Blogger and advisor Martin notes the following as a waste of money and not great energy savers to boot…

• Tyvek ThermaWrap
• Fafco plastic solar collectors
• Passive fresh air inlets
• Vinyl siding laminated to rigid foam
• Powered attic ventilators
• Programmable thermostats
• Inexpensive LED lamps
• Foil-faced bubble wrap
• Power factor correction devices
• Vent-free gas space heaters

I’m not so sure I agree with the whole programmable thermostats being useless argument. Martin notes that they’re not totally useless — “they’re just unnecessary and insufficient.” He also notes that “Study after study has shown that installing programmable thermostats makes no difference in energy use.” Mainly because homeowner behavior is far more important than the hardware. However on the flip side I’ve known people who have used them and note that they have saved money. I had one in a previous home and while I didn’t feel it saved as much money or resources as the programmable water heating thermostat I also had, it still did save money on my energy bill. It may depend on how you use the device along with your normal habits surrounding electricity use.

I also think that powered attic ventilators can work to reduce costs in a newer home. My pal installed one and his energy costs are lower than before BUT he has a newer and soundly built home. Martin notes that most aren’t as efficient because  most U.S. homes have leaky ceilings so instead of helping the ventilators commonly draw conditioned indoor air into the attic through ceiling cracks which of course will increase not decrease costs. He also notes that canned foam to seal leaks in your ceiling or additional insulation for your attic floor will be more useful.

In any case, if you disagree or not it’s a good read. He makes some excellent points and it’s lame to waste money on what won’t work for your home.

1. Lighting
2. Appliances and electronics
3. Heating & cooling
4. Water heating

You could, of course, break it down even more. Each of us has hundreds of ways we could be saving more energy, but the above four are major and a good place to start.

For lighting you can save more by incorporating day lighting into your home with energy efficient windows, skylights, and light tunnels. You can buy energy efficient bulbs and keep the lighting to a minimum or as needed basis. You can also remind family members to simply turn off the lights.

Appliances and electronic equipment makes up about 20% of your home energy usage and costs so it’s smart to purchase energy efficient versions of things like televisions, microwaves, refrigerators, washers and dryers, audio equipment and anything else you plug in. You may be able to get rebates on many of the items you buy. To further use these items efficiently, use them sparingly – i.e. hang dry many clothes instead of using the dryer each time. Plug all items in one space into one power strip then turn the whole darn strip off when you leave the room. Also, cook wisely – you don’t need the stove for everything.

For heating and cooling think ahead of time. Make sure you build or buy a home that’s got energy saving features such as good orientation, evergreen windbreaks, try passive solar design, and weatherize properly for winter. Also little adjustments such as turning the heat down a few notches adds up over time.

Heating your water can actually account for as much as 25% of your energy use. Try a solar water heater or the next time you upgrade, upgrade to the most efficient model you can. Insulate your hot water pipes and heater, install a water timer, and do the little things like taking shorter showers.

If you do all of the above it will not only save you energy but it will put money directly in your pocket – good timing with the holidays here.

1. Green your Christmas tree: There are so many choices when it comes to the tree that it can seem hard not simple, but it all comes down to a few bits of info…

• Reusable plastic tree = not so green.
• Cut trees from a conventional farm = ok, but still not too green.
• Cut tree from an organic farm = greener.
• A living tree = green!
• Alternatives like a wreath, small tree, plant, or other recyclable option = green.

To get an in-depth look read the most eco-friendly Christmas tree.

2. Green your lights: No matter where you like to place holiday lights, LEDS save you energy and look beautiful as well.

3. Green your wrap: Reuse last year’s Christmas wrap; use the comics; use a reusable container; use wrap made with recycled paper.

4. Green your greetings: Don’t send cards this year, call your loved ones instead or send an e-card. Make cards with recycled craft supplies. IF you really want to send a paper card, send one made of tree-free paper, plantable paper, or choose from the many recycled Christmas card options available.

5. Green your holiday baking: Use organic ingredients and eco-safe bake ware. No time to bake? Find the most Amazing Organic Holiday Cookies.

