Gottfried Green

I've been slow to post as things are happening quickly. I am going to try to post more updates this week. It looks like we will be in the house by the end of Feb. Our water heater is installed but there is no electric to the house yet so it hasn't been used. It sits under the house below the current bathroom and our future master bath. Even though it is on demand water heating, the distance the water travels to the fixtures matter because when the fixture shuts off whatever water left sitting in the pipe between the fixture and box will of course cool down. The farthest journey for water to travel is into the kitchen about 40ft away. We don't tend to let the kitchen sink water run hot before we used it for something so I don't think this distance makes much difference for us overall. As for the bathrooms where hot water is used more often the distance is about 4 ft. Although there are more involved systems used to make water hot i.e. solar water heating, the tankless is a great middle of the road solution for new builds and definitely remodels. At the Link is an earlier post explaining more about on demand water.

Labels: appliances, Energy, water

When I took the Fl Green Home Designation course at the Fl Solar Energy Center I saw a display of a fan they designed called the Gossamer Wind. I found them at the Home Depot and they had 2 models. These 60" industrial fans which require a 10ft ceiling so they can be used on the lanai. They also had a 52" model I can use inside the house. I had to get a total of 8 but for many days down here in FL having a good fan means keeping the AC off. From their website, "The advanced ceiling fan blades of the "Gossamer Wind" allow the use of a smaller ceiling fan motor. The combination reduces ceiling fan energy use by approximately 40% while reducing noise and wobble. The average ceiling fan using 25 - 100 Watts is in operation 6-12 hours or more each day. The "Gossamer Wind" will save the typical consumer $10-$20 per year in reduced energy use. Further, the improved comfort can allow the cooling thermostat to be raised. Conventional premium ceiling fans cost more. However, the similarly priced "Gossamer Wind" can pay for itself through real savings in household energy use while providing improved comfort and convenience."

Labels: ceiling fans, Energy

From the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, "The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center has received Platinum LEED ® Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Following a rigorous assessment, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program awarded the Legacy Center 61 points of 69 possible points, more than any other building yet rated in the world." Elements like Photovoltaics, Earth Tubes, Radiant Floor, Wood Heat make up the renewable energy systems. Also, here are some low tech solutions for energy savings from the site:

Low tech solutions yield about half of our energy savings:

Of the energy used by conventional buildings, half typically goes to heating, cooling, and lighting.

Bringing in daylight reduces interior lighting needs.

Higher than standard levels of insulation in the walls and ceiling keep the building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than typical insulation would.

Promoting cross ventilation—and providing windows that open and close—allows air to flow freely and allows us to turn off the mechanical ventilation equipment.

Overhangs allow the sun in during the winter yet block the hot sun during the summer.

A “thermal flux zone” reduces heat flow between the main office and the outdoors.

Altogether, savvy design reduces the work load on the mechanical systems, and the smallest, most-efficient equipment was selected to do the job.

Labels: building envelopes, design, Energy, materials

While I am on the Energy Star Site it's a good time to also bookmark the current energy tax cuts. There is a very clear chart with all the resources to select products, find out the amount of the tax cut, what receipts/proof you'll need and finally you can print the various tax forms.

Important to note: "Home Improvements
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has provided guidance for consumers: IRS Notice 2006-26.

Tax credits are available for many types of home improvements including adding insulation, replacement windows, and certain high efficiency heating and cooling equipment. See chart. The maximum amount of homeowner credit for all improvements combined is $500 during the two year period of the tax credit. This tax credit applies to improvements made to your primary residence from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007.

If you are building a new home, you do not qualify for the tax credits for "eligible building envelope components" (windows, doors, insulation, roofs) or "qualified energy property" (HVAC & non-solar water heaters). However, the tax credit for photovoltaics, solar water heating, and fuel cells is available for homeowners building new homes."

Labels: appliances, cost, Energy, taxes

Energy Star Home Advisor offers a page on their website where you can enter your location and current energy uses to determine ways to reduce energy use and costs. It highlights the usual list for existing homes:

sealing duct work
more insulation
upgrade windows
upgrade HVAC
programmable thermostat

Energy Star requirements are really just a bare minimum for how far you can go with R-Values and SEER ratings etc. but it is a good start to see where you fit in with home energy consumption.

Labels: appliances, cost, Energy, taxes

Click to enlarge.

It is day 3 of the site clearing. Everything that needed to go has gone and the site is being leveled with a swale running along one side of the house closest to the neighbor. The house corners have been pegged (not yet officially) and it seems massive but then when we picture the room walls within it doesn't feel that big at all. It is basically two pods. The main part of the house is the rectangle which is 1600 sf. The square pod is 400 sf. It is marked as storage but we will finish it later into a guest suite/3rd bedroom. I'll have freedom and more knowledge to try to incorporate some of the features of the prefabs and green homes I admire. I'd like to try to keep the square pod off the grid even though it will be connected to the main space through a shared doorway. Haven't quite thought that one through yet. Basically it would have its own water and power sources set up. I want to be able to try some of these systems on a small scale.

