Building

Green Home Recap 1.27.11

by nan on 2011/01/27 · 1 comment

This week’s recap is an eclectic group of articles! You can find more by following me on Twitter and Facebook!

> How to read the new light bulb labels. Light bulbs have the equivalent of nutrition labels as of this month.

> You know I love a passivhaus! Here is a beauty in Cleveland, and it looks like a regular house. People tend to think of efficient houses as having to be unusual, you know…. something they would never want to live in. Not this passivhaus!

> Here is more affirmation of that! An architect of a passivhaus project in Brooklyn said what I’ve been saying for a while – this building standard needs more exposure to become mainstream.

> Eco-friendly rooftops in Boston. Here is a fabulous sustainable mixed-use design.

> Kenmore rocks! My appliances have always been Kenmore, even my sewing machines. Here’s a review of their Elite Top-Load High Efficiency Washer and Steam Dryer. It’s functional, efficient, and pretty at the same time.

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My Solar Retrofit – The Solar Greenhouse Gets Framed In

by nan on 2011/01/25 · 1 comment

(This is Part 3 of a series about the solar remodel I did on my house in 2007. Start here.)

It was thrilling when the walls went up and the roof went on, especially as I tracked the autumn sun into the greenhouse. I was really looking forward to winter with this addition! The solar panel for hot water is on the roof to the right. More about that later.

The cat checks out the interior space. She loved to sit on the open window sills. She was disappointed when the glass went it! Rather, she had to adjust to a smaller, but warmer, space. The open dirt area on the left will be the planting bed. The plumbing for the sink is stubbed out beside it. The skylights are framed in the roofing.

The south glass and skylights are in, and the wall creating the planting bed has been built. Two double-hung windows went in the far wall. The X on the ceiling to the right is where one of two operable Velux® skylights were installed. The greenhouse is ventilated by opening the windows and the skylights. Hot air will be whisked up and out. The adobe wall on the right will be thermal mass to retain the heat from the sun. It looks like it’s working already, huh?

Move on to Part 4!

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Green Home Recap 1.20.11

by nan on 2011/01/20 · 0 comments

Here are a few green home tidbits from this past week. There is always more on Twitter and Facebook!

> Got clutter? We all do. Here are some ideas on reducing clutter by getting organized.

> Small, green & affordable. The title says it all!

> Urban development meets ecology. Finally! Sustainable cities in China with the Eco-Smart City Master Plan.

> Another compact home. This itHouse is off-grid, solar powered, prefab, 800 square feet, and elevated to not disturb the earth.

> The ultimate fixer-upper. An old mill in France gets a new life.

> Body heat. Just like a passivhaus, body heat can be used for heating buildings. What is a passivhaus?

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My Solar Retrofit – Building the Solar Greenhouse

by nan on 2011/01/18 · 0 comments

(This is Part 2 of a series about the solar remodel I did on my house in 2007. Start here.)

The room with the big picture window was once a two-car garage long before I owned the house. It was a photographer’s darkroom when I bought it, and it had undergone many changes since. Now I divided it exactly in half for two identical rooms for my daughters. Hopefully, there would be no more bickering about whose room was bigger or better! They even have matching doors that were recycled from other parts of the house. Pure equality!

The wall between the rooms is going in:

This is the ‘after’ picture:

These are the bedroom doors from the outside where the solar greenhouse will be built and serve as a hallway:

The blue door to the right is the second bathroom that will belong to the girls, so they essentially will have their own wing with a bathroom and the greenhouse. Heat from the greenhouse will move into their rooms and the bathroom.

Off to the right (below) is the door to the main living area and kitchen, and air will be able to move freely and heat those areas, too. The new floorplan is much less choppy and easier to heat and ventilate. And it used to be you had to walk through one bedroom to get to another, so that problem has been remedied as well.

The walls of the solar greenhouse are going up:

Check out that autumn sun and the effectiveness of the 2′ roof overhang! You can also see the water lines for the greenhouse, and as an aside, there is my beloved 1990 Toyota 4Runner parked up on the hill. It got to be too expensive when gas was almost $5 a gallon, so I bought a slightly used (775 miles on it) Ford Escape Hybrid. The payments and the gas for that car were less than gas and repair bills for the Toyota! But I miss that rugged car!

Move on to Part 3!

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My Solar Retrofit

by nan on 2011/01/11 · 6 comments

(This is the first installment of a multi-part series.)

When I bought my house in 1999, this remodel was immediately part of my dream. I saw the potential to grow food and heat the house at the same time. It took me eight years to pull it together, but in June 2007, I got serious.

It started with a call to Valverde Energy to see about putting in solar hot water. Larry Mapes, the owner, and I crunched some numbers after talking about my current and future hot water use. Since my teenage daughters would soon be going away to college, we decided to size the system according to my needs after they left. That meant one solar panel with the option to add on for future residents.

Larry and I also talked about a photovoltaic system (solar PV). It would not have been cost effective for me, since my electric bill was about $25 a month. At 2007 prices, I wouldn’t have been able to pay off a PV system during my entire lifetime anyway. If I was insanely passionate about generating my own electricity and sending some back to the grid, I would have installed it. I was more interested in generating hot water, since that bill had gotten high with two teenage daughters.

I decided to upgrade my infrastructure at the same time I installed solar hot water by ditching my propane tank and bringing in natural gas from the new adjacent subdivision. I also replaced my aging water supply line. I am on a shared well, and, for years, we have been talking about replacing the water lines to each house. The money has never been available to do the entire job, so I went ahead and replaced my own. I was going to replace the septic tank to have all new infrastructure, but it was deemed to be in good shape via an inspection, and I did not need a new one.