6. Green your shopping: Don’t shop like mad. Make a small list of meaningful gifts you’d like to get and stick to it. OR make crafty homemade holiday gifts. You can also give many gifts that actually give back.

7. Green the toys: If you’ve got kids, Christmas toys are likely on your list. Make sure you get safe, lead-free, non-toxic toys this year.

8. Green your Christmas stocking: This year use an eco-friendly Christmas stocking AND stuff it with safe fun green treats.

9. Green your holiday supplies: Plan on using goods for the holidays that are made with recycled materials or that can easily be recycled. You’d be surprised at how many options there are for a nice recyclable holiday season.

10. Green your Christmas mindset: The biggest challenge surrounding getting green for Christmas is simply wrapping your mind around a new way to celebrate. Read I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas and/or Celebrate Green for ideas about how you can celebrate in a fun way while keeping it green and meaningful.

How are you greening your Christmas this year?

• Cons of Remodeling Green
• Pros of Remodeling Green
• Pros of Building or Buying a New Green Home

Today the last part of our series – the cons of building or buying new. However, stay tuned because soon I’ll post some resources that will help you out, no matter your final decision.

CONS OF BUILDING OR BUYING A NEW GREEN HOME:

The obvious first con of going with a new green home is cost. Green homes can cost more at the start than conventional. In the long run a green home will save you money, but start-up costs can stop some people cold. According to CNN Money, if you went as green as possible, a green home might cost you 20-30% more than a traditional home, but don’t forget there are shades of green in-between as well. You’ll also get tax credits. Green Prefab can also be an affordable way to build or buy green.

Side note: I built a green home and the costs were not more than a traditional home – but keep in mind that we built small as well (also a green feature). Additionally a piece at Ecomii notes that green costing more is a myth. According to this piece; “The chief complaint most people have with green building is cost… This is not true — but it’s a common misconception promoted by ignorant architects and contractors who are afraid of building in a different way. Good architects and contractors know how to save their clients money. The client sets the budget, and a project should come in at or below that budget. With a clear direction of budget, there is no reason you can’t build a green building for the same price as, or less than, a traditional building.” Read more.

OTHER CONS:

• There’s a learning curve and green building mistakes can happen. Research is key to avoiding this con. Not all green building aspects and techniques will work for all sites and locations. Making a mistake because you ignored the research end can be costly both in time and money.
• It can be harder to find a new green home to buy in an area you like because green simply isn’t as prevalent yet. Same goes for finding a green designer or architect and construction company. However, this is quickly becoming less of a con as more home builders jump into green methods.
• Green homes may have some features that make resale harder. When we built our real estate agent warned against composting toilets, saying no one would be on board buying a house with one. I’m not so sure that’s true, but it’s smart to investigate what sells and doesn’t in your area.
• You may find it’s harder to get the perfect green home insurance.
• Green homes sometimes require more daily consideration. For example, a dual flush toilet means everyone (guests too) need to know how to use it. Solar panels and other alternative energy options can require maintenance by the home owner.
• Sometimes the people in your neighborhood will complain. I’ve heard the most complaints about green prefabs moving into more traditional neighborhoods.
• It can take longer to choose and plan the perfect green home site.

Overall though, I still think most of the cons of green building can be avoided with careful planning and that in the long run green is far better for your health, the planet’s health, and your wallet. Coming up resources for remodeling green, building green, or buying a new green home.

]]> http://www.bestgreenhometips.com/2009/05/cons-of-building-or-buying-a-new-green-home/feed/ 0 http://www.bestgreenhometips.com/2009/05/pros-of-building-or-buying-a-new-green-home/ http://www.bestgreenhometips.com/2009/05/pros-of-building-or-buying-a-new-green-home/#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 00:39:14 +0000 Jennifer http://www.bestgreenhometips.com/?p=1056 Last week we started looking at remodeling green vs. buying a new green home or building a new green home. So far we took a peek at:

• Cons of Remodeling Green
• Pros of Remodeling Green

This week we’re moving on to pros and cons of building or buying a new green home. Later we’ll round it all up and look at some resources for both.

Building or buying a new green home does have many pros…

Green home will almost always (if you build within size reasons) cost less to operate. Your energy, water, and other maintenance costs will all likely be lower in the long term. You can also save money with green building tax cuts.

