mike. How do you know if it's damaged enough that it has to be replaced? Because a lot of people are making that very decision today. RIMOLDI: Exactly. And a lot of times, Gerri, carpeting is pretty much going to have to be replaced. Because folks forget, this isn't clean water that has come into their home. I mean, it's brown water, it's gray water, it's not totally clean water, so...

WILLIS: What does that mean? Yes, it could have anything in it, right?

RIMOLDI: Exactly. It's mixed with chemicals, runoff from the road, sewage, other items like that. So 99 percent of the time, you're going to want to pull that carpet out and replace it. If it's a precious heirloom rug or something, obviously you're going to take that to a professional cleaner to have restored, but if it's your standard carpeting, pull the carpeting out of the house, pull the padding out of the house, and then start looking at things like the drywall. Is it saturated enough that it's fragile to the touch? Because if so, you're going to want to cut that out.

Obviously, too, inside your walls, the insulation. And once that gets wet, it's really never really going to dry out to the point where it's not going to lead to possible mold, mildew and other items, which, you know, for the cost of insulation, it's more practical to remove and replace than to try to dry out.

WILLIS: Mike Rimoldi, thank you for being with us today. I just want to remind our viewers, he has got a great Web site. If you're worried about the stuff this weekend, flash.org, a great place to go.

And of course, one of the most important and dangerous threats from a flood is mold. Coming up. we'll have some vital tips on how to deal with mold, if you find it in your home.

More jawboning this week on the topic of the subprime mortgage meltdown on Capitol Hill. Subprime loans, of course, are loans with higher interest rates given to folks with low credit scores. As we've been telling you on this program now for six months, these loans are a big part of the sharp rise in foreclosures across the country.

And this week, Senator Chris Dodd, you're seeing him right here, held a homeownership preservation summit in which he asked participants to agree on a couple of ideas. One, that foreclosures are at unacceptably high levels. And two, that foreclosures are not in the interest of homeowners.

I guess the wheels turn pretty slowly inside the Beltway. Politicians have actually yet to write some legislation to take on this problem, and that's hurting tens of thousands of people across this country. We'll continue to follow that story.

Coming up on OPEN HOUSE, going green on this Earth Day weekend. How to do your part without emptying your wallet. But first, your "Tip of the Day."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS (voice-over): The average household receives 20 bills every month.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With electronic payments, you can save $150 a year. And that is late fees, anywhere from $25 to $75 per bill, and with stamps, envelopes, and checks.

WILLIS: And since the payments are deducted from your bank account automatically, you always pay on time. Check with your utility providers, health club, and credit card companies to see if they offer financial incentives for direct payment. And you'll be helping the environment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Up to 18 million trees a year can be saved, and over 390,000 cars can be taken off the road if all of us paid our bills electronically.

WILLIS: That's your "Tip of the Day."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: One of the country's largest banks has found a way to go green -- well, sort of. Bank of America announced their first green initiative this year. For the remainder of 2007 each customer who opens a new home equity line of credit will have $100 donated to Conservation International. That's an international environmental organization.

Now, going green at home and on the road sounds, well, all well and good, but it can get pricey if you don't know what you're doing. That's why Cybele Weisser from Money Magazine is here.

Cybele, welcome. Good to have you here.

CYBELE WEISSER, EDITOR, MONEY MAGAZINE: Nice to be here.

WILLIS: All right. Let's start with some of the easy stuff that doesn't take a lot of money. You know, everybody hears about those compact fluorescent bulbs. That's certainly one, right?

WEISSER: Yes. And you know, just take the five bulbs that you most commonly use in your household, buy, you know, replacements and you'll save about $60 a year on your energy costs.

WILLIS: You know, that's a lot of money.

WEISSER: It's a good deal.

WILLIS: Absolutely. So we've programmable thermostats, that's also a great idea too.

WEISSER: Yes, I love these. I mean, you just can buy them at your local hardware store and they cost about $50. And what it is, is it will just turn down automatically at night or if you're away, and then turn it up before you get home. Savings of about $100 in the first year. WILLIS: What is a hot water heater wrap?

WEISSER: Doesn't that sound like something really crazy and technical? It's $20 and it's just basically an insulator that will keep you from -- make your hot water heat up faster and keep you from losing that insulation. You can knock 5 to 10 percent off of your energy costs that way.

