Florida Homebuilder Centerline Homes | Real Estate Blog

Ever wonder where your waste goes after the garbage truck takes it away?

Harry the Heap, the recycling robot, knows and he’s excited to show you the importance of recycling, safe waste disposal, and making choices for a sustainable lifestyle. Climb in our garbage truck and explore with Harry as he guides visitors in learning what “going green” really means. Other exhibit areas will demonstrate sources of alternative energy, the science behind landfills, the value of composting, and the energy required to light our homes. Learn about your carbon footprint and your impact on the environment.

Museum of Discovery and Science Address:
401 SW 2nd Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Phone: (954) 467-6637

As most who live here in South Florida are aware the area has been under water restrictions for some time.  So with all the talk of limiting irrigation we thought we would share some other tips to help conserve water around the house until the rainy season gets into full swing.

Use water efficiently around the house
Run your dishwasher only when it's full. Don't pre-rinse dishes - tests show pre-rinsing doesn't improve dishwasher cleaning, and you'll save as much as 20 gallons of water per load. When you buy a new dishwasher, look for one that saves water. Water-efficient models use only about only about 4 gallons per wash. More about using water wisely.

The Earth might seem like it has abundant water, but in fact only one percent of all water on the planet is available for humans. Buy fixtures and products that are water efficient - you can use less water to get the same job done just as well. When you go shopping, look for the WaterSense label to find water efficient products. More about WaterSense.

A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, but taking a five-minute shower saves water by using 10 to 25 gallons. Put a little timer or clock near your shower so you can see how fast you are. Save even more water, and money on your water bill, by installing a water-efficient showerhead, or ask your landlord to install one if you rent. More about using water wisely.

Leaky faucets can waste thousands of gallons of water each year, like money down the drain. Repair or replace old or damaged fixtures. If you're not sure you have a leak, check the water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak. More about saving water.

The average washing machine uses 40.9 gallons of water per load. If you buy a a new washer, shop for a high-efficiency washer that needs less than 28 gallons of water per load. To achieve even greater savings, wash only full loads of laundry or be sure to choose the appropriate load size on the washing machine.

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DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - The city of Delray Beach has already marked the spaces in its public parking lot at Swinton and 2nd that will offer free charging stations to anyone who has an electric car or golf cart.

Resident Rob Toth lives about a mile from downtown and often uses a golf cart to get there.

"Taking the kids to school, going to the grocery store, picking up a few items, stuff like that," said Toth.

With gas at $4 dollars a gallon, Toth says he's never felt happier driving a golf cart.

He says a dozen of his Delray neighbors use them to go downtown at night.

"It's paving the way for possibly a greener alternative to real electric cars," said Toth.

The city has upgraded the electricity at the parking lot so it can handle bigger workloads.

"It's always great to say we were first, that we were the first to do that," said Randall Krejcarek, the Delray Beach city engineer.

The charging stations are being donated by an electric car advocate who owns a company called Plug in Florida.

In addition to the three in the parking lot, three others will be sprinkled downtown.

Although there are a few electric car models available for consumers, the city admits it is a bit ahead of the curve on this one.

"We're not going to have a line immediately, but we are going to promote it," said Krejcarek.

Toth says the only promotions the city needs are higher prices at the pump.

He expects downtown charging stations to encourage others to follow his lead, with either an electric golf cart or car.

"It's a great feeling knowing that you aren't burning any gas," said Toth.

The city says it may modify parking signs around downtown to help people find the car chargers.

The first six are installed and the hope is to have one in every public lot in the city.

Centerline Homes Celebrates Earth Day 2011!

April 22nd, 2011 is International Earth Day, and Centerline Homes proudly supports this event. As one of Florida’s premier homebuilders, Centerline Homes continues to search for environmentally friendly features for each of their homes and communities. “As American consumers become more “Green” conscious, they’re also looking for Green components in their new homes,” sated Jeffrey Auchter, Vice-President of Marketing for Centerline Homes. “In addition to the Green features that we already include, we’re always looking for new products that add additional energy-saving benefits for our homeowners.”  Every Centerline home includes items such as; high-efficiency air conditioning with programmable thermostats, rain sensors on all sprinkler systems, high efficiency faucets/shower heads and toilets and Energy Star labeled appliances. One centerline community even includes a brand-new bicycle for every family member to encourage bike trips instead of car trips and the secondary benefit of more quality family time together. “This is an interesting time in the homebuilding industry,” continued Auchter. “As national manufacturers continue to fine-tune their existing products and create new products that feature better efficiency and a higher percentage of recycled materials, the future of Green homebuilding literally gets more exciting every day.”

www.centerlinehomes.com

Those New Fangled Light Bulbs

Did you know that the new compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75% less power that their incandescent ancestors and last ten times as long? It seems difficult to believe that a change to the traditional light bulb could produce such a savings of resources. Retailers such as Lowe’s, even offer re-cycling of this new type of bulb. Recently, manufacturers have stopped making the traditional incandescent bulbs that we all grew up using. We’re going to have to change the universal symbol for a great idea to depict the compact fluorescent style of bulb. Perhaps the saddest victim of the light-bulb switch is the iconic Easy-Bake oven. Created by Kenner in 1963, generations of American kids have grown-up eating a variety of cakes and brownies that were actually cooked (for lack of a better term) by a 100 watt bulb contained within the oven.

Centerline Homes believes in incorporating “Green” features into each home that they build. Whether it’s light bulbs, high-efficiency faucets and shower heads or proper ceiling insulation, Centerline Homes is dedicated to the environment. We even specify Energy Star labeled Whirlpool appliances. Maybe not quite as much fun as cooking in an Easy-Bake oven, but definitely more convenient and efficient.
For information about all Centerline Homes’ communities, visit www.CenterlineHomes.com