Green homes last longer than a typical conventional (non-green) home.

Green housing can meet the needs of the community both in terms of affordable to run housing and in terms of keeping the community healthy.

Green structures are healthy for the people who live there and are healthier than conventional homes for the people who build them – i.e. cut down on indoor air pollution and involve fewer toxic materials during the building process.

If a home meets typical current green building standards, green building offers opportunities during the building process to save energy, cut greenhouse gas emissions, conserve natural resources, improve air and water quality, and reduces construction waste. Green building can also use up resources that might just be tossed – i.e. materials from a home deconstruction.

Green homes can be more relaxing. For example, a super energy efficient home is comfortable for the people living there and causes less stress because there’s not always a concern about how to cool or heat the home.

Green building or buying a new green home involves a learning curve for sure, but it’s not as hard as some think. Read the following for tips and ideas…

• Reasons Why Anyone Can Go Solar
• What is an ENERGY STAR qualified home
• Intro to Green Prefabs
• 35 Ideas for Building A Greener House
• Earth Friendly Building Materials
• Find the Best Green Real Estate for Sale
• How To Green Your Hardware Store Trip
• Building Green Can Save You Money
• 16 Plus Earth-Friendly Architects
• Eleven Recycled Houses

The major features of an ENERGY STAR home include:

1. Effective Insulation
2. High-Performance Windows
3. Tight Construction and Ducts
4. Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment
5. Efficient Products
6. Third-Party Verification – this simply means that an outside qualified party (Home Energy Rater), conducts “Onsite testing and inspections to verify the energy efficiency measures, as well as insulation, air tightness, and duct sealing details.“

WHY BUY OR BUILD AN ENERGY STAR HOME:

• It can simplify the green home buying process. Since it’s ENERGY STAR you have fewer decisions to make, because a home needs to meet eco-specifications to qualify.
• Compared with standard homes, ENERGY STAR qualified homes have much lower owner costs when it comes to energy and water use.  You can also save money with lower financing options.
• According to ENERGY STAR< energy efficient homes are a smarter investment, “To date, more than 6,500 home builders have partnered with EPA to construct nearly 940,000 ENERGY STAR qualified homes. The trend is clear. By choosing a home with the ENERGY STAR label, you can be confident that it will have an increasingly valued feature when the time comes to sell.” Of course they’d say that, but really green home are doing well on the market, so it’s not just company fluff.
• You’re helping to keep the planet green. Houses can generate more greenhouse gas emissions than your car.

If you’re building, not simply buying an ENERGY STAR home you can check out some home plans that are Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR rating or click here to find home builders and developers that build ENERGY STAR qualified new homes, lenders that offer energy efficient mortgages, utilities that offer special incentives to buyers, and home energy raters that can verify the energy efficiency of a home.

You can take a tour of an ENERGY STAR home to learn more about the features offered.

• geothermal heat pumps (30%, up to $2,000)
• solar water heaters (30%, up to $2,000)
• solar panels (30%, up to $2,000)
• small wind energy systems (30%, up to $4,000)
• fuel cells (30%, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity)

THE BETTER NEWS:

Now is an excellent time to plan for eco-home changes. Energy efficiency improvements that are eligible for a tax credit IF you make the changes January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010 include:

• Windows including storm windows, exterior windows and skylights.
• Exterior and storm doors.
• All ENERGY STAR metal and asphalt roofs.
• Home insulation that meets 2009 IECC & Amendments.
• Many types of central A/C, air source heat pumps, natural gas or propane furnaces, and more related to HVAC.
• All ENERGY STAR gas tankless water heaters.
• All ENERGY STAR electric heat pump water heaters.
• Biomass stoves.
• All ENERGY STAR geo-thermal heat pumps.
• All ENERGY STAR solar water heaters.
• Photovoltaic systems that provide electricity for your residence, and meet applicable fire and electrical code requirement.
• Small wind energy systems used for residential.
• Many types of fuel cells.
• Additionally, “Home builders are eligible for a $2,000 tax credit for a new energy efficient home that achieves 50% energy savings for heating and cooling over the 2004 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and supplements and there is also a $1,000 tax credit to the producer of a new manufactured home achieving 30% energy savings for heating and cooling over the 2004 IECC and supplements.“