Labels: design, Energy, floorplan, siteplan

At the LEAFHouse, they use tankless hot water for back-up. To get started we'll be only using tankless and install solar hot water later. FL is certainly ideal for solar water heating in general.

At the LEAFHouse, "[Their] system features a tankless water heater, the Stiebel Eltron Tempra 20. Maryland’s average yearly “insolation,” or amount of sunlight available to make hot water, is 3.98, which is a little low as compared to a sunny place like California at 5.4. This means that, especially during the winter months, when insolation is low, the backup water heater will be doing its job." This tankless cost $500.

Labels: cost, Energy, materials, water

For the LEAFHouse, "Apricus water heating tubes provide all the hot water for the house, including the hot water for the radiant floor.

The tubes absorb the sun’s radiant heat in an insulating layer of air-evacuated glass. A vacuum is an excellent insulator, allowing LEAFHouse to make hot water even when it's cold outside.

While the outside of the tubes are cool, the inside the tubes can exceed 300º F. There is a pipe connecting the tubes to various appliances that require hot water throughout the house. The tubes eliminate the need for an electric or gas water heater.

Labels: design, Energy, water

Short of using solar hot water heaters, the option of tankless hot water is a good compromise. A good analogy came from Dwell's recent green issue, "we don't keep a kettle boiling on the stove all day for the moment when we want tea, so why do we keep water heated around the clock when all we need it for is a shower..." That makes sense. Our house is also only going to have one bathroom so this too will allow us some options in types of systems we purchase. Bosch has a good site that explains some comparisons with usage and other advantages. Through the end of the year a $300 tax credit is offered.

Here is more general information I received in a Global Green newsletter. "Tankless water heaters have either an electric, gas, or propane heating device that is activated by the flow of water. Once activated, the heater provides a constant supply of hot water distributed at the same temperature and flow rate. The maximum flow rate is determined by the type of heater being used and at what temperature the device has been set to heat the water.

Indoor and outdoor models are available. On the low end, they will deliver between .6 - 4.2 gallons per minute. High end heaters deliver between 7.4 and 9.6 gallons per minute. If your household demand is high, several heaters can be run parallel for a constant flow. When choosing a tankless heater, it is a good idea to analyze your water usages. Tankless heaters work best with low- flow faucets and shower heads. Tankless systems also work best in houses with short hot water distribution lines. Smaller capacity heaters can be installed for appliances that use large amounts of hot water. They are also well suited as boosters for solar water heating systems."

Labels: appliances, Energy, water

The bank is going to do an appraisal based on our house plans
and what is going to be in it. In the end it's a home loan just as if we were buying a house already built on the property. In light of this we need all the specifics on appliances and fixtures. Fortunately, Inhabitat is doing a Green Your Appliances (sponsored by Bosch-hmmm) weekly segment. Here's a little fridge or "icebox" (as Grandma Gottfried used to call it) history. "As Americans in the 60s and 70s wanted a bigger refrigerator box, designers removed interior insulation to make room inside the appliance for weekly grocery trips and larger bottles of milk. The exterior of the fridge became so cool, it would start to “sweat.” So, designers ingeniously installed mini heaters outside of the refrigerator to evaporate the dew. All of this design and workaround put bigger energy demands on these appliances, so that a refrigerator in the mid 1970s used four times the consumption of a 1950s model. Meanwhile, Europe and Japan kept their standards high, their ice boxes small, and to this day total energy use is half that of American fridges." Read more at the Link.

Labels: appliances, Energy

ASSOCIATED PRESS / PHIL COALE

With the news floating around about Crist's FL energy initiative, here's a local story about his attempt to practice the lessons as he is trying to preach them to the state. We know he can afford to do it but can he help the rest of the state afford it?

Labels: Energy

"After encouraging 346 research groups last year to seek grants for surmounting hurdles to harnessing solar power, the Energy Department this year ended up awarding $22.7 million over three years to 27 projects — hardly the stuff of an energy revolution, several scientists said." From the NY Times article, the graph above comes from the Energy Information Administration.
Solar Power Wins Enthusiasts but Not Money - NY Times

Labels: Energy

With all the costs just to build any old house down here, we certainly won't be able to afford solar electric although we are going to try for solar water heating. Just to power a modest kitchen with appliances etc would cost about 20k in solar panels but I am looking into incentives that may bring that cost down. We hope to add some solar in the future but for now we have to rely on the FPL to help us get started. We'll need to get the energy calculations done for our home. When we get the revised floor plan end of week from Rocio Romero, we'll be able to run some numbers on specific energy needs. Because we are still going for passive solar and best wind flow placement, we should be OK much of the year. Even as we come up on June, there is always a breeze and the trees help keep it somewhat comfortable. It will be interesting to see how much we really would end up using the AC at all.