I needed a contractor to do some work in conjunction with Valverde. Lots of things needed to be shuffled around as the new plumbing went in – walls, sinks, water heaters, and so on. I asked a contractor friend if he wanted to do that. I got a few bids for the bigger construction job of building a solar greenhouse and reworking a few rooms and traffic flow inside. We started work in mid-July, and the results will be documented over the next several weeks.

This corner faces due southwest where a solar greenhouse was to be added. It is not an optimal orientation, but it was ‘adequate’ according to solar building guidelines.

This area was a concrete slab that we had to remove to run the new water line from the well. The concrete is piled up on the right side, and the new water line connection is sticking up in the corner by the door. The demolished slab is piled up on the right.

Finished greenhouse with skylights and vents on top and the solar panel in the background. Subscribe for email updates to find out how we got here!

Move on to Part 2!

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Green Home Recap 1.7.11

by nan on 2011/01/06 · 0 comments

First recap of the new year! Happy New Year! Why don’t you vow to do SOMETHING to green your home this year? It doesn’t have to be big, but do ONE THING. Promise me! Here is some inspiration. There is always more on Twitter and Facebook!

> Follow IKEA’s lead, and ditch the incandescent light bulbs! They are only selling CFLs, LEDs and halogen bulbs now. That’s what you should be using!

> Accessories should be eco-friendly, right down to your creative and responsibly made coat rack.

> Not only is this home net-zero (produces more energy than it uses), it is also built of natural materials.

> Consider furniture of recycled materials. This is a little extreme, but you get the point.

> Think minimalism.

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Year-end Recap 12.28.10

by nan on 2010/12/28 · 0 comments

I’m going to do something different this week. Instead of green building news, I am going to post the most popular posts according to my stat counter. I’m taking the rest of the week off from writing, so I hope these keep you entertained until next year!

Happy New Year! Here’s to a healthy and love filled 2011. May only joy and pleasant people cross your path.

Aside from the home page, the Top 10 posts, not a la Letterman, are:

Journaling main page

Do We Really Need to Use Toothpaste?

Sprouts – The Perfect Winter Food

Passivhaus – Reduce Home Energy Consumption by 90%

Reduce Heat Loss with Ceiling Insulation

What’s Not to Love About Strawbale Construction?

Passive Solar Post & Beam Home

The Perennial Christmas Tree Dilemma

Creative Christmas Consumption

Nature Quotes

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Green Home Recap 12.23.10

by nan on 2010/12/22 · 0 comments

First of all, Happy Holidays! It has been a great year, and I’m looking forward to 2011. Big changes are in store for me. I wish you and yours good health, happiness and lots of love! Here are a few picks from the week. I post more on Twitter and Facebook!

Here are a few of my favorite things…….

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Is On-Demand Hot Water Right for You?

by nan on 2010/12/20 · 0 comments

Many years ago, I rented a house that had on-demand hot water. Sometimes known as tankless or instantaneous hot water, it is an effective way to save fuel on water heating. Because fuel is only used when hot water is needed, a 40 gallon water tank does not need to be heated between uses. Heating that storage water is what costs/wastes fuel and money.

On-demand hot water was great for a bunch of 20-somethings and our boyfriends and girlfriends, who showered a lot and did a lot of dishes and laundry. More hat water was used than in the average home, I am sure. One roommate ran the hot water in the shower until the floor of the tub was warm. I cringed at the water wasted, but was in awe that the hot water never ran out!

Here’s how it works: Cold water is supplied to the tank, your energy source heats it as it runs through a tube, then it arrives at its destination. You never run out of hot water, and you never need to wait for the hot water to heat up between say showers or loads of laundry.

According to the Dept of Energy:

> Depending on how much water you use, you can save between 8%-34% on your energy bill.
> For the highest efficiency, a tank should be placed near the source.
> Simultaneous use (laundry and shower, for example) may decrease its output and efficiency. For heavy hot water usage, maybe multiple tanks should be placed where needed. This also increases your energy savings.
> Gas is more efficient than electric.
> A gas tank with an ignition device is more efficient than one with a pilot light, although the pilot can be shut off when not in use.

Before installing a on-demand hot water heater, you must take into consideration your water and fuel usage, your type of fuel, how it will be used, and your ROI. These are pricey water heaters, so it would be a good idea to crunch a few numbers with a licensed plumber to see if it would be worth your while.

Tankless hot water does not always have the output of a traditional hot water system, and it may not be cost effective to install several throughout the house. In my opinion, that makes it a reasonable choice for:

> installation where hot water is used a lot. Is that showers, laundry or dishes in your home?
> a small home with one or two occupants.
> a vacation home.

As always, save more fuel and water by practicing water and energy conservation.

> Lower the temperature of the heater.
> Use less hot water (shorter showers, run a full load of dishes).
> Install efficient appliances (front loading washer, efficient dishwasher).

Study your energy and water usage, talk to a few plumbers, and find out if on-demand hot water would work for you.

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Green Home Recap 12.10.10

by nan on 2010/12/10 · 0 comments

There is so much inspiring green building news to share! I could do a recap every day! Here are a few things I found this past week. There is more on Twitter and Facebook!

> Bamboo is a virtually indestructible material. Here is a unique, woven building of bamboo in Vietnam.

> There are many reasons to simplify your possessions. We all have too much stuff, things we don’t use, things we hold onto ‘just in case,’ and other things that mean we need larger homes or storage units. Here are a few thoughts on minimizing your clutter.

> Natural building materials have a small carbon footprint. Here is a complex yet simple home that is built into the hillside and uses materials from the immediate area.

> Passivhaus construction is the only way to build. The style of architecture can be as creative or traditional as the homeowner desires.

> Prefab and modular design is economical and eco-friendly. One way to use it is in a remote location where access to the site is difficult.

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