Also, installation costs ARE COVERED for:

• HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems
• Biomass Stoves
• Water Heaters (including solar)
• Solar Panels
• Geothermal Heat Pumps
• Wind Energy Systems
• Fuel Cells

That’s a pretty long list of changes you can make AND get tax credits for. Of course, like with any tax credit there are rules. Some of the 2009-2010 rules that apply include:

• Improvements must be for your principal residence.
• Second homes and rentals qualify for geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, solar panels, and small wind energy systems as well as residential.
• $1,500 is the cap amount that can be claimed for all energy efficient products in 2009 & 2010, except for geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, solar panels, fuel cells, and small wind energy systems which are not subject to this cap, and are in effect through 2016.
• You’ve got to have a Manufacturer Certification Statement to qualify
• If you are building a new home, you do not qualify for windows, doors, insulation, roofs, HVAC, or non-solar water heaters.

Still, all-in-all, this list of credits available to homeowners is pretty cool. It makes making eco-changes a little easier and cost effective. So, if you have been giving some thought to changes you can make to green your home, read over the tax credit info for 2009-2010 before you choose products.

Go outside: Solar Illuminations offers a huge selection of outdoor ready solar lighting choices. From Solar ‘Teardrop’ Lantern Lights that look great as a welcome light or even in a garden to solar powered house numbers and letters, this place has everything you need to solar up your outdoor living spaces.

Tunnel style: I’ve written about tunnel-minded solar lights before, but seriously I LOVE them. Solar sun tunnel lights work well in all sorts of spaces and for as small as these tunnels are, they provide huge amounts of light – especially to a smaller space like a bathroom or closet. Plus, these tunnels can be installed quickly.

Get wet: Solar powered pool products are great to consider now that summer is on the way. Think about getting a solar swimming pool cover that heats your pool sans non-renewable resources or get a solar powered pool heater.

BONUS: Learn about solar powered attic fans – super easy to install and cost efficient.

Spring cleaning is coming up asap, so it’s time to start considering your options. Of course many of us will partake in a little spring cleaning at least, but that doesn’t mean we need to scour our homes with toxic chemical cleaners.

For spring cleaning this year try the following…

Learn how to find non-toxic and natural cleaners over chemical laden toxic junk. If you’re going to buy cleaners from the store make sure you figure out first if the product is an actual earth-friendly cleaning choice.

Reconsider your cleaning tools. You can make better choices than typical non-eco-friendly sponges. You can purchase spray bottles to reuse over and over again (fill with homemade cleaners) vs. buying plastic toss away bottles, and you can even purchase an eco-friendly broom.

Experiment with some of your own homemade air fresheners or simply push those windows open. Fresh air is actually the best natural way to scent your air (ah, crispy).

During spring cleaning start new healthy home habits such as in-kitchen composting to use your scraps, not wearing shoes in the house or if god forbid you smoke inside, stop it!

Plan some easy and earth-friendly DIY home projects designed to save you money and green your home.

Don’t stop inside. Get out and green audit that yard and garden. For tips read…

• Early Organic Gardening Planning – Fast Green Gardens
• Choose the Greenest Plants for Home Landscaping
• Tree Planting Where You Live
• Using Environmental Landscaping at Your House

Learn more:

• Quick & Natural Household Cleaning Tips
• Don’t go it alone – Get Your Kids Involved With Greening the House

Are you doing any spring cleaning this year, or better yet, planning any cool green home projects? Let me know in the comments…

Close off the vents in unused or less used rooms of your house.

Make sure the doors aren’t leaking cool air into your home via a large bottom opening. If you can feel cold air coming into your home from an empty room, place a towel or a made to order door draft stopper like the one below.

In unused rooms with fireplaces make sure you close the damper.

In empty or less used rooms close the drapes or blinds so that less cool air comes inside, which can result in air leaking under the door and into your used rooms.

Unplug items in underused rooms – i.e. lamps and TVs.