Green home improvements will allow you to cut down on your energy bills and to create a healthier living environment.  Going green is usually the most logical and economical choice whether you are building or renovating your house.

In planning your next home renovations consider the following eco-friendly home improvements at the beginning of the design process:

• Go for smaller home instead of larger: create multipurpose spaces such as a home office that doubles as a guest room
• Consider an addition to your existing home instead of building new, renovating your home is a form of recycling
• Work with green professionals. Choose a general contractor knowledgeable, with good reputation, and passion for green building issues
• Choose healthy and low-toxic materials
• Select recycled and sustainably harvested materials
• Minimize waste and speed up installation by designing around standard sizes
• Design an energy efficient building: use high level of insulation, high performance windows, and tight construction
• Design water-efficient, low maintenance landscaping
• Improve water efficiency by reduce irrigation demand by using native, drought-tolerant landscaping, low flow bathroom toilets and shower heads
• Avoid potential health hazards, including radon, mold, and pesticides
• Use cross ventilation and ceiling fans for cooling
• Use eco-friendly landscaping to create energy efficient active systems by planning deciduous trees and shade trellis at the south facing homes to help to reduce solar heat during the summer and to gain solar heat during the winter
• Use zoned radiant floor heating to improve heat distribution thought out the house
• Reduce air leakage with blown-in, bio-based insulation
• Use reclaimed wood and materials such as recycled composite quartzite countertops
• Use Energy Star rated home appliances, heating / cooling systems, and lighting

These are just a few ideas that are worth to consider before your next home renovations.

References: 

Green Building and Remodeling For Dummies® by Eric Corey Freed