Tuesday February 9th, 2010
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Your New Green House
Posted by Philip Higgs on April 19, 2007 - 6:11am.
Alright, so you want to go green. You want to get efficient. You want to save money. So how do you decide what to do first? You want a solar-powered hot tub, you want cheap electricity – but which one gets priority?Let me first clear up a slight something: I am not the reigning expert on prioritizing. Look at the timestamp of my posts: I write them in the middle of the damn night, after I’ve banged out all my other assignments six days after they were due. Maybe that’s just part of being freelance, maybe that’s just part of living in the modern world. Point is you should take anything I say about “time management” with a box of salt. (Seriously. It’s gotten so bad I have to buy books about how to live like a normal human being. Someday I may have the chance to read them.)
Anyway. First step is to distinguish what we need from what we desire. Solar panels look good, and – as Dave pointed out last week – they get your friends and neighbors all excited about solar power. They are, in modern parlance, sexy.
Incidentally, I was just reading a little efficiency report sent to me from the Center for the American West that had this to say: “American society, when we are bored by a topic… we have a custom of dismissing it as 'not sexy.' Actual human beings put a goofy amount of personal energy into the project of achieving an appearance, shape, dress, walk and manner that will qualify as 'sexy.' …Imagine how difficult it must be for a light bulb, a refrigerator, or a social policy to qualify as 'sexy.'”
Can you afford sexy? How long are you going to live in your house? Long enough to enjoy the simple payback period of whatever improvement you’re making? If you’re not long for that house and are planning on selling, how much does it matter to you to pass on efficiency? Will it matter to a prospective buyer that you’ve got superinsulated R-42 walls? Before you answer that, let’s look at a couple of data points.
Nine out of ten Americans would choose one home over another based on its energy efficiency, according to a survey by energypulse.org. And a survey by Sharp, the world’s largest solar-cell producer, showed that two-thirds of Americans are willing to pay a premium for homes that have solar systems installed. Half would spend up to 10 percent more for a solar-equipped house. So let’s say your house cost $350, 000. A new solar PV system might cost you around $30,000 – and that’s before any tax breaks or state-based incentives. But that solar install could add $35,000 to the sale value of your house – someone out there is willing to pay a for the install. (I mean, they then want to move into your house and paint the walls, but they’re willing to give you money in exchange.) But which is going to save you more energy (and money) in the long run -- $30,000 of panels, or $30,000 spent on new insulation, energy efficient appliances, and a crate of CFLs? Or buying a hybrid? The short answer is, It depends.
Here’s what I’d like to do. Let’s take a collective look at what y’all blog readers are dealing with in your own homes, and let’s look at what we can do – now – to make it better. For reals. Post a comment below, put it in my Limebox or send an e-mail to me personally: mail AT filipo DOT net. (That’s my personal address, now, so don’t go too crazy with the love letters or the wife’ll crack me with the frying pan.) I’ll post your issues and start discussions of what’s possible. Enough chit-chat; let’s get to work.
Hey Phil:
Love the idea of greening my home, but some of the topics you've discussed aren't practical for apartment living. I assume that apartments are already more energy efficient than single family homes, but what types of practical steps can one take to green one's apartment, short of buying the building and re-making the whole shebang? Any helpful sites or hints?
We own, and since its a condo, we have are more or less able to do whatever we want within the walls. A partial remodel (like say, the kitchen) would be a start.
I would start by looking at what you need -- where do you use the most energy? How is your apt heated? If it's the typical NYC radiator, then I'm not sure what you can do there. How old is your fridge? Refrigerators are one of the biggest electricty drains in the home. Do you have AC? That's another big energy suck. How old is your unit?Is there good cross ventilation in your place?
How tight is your apt? Are there air leaks in the doors and windows? WOuld you consider going solar for your hot water or your electricity?
In terms of a kitchen remodel, you can get new, energy-efficient appliances; use low-VOC paints or a clay plaster finish for the walls; move the fridge (which is trying to cool things) away from the oven (which is trying to heat them); that sort of thing. How much of a remodel is a "partial" remodel? Are you going to replace the floors? move a wall? Rearrange the basic layout? Do you need better lighting in the kitchen?
For apartment living, lets start there. Some suggestions I have.
The next time you have to replace your appliances, use Energy Star brand. They are the most efficient. Try not to use your washer and dryer as often. Dryers produce huge amounts of CO2 into the environment. Use eco-friendly paint when you next decide to decorate and use cleaning products that are organic and non-toxic. Lower the thermostat in your home and recylcle.
Hope these ideas help.
By "completely green," I'm assuming you want to provide your own energy, which means either wind or solar (or micro-hydro, but that's more for up-in-yonder-hills living). For wind power, you need at least an acre of land. For solar -- both passive and active -- you want to make sure there's good southern exposure, particularly during winter, and particularly between the hours of 9am and 3pm. Meaning the neighbor's house on the south side shouldn't cast much of a shadow on your prospective house. Trees are another issue -- if you can tell me more about what you're after, I can get more specific.
Another thing you can do is ask to see the past occupant's energy bills. If they're high, you might want to get an energy audit -- I'll be talking more about those next week -- before you go to contract. If you buy a place that's already pretty efficient -- that is, insulated well, not drafty, etc. -- that'll save on the amount of work you'll end up doing and money you'll end up spending on smaller stuff like caulking the windows. But maybe a super inefficient house will also be cheaper?
One more thing: YOu should look into getting a green mortgage.
In a nutshell, improvments to energy efficiency -- a solar system, super efficient boilers -- will lower your utility bills, which means you can expect to have more money in the bank, which means you're worth more to the mortgage company, which means you qualify for more money, which you agree to spend on improvements to energy efficiency.
Just to get a few popular factoids out of the way, there are 120 million existing homes in the US and a huge proportion (as in more than 90%) have HVAC systems that leak, on average, about 30% of the conditioned air they're moving. In addition, the typical American home is built so loosely that it's like having a 3 foot diameter hole in the side of the home open to the outside 365 days a year. These things don't just waste energy, but create indoor air quality issues, moisture problems, and can result in serious health concerns.
The biggest gift any mortgage payer can do for themselves, their family, and their home, is to have it analyzed by a qualified Home Performance Contractor. These guys can measure a home's performance and provide a list of steps to help make it more energy and water efficient, more comfortable, and healthier. That's a pretty good definition of the goals associated with green building. As importantly, it will give a homeowner a battle plan as they create a five year plan fot their home. Thirty grand for PV might make you look green, but is probably not the best use of your limited budget if you've got mold in the basement.
I'm a long time builder, and have found the average Do-It-Yourselfer's biggest challenge is not in material selection or workmanship, but in thinking of their home as a system. Changing a window here or there, replacing a heater, or adding a room can change the way your entire home performs. A Home Performance Contractor (another popular term is House Doctor) can help a homeowner quantify how the whole thing works and take a more holistic approach.
Check with your utility company. They might even pay for part of it, or some of the necessary work. No fooling, you guys, this is one of those benefits that hasn't quite hit the radar yet, though they've been around for years. Just make sure they're qualified, and can confirm their work mitigated the problems. In the interest of full disclosure, I plan on certifying in this process this coming year, as another service for my clients. I have a hunch it'll soon be "sexier" than solar panels.