WILLIS: Wow. That is great. OK. And it's a cheap way to get some savings. Let's move onto heating and cooling. Because half of your bill is heating and cooling and if you can just bring that down a little bit, it makes a lot of sense. What's your first recommendation?

WEISSER: Well, we recommend that you repair some leaky ducts in your home. People don't realize they are losing 15 to 20 percent of their heating and cooling, it's just flowing out the door. If you repair that, you'll get that money right back.

WILLIS: How about ceiling drafts? I'd love to talk about that, because the windows for example, doors, you really lose a lot of energy that way.

WEISSER: You lose a ton of energy that way. Seal it up and you can get about another 10 percent savings on your energy bills.

(CROSSTALK)

WEISSER: ... but it's a lot of money.

WILLIS: Now you say donate old appliances to charity, right?

WEISSER: Mm-hmm, yes. Besides the fact that it's a nice thing to do, you can also get a tax break for it. I really recommend the site energystar.gov, it's the federal government's site.

WILLIS: It's a great website.

WEISSER: It's a wonderful Web site. They give you a lot of tax- saving tips. I mean a lot of these can come right off your taxes in the form of credit.

WILLIS: All right. I have to take you to allergy suffers. I read somewhere that there are 14 million people this year who will go to the doctor with allergy problems. I am one of them. I don't think I know anybody these days who is not. You can make quick fixes in your house, though, to help, right?

WEISSER: Yes, yes, 'tis the season. If you're doing any repairs, if you're thinking of painting, we recommend low-VOC paints, and what that means is that it is paints that won't give off fumes. Our regular paints give off fumes for years, actually, not just after you air out your house.

These paints cost a little more, about $50 a gallon, but they're non-toxic and there are plenty of other glues and laminates you can also get that are low on fumes.

WILLIS: Any other fixes? I understand that there is a little more expensive fix that will really clean up your air.

WEISSER: Yes, it's a mechanical filtration system. That will run you somewhere around $500 to $1,500, but that will really clean your air, and you know, you'll cut down on your headaches, your allergies, and your doctor's bills. Hey, think what you could save.

WILLIS: So it will take you a little while to pay for it, but at the end of the day, it makes sense.

WEISSER: Feeling good is a reward.

WILLIS: All right. There are other products -- yes. Feeling good is a great reward. You say there are other products to buy as well for your home. What are those?

WEISSER: Yes. If you're doing some home renovations, say, you might want to consider renewable products like bamboo flooring. It's about $2 to $4 a yard, but...

WILLIS: It's cheap compared to wood, right?

WEISSER: Yes. It's cheap compared to wood and it's all -- it's recyclable, it's natural, I mean, that's a wonderful thing to do. Also consider low-flow toilets and shower heads. The toilets actually can be a little pricey. They can go from about $150 to $500. Shower heads are pretty cheap. But you know, it will knock about half of the cost off of your water bill.

WILLIS: All right. So at the end of the day, how much savings do you think that people can really get by making these little changes along the way?

WEISSER: I mean, I think you can get thousands of dollars in savings just within the first year. It's actually pretty significant.

WILLIS: Well, thank you for taking us on the guided tour. We appreciate it. Cybele, thank you.

WEISSER: You're very welcome.

WILLIS: Still ahead, important tips on dealing with mold. Plus, saving water means helping the environment and saving money. How to do it all when we come right back. But first, your mortgage numbers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Wasting water isn't good for anyone. It's bad for the environment and it's bad for your wallet. But there is such a thing as water efficiency without sacrificing water pressure. Ed Del Grande of hgtvpro.com, he stopped by to show us how to save water and save money.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WILLIS: OK. Here's my problem though, Ed.

ED DEL GRANDE, HOST, GHTVPRO.COM: OK.

WILLIS: You know all of these new rules? You can't take a shower anymore. It's like standing out in the rain. I mean, you want that really strong shower flow.

DEL GRANDE: Gerri, you're not alone. It's not people's imagination. Everything runs slower now, hoses, because the regulations have come into effect. For instance, toilets can only use 1.6 gallons or less, faucets can only use about 1.5 gallon a minute, and showers, our beautiful showers are down to 2.5 gallons a minute.

WILLIS: All right. Well, let's talk about the showers first because that's what I'm really concerned about. How do I get a really good shower head?