Labels: Energy, permits

"Michael Strizki heats and cools his house year-round and runs a full range of appliances including such power-guzzlers as a hot tub and a wide-screen TV without paying a penny in utility bills." This is a great story but it still feels a bit out of reach considering the solar/hydrogen set up was provided mostly for free as part of NJ's attempt, "to have 20 percent of its energy coming from renewables by 2020". Set up as a prototype... "In the summer, the solar panels generate 60 percent more electricity than the super-insulated house needs. The excess is stored in the form of hydrogen which is used in the winter -- when the solar panels can't meet all the domestic demand -- to make electricity in the fuel cell. Strizki also uses the hydrogen to power his fuel-cell driven car, which, like the domestic power plant, is pollution-free." All this can apparently be had for 100k. See full story at the Link.

Related:
Free Solar Panel...Sorta - energyrefuge.com
Florida groups push energy bill - newspress.com

Labels: cost, Energy

I have this dream that one day the car that sits under our house will plug into a solar charged battery. No gas, clean, handy set up with plenty of power to go anywhere we would need in our daily lives. It wouldn't have to be so far fetched if American car companies had actually followed their own electric powered technology for the greater good of the consumer. But if they would have continued back in the 90's then they would have lost all the extra profits gasoline cars produced. The problem for US car companies is that electric/hybrid cars are becoming more and more desirable and they are finally giving in to consumer demands almost. Enter the Chevy Volt. They can't seem to get the battery part to work out. 3-5 years they say... is this another stall? On top of this delay they are asking the feds to fund their battery project for $500,000,000. It is a bail out request because they missed the boat the first time around. We'd have all this technology set up by now if they'd looked at a bigger picture instead of dollars earlier. Oh and to aid in solving the problem of our dependence on foreign oil, Bush has lifted the bans on drilling in both the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska's Bristol Bay.

A must read are the following links from AutoblogGreen:
Director Chris Paine on the Chevy Volt
Plug-in America's Paul Scott

Labels: Energy

It took me a while but I received on netflix both Who Killed the Electric Car and An Inconvenient Truth. Who Killed the Electric Car, I believe you can find for free online. In need of new wheels for a while now, I've been waiting to buy anything until I caught up with the current technology. This film helped set me straight. Basically GM had a somewhat popular electric car introduced in CA in the 90's but decided it wouldn't be as profitable over the life of the car as gas powered so they destroyed the few they had out there much to the disappointment of happy customers. It's a control thing on the part of automakers. Meanwhile currently the gov. and the auto industry embrace hydrogen as the future although it will be 15 years off and still expensive for consumers. The bottom line is that hydrogen represents their attempt to have the word alternative used in ad campaigns without a true desire to ever create the car. Gas is just too good for the whole crue- feds, car makers and oil companies. The irony is that while they've been guarding their pocketbooks assuming they can control consumer education, Toyota's hybrid sales have been growing, among others, and they are slowly losing consumers. You can look at Detroit now and see how American automakers are fading into American history. Oh, America....!

Labels: Energy, global warming

We were forwarded this Greenpeace short from our friend John in the UK. Thanks! Quite funny and does brings to mind our own hypocrisy. We need to get rid of our car and get something more efficient but right now it is the cost. I've been following all the tech news etc and Europe does a much better job than we do here. The options are growing but until we can afford it we've been using our bikes to take off some of the heat. This could be a typical office scene in the upcoming green-minded future.

Labels: Energy

We will be getting a boat once we get down to FL algthough we have no idea what type-if only there was a solar powered boat. Briton's solar ferry transports travelers across a lake in Hyde Park. "This is the most technologically advanced shuttle in the world right now," said designer Christoph Behling, who also designed the world's largest solar boat in Hamburg, Germany. "It is made of entirely stainless steel which means it never gets old. It will pave the way for future boats and trains and other means of transportation," Behling said.

Labels: Energy, water

OK last reference to the Newsweek article but it's chock-full of the feeling that everyone is going green based on common sense. When Jeff Martin, a program manager for Microsoft, set out to build a sustainable house near Charlotte, N.C., he specified something that looked like a house, not "a yurt, or a spaceship, or something made out of recycled cans and tires in the middle of the desert." He turned to Steven Strong, a Massachusetts-based renewable-energy consultant who says he "fell in love" with solar energy when he realized that "you could put a thin sliver of silicon, with no moving parts and no waste, in the sun and generate electricity forever." Strong designed an unobtrusive solar-cell array on the roof of Martin's conventional stucco-and-stone house to provide free electricity, and a sun-powered heater that produces so much hot water Martin can use it to wash his driveway. "We never run out," Martin boasts, "even when my wife's family comes to visit over Christmas."

Labels: design, Energy

Our Baltimore contingent was kind enough to send along this article in The Baltimore Sun at the Link about a prototype "zero energy" house now being shown in Bel Air, MD. by Bob Ward Homes. Of course Bob Ward is promoting himself above but hey, we'll support green builders. Once we are up and running in FL one of the future projects will be adding up how much we save and spreading the word. No one is really correctly marketing green design to consumers. The overall impression is that it costs extra and people dismiss it right away. Also, let's get some more tax credits going as incentive.

Labels: Energy