Money spent on July’s electric bill: $40. Prize money won in magazine contest: $2,500. Helping your husband sleep better without the air conditioning on: priceless.

Laura Reedy Stukel, a Realtor with L.W. Reedy Real Estate in Elmhurst, turned her 43-year-old Elmhurst Colonial home “green” with various improvements inside and outside.

After finding a home they could remodel last year, Stukel and her husband went green with improvements, and not just because of the ways it could save their wallet or environment.

“The biggest reason is that my husband hates to sleep with the air conditioning on,” Stukel said.
After completing the remodeling, Stukel submitted an essay about her green improvements to a contest in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. Four months later, she found out she won, and the Stukels’ home was featured in this month’s “Living Green” section of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, which arrived on newsstands late last month.

“I thought I had a shot at it since we did so much and documented it,” Stukel said.

Stukel said thanks in part to the home’s green improvements — and partially the weather as well — their home’s electricity bill was $40 for July.

“It wasn’t a typical summer but it showed us what we could really accomplish,” Stukel said. “It’s a matter of how the little things add up and make a significant difference.”

Bathroom
Along with a low-flow shower head to decrease water use, the Stukels installed countertops made of recycled glass and concrete. Made in Addison, the Gilasi counters were created from glass that would have otherwise been sent to a landfill. There also is a solar tube in the ceiling to bring in light.

Kitchen
Quartz countertops, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and energy-efficient appliances are the highlights of the kitchen. The cabinets, including one with a planet-shaped knob to mark recycling, are from Whitney Wood Works in Chicago. They are made of sustainably grown maple and use a nontoxic finish for a healthier indoor environment.

Backyard
A rain garden is the focal point of the green and “green” yard. The rain garden is a cubed space filled with rocks and plants. Instead of installing a pipe to take excess water from the yard into the sewer system, the water collects in the garden and is taken in by the plants. “The plants we chose are designed to attract butterflies for the kids to watch and enjoy,” Stukel said.

Prize money goes to help charity go green

The $2,500 Stukel won from Better Homes and Gardens magazine has found its way to another green cause by making a community organization more energy-efficient.

Stukel donated the money to Family Matters, a family advocacy organization on the north side of Chicago. Stukel had been a mentor at the center when she was in high school and became close friends with a mentee. In January 2008, her longtime friend died of leukemia. Four months later, on what would have been her mentee’s 28th birthday, Stukel closed on the Elmhurst home. A year to the day afterward, Stukel received word from Better Homes and Gardens that she had won the contest.

Earlier this summer, she donated the $2,500 to the facility and is nearly halfway to her goal of raising $20,000 to complete the energy-efficiency upgrades. Included in the upgrades are replacing a very old boiler that was emitting carbon monoxide, closing gaps where cold or hot air could leak in, and upgrade lighting fixtures with more energy-efficient light bulbs in anticipation of a solar upgrade for electrical power in the future.

Stukel said the green upgrades will save the organization approximately $1,600 a year in their utility bills.

“I can write a check and it would cover one thing, but this will keep giving back,” Stukel said. “It’s a great legacy that I can leave for my friend.”