DEL GRANDE: Well, remember, it has to adhere to those rules on the 2.5 gallons, which is a little slower, but there are shower heads like this on the market. This is called a performance head, and this gives you the impression that you're getting a stronger shower with less water. Can I tell you the tricks?

WILLIS: Sure.

DEL GRANDE: OK. First of all, see how wide it is, like a firehose? Well, with the wider stream, it feels like there's more water coming at you.

WILLIS: Even though there's not.

DEL GRANDE: Even though there's not. So it's kind of a mind game. But inside, it's real. This is great. Look at this. Do you see that, looks like a jet engine?

WILLIS: Yes.

DEL GRANDE: Yes, it injects air through the water, so even with the small amount of water, it feels stronger coming at you.

WILLIS: So it's pushing it through at you.

DEL GRANDE: Yes. At you. But the best thing is, Gerri, feel these little nubs over here. Feel that over here, do you? See how they're rubber?

WILLIS: Yes.

DEL GRANDE: Those little spokes...

WILLIS: What does that do?

DEL GRANDE: Well, OK. Here is the trick. If you can keep these spokes clean, you will get a good, strong shower. Water deposits get in the shower heads, they block up. But look, if you wipe your thumb across it, go ahead, don't be shy, this squeezes the water out. And if there is no water in those little nubs, it can't leave deposits, so you always get a strong shower.

WILLIS: Pretty good, pretty good.

DEL GRANDE: Not bad, huh?

WILLIS: OK. Let's talk about the faucets. What can I do there?

DEL GRANDE: OK. Faucets. Here's the spout, right here at this faucet. It could be a kitchen, it could be a bathroom faucet like this one. What you want to do is take off the standard aerator. Now that is what...

WILLIS: The standard aerator.

DEL GRANDE: Yes. See it, see how it opened up the spout now. Now do you see how small that one is. Look, you can increase it to a jet aerator, just like the shower head. Inside is jet propulsion...

WILLIS: OK. Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, what does this do? It's an aerator, what does that mean?

DEL GRANDE: It mixes air with the water, so it gives you the softer flow so it's not a big strong stream. So if you mix more air, and see these slots? Do you see the one you have? There's no slots, so this one mixes twice the air so it looks like a much stronger flow, even though it's the same amount of water.

WILLIS: Very tricky, very tricky.

DEL GRANDE: They look -- well, here's what's not tricky, Gerri. Look how fast I just changed that out. Anyone could do this in a matter of seconds.

WILLIS: Are they expensive?

DEL GRANDE: No, you can go down -- they sell them in six-packs, believe it or not. You get six aerators in a pack. And you just go and change all your faucets and hopefully you don't have more than six in your house. And it's a great project.

WILLIS: What about outdoor faucets?

DEL GRANDE: OK. Outdoor faucets, very good. Let me show you something right here. You can hold the new one.

WILLIS: This looks familiar.

DEL GRANDE: Yes. Now this is the real familiar one, this is the old standard one.

WILLIS: Yes.

DEL GRANDE: Yes. Now see how it's big and fat? Look at that one, see how it's skinny? (CROSSTALK)

WILLIS: Is that going to fit, though?

DEL GRANDE: Well, that will fit, but what they've done is they've put ball valve technology in here so it makes it flow faster and you can actually have a thinner spoke. And let me mix these two right together here. See how that one's smaller? So with a third less water, you'll still get the same flow. How about that?

WILLIS: OK. We've got to say the T-word, we've got to talk about toilets. So...

DEL GRANDE: We have saved the best for last. All right. The new technology is with these toilets that are called dual-flushing toilets. Now they look...

WILLIS: What does that mean?

DEL GRANDE: Well, they look the same from the outside, but on the top of the toilet or the side, you'll have two buttons. Now I'm going to be polite about this. The number one button is for number one, the number two button is for number two.

WILLIS: OK.

DEL GRANDE: So here is how you go. Inside it will activate these two buttons on the top. You'll have the chrome ones on the outside. So when you press the chrome ones, do you see this? The number one button will lift up this plunger and that only gives you one gallon to flush.

WILLIS: So this is just controlling the water flow?

DEL GRANDE: Right. What you're doing is now you're controlling the water so you get your water saving with one gallon, but if you need that big flush under 1.6, you put the number two button and that will give you a strong flush. And, Gerri, this tower will save up to 5,000 gallons of water a year just with that feature. So this is no joke.

WILLIS: Wow. That is great. OK. I was laughing, but in fact it is a very serious technology.

DEL GRANDE: Yes it is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: As always, if you have an idea for a "Weekend Project," send us an e-mail to openhouse@cnn.com. And if you want to check out this "Weekend Project" again, check out our Web site, cnn.com/openhouse.

Up next, one way to go green when you're buying or selling your home. But first, out West to check in with a city that plans to cut energy consumption by 30 percent over the next five years. That's this week's "Local Lowdown."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK CONLON, DIR., OFFICE OF ENERGY MGMT.: The Palm Desert Energy Partnership is an energy conservation program with a five-year goal to save 30 percent of our energy city-wide, 215 million kilowatt hour savings in electrical energy.

WILLIS (voice-over): New residential and commercial buildings must consume 10 percent less energy than currently allowed by state law.

CONLON: The program entails incentives for people to invest in energy efficiency in their homes and businesses.

WILLIS: Some ideas: install solar panels, Energy Star appliances, high-performance windows, and high-efficiency air conditioning. Palm Desert is also banning drive-through restaurants and declaring electric golf carts street legal in order to lower carbon dioxide emissions.

That's your "Local Lowdown."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: From paper bags to solar panels, living green can mean many things, but one company in San Francisco is taking it to a whole new level, by greening the real estate market.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC PLAYING "SAN FRANCISCO (BE SURE TO WEAR SOME FLOWERS IN YOUR HAIR)")

WILLIS (voice-over): Beauty, climate, and culture. There are plenty of reasons to call the City by the Bay home, unless you are committed to buying green.

CHRIS BARTLE, GREEN KEY REAL ESTATE: There's really not a lot of green real estate here in the city. So instead of waiting for that to be built or created, I decided that I could create a company that could facilitate or expedite the creation of that real estate.

WILLIS: In business since 2005, Green Key Real Estate connects green buyers with environmentally friendly homes. It also provides resources to clients who wish to green their homes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very excited about this greenhouse up here, too.

WILLIS: The Shepherds bought and sold their last home through Chris. And now with his company's help, they are doing a green remodel in their new one.

BART SHEPHERD, GREEN KEY CLIENT: We have similar concerns about lessening our impact on the world and leaving sort of less of a mark behind, preserving things for future generations like the two little girls that we have running around here.

What are we going to put in the backyard, Cha-Cha (ph)? Are we going to put a slide?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

WILLIS: Chris practices what he preaches.

BARTLE: This is Brazilian cherry, it is FSC-certified. FSC- certified simply means that it is grown in sustainably-harvested forests, so they are clear-cutting. They're not cutting old growth. They're farming it in a sustainable way.

Also in here, we have zero VOC paints, compact fluorescent light bulbs, double-pane windows.

WILLIS: Later this year the company hopes to use a new database allowing people to search specifically for homes with green features.

SHEPHERD: The stairway may get more efficient space.

WILLIS: The shepherds believe greening their home will pay off both health-wise and financially.

SHEPHERD: It's taking the house to a whole 'nother level. It's a competitive real estate market, and so I think it gives us the added benefit of standing out.

(MUSIC PLAYING "SAN FRANCISCO (BE SURE TO WEAR SOME FLOWERS IN YOUR HAIR)")

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Now, if you're thinking about greening your own home, log onto builditgreen.org for a list of products and resources.

Now, as promised, what to do if you think there is mold in your home. Remember that mold isn't always visible. It can grow behind your walls. So check them for any discoloration. Mold is also very common in central air conditioning systems. If this is the case, you just need to replace your filtration system.

Now, if you have a portable air conditioner, take the filter out and make sure the coil is shiny. And if you can see mold in your house and the affected area is less than 10 square feet, you can handle the cleanup yourself. Forget mold testing kits. They're expensive and unnecessary. Besides, even a little mold is bad news. Don't test it, just get rid of it.

You can remove mold growth from hard surfaces with a bleach solution of one cup bleach and a gallon of water. Now, use a stiff brush on the rough surface materials like concrete. And of course, you'll want to wear gloves so your skin doesn't come in direct contact with mold, and use a surgical mask too so you don't breathe it in.

Now if the affected area is larger than 10 square feet, you should consider calling professionals.

OPEN HOUSE will be back next week right here on CNN. And you can catch us on HEADLINE NEWS every Saturday and Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Don't go anywhere. Your top stories are next in the CNN NEWSROOM. And have a great weekend.

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