Chris Colby on Green Technologies |
| Blooker Comments - Alternative Energies | |||
Interview with architect Chris Colby of Spire Architecture. You've said that American homes could substantially improve and increase their use of green technologies if only governmental red tape was removed. Exactly what are you talking about here?CC: The process for some minor home improvements that can have a significant impact on energy savings is very arduous and confusing for most homeowners. In fact, most homeowners who desperately need to make these improvements are unaware of their existence. For example, in New York State, where our firm is located, if a homeowner wants to take advantage of low interest financing programs from the state, they must choose from a list of approved contractors certified by the state. This contractor must then perform various tests (which the homeowner must pay for) on the home and provide a report of the findings of each test. This will help establish what improvements are needed to make the home energy efficient. Once the contractor establishes a list of recommended improvements, the owner can then apply for low interest financing for recommended improvements. Some of these improvements would be eligible for tax credits as well. This all sounds great, and it is a step in the right direction. However, it is very intimidating for most homeowners, and the process is slow. From my point of view, most homes in the United States suffer from poor building envelopes (inefficient building insulation, air leaks, inefficient doors and windows) and extremely inefficient heating/cooling equipment and appliances. The current incentives aim to help correct these issues, again using tax credits. These are the obvious problems that the current incentives are trying to help fix. A better solution would allow qualified building professionals across the country ... architects, LEED AP’s, BPI certified contractors, for example ... to provide these home energy audits for free. The businesses (which need the work anyway) would be reimbursed by the state for performing these services. This would also get the word out to homeowners more effectively as private industry would be the driving force behind the movement. (Editor's note: LEED refers to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.) The other problem with the system is asking homeowners to put up money for the project only to wait for a tax credit at the end of the year. Most homeowners who need to make these improvements are strapped for cash. The last thing on their minds is to shell out money that they don’t have, even if they will save tremendous amounts of money in energy savings! Offering low interest financing helps, but only to a small portion of the country. Providing homeowners with a way to reduce the cost at the time of installation is paramount in making these programs work. Perhaps a better way to make energy efficient programs work would be to provide contractors with the “rebates or incentives” at the time of installation directly from the state or federal governments? You are known for living in an old schoolhouse built in 1833 and reducing its energy costs 50 percent merely by using spray foam insulation. Can you tell us more about this? CC: We actually used two different energy saving methods to cut our energy cost by 50 percent. The first was to remove our old nasty fiberglass insulation from our attic and some exterior walls that we were putting new siding on. These areas were then filled with bio-based spray foam insulation. We also replaced some of the older single pane windows in the house with new double pane energy star rated windows. All of the window openings were also caulked, a very important step that most people ignore. These two steps reduced our oil consumption (based on quantity) by 50 percent over the previous year. Among your energy-saving tips for homes, you recommend using compact fluorescent bulbs. Yet now LED bulbs are being touted as being three times as efficient as compact fluorescents. Would you change your recommendation, and if so would it mean this is a good thing in that it shows rapid innovation in the energy field? CC: I think LED bulbs are great and will be very common in the future. The energy savings that is created by switching to LED bulbs from compact fluorescents or incandescent bulbs is tremendous. Unfortunately, they are not common enough yet where people are comfortable switching to them. And because of this, they are very expensive. Compact fluorescents suffered from these same problems a few years ago. Once they became more popular, their cost came down and now everybody uses them. You also advise switching to a geothermal heating and cooling system. Have you seen this actually done with a home and if so, how has it worked out? How feasible is this for the vast majority of homes across America? CC: I think next to using the sun passively and/or actively to heat your home, geothermal is your best option, especially for an existing home that cannot take advantage of passive solar. I have seen this work well and poorly. When we advise our clients to switch to a geothermal system in their existing home, we strongly advise that they make sure their insulation, windows and doors are upgraded. An efficient building envelope will reduce the size of the geothermal system. It will also run more efficiently. One of the worst things a homeowner can do is put a geothermal system in an inefficient home, just to get independence from oil ... the cost to run the system will negate the switch. Is there anything else you'd like to say about green technology and American homes? CC: Even though the process to get financial incentives can be arduous, homeowners should use them to their advantage. Keeping your eye on the big picture is important when it comes to the future cost savings that will be realized by making these improvements. It is also important to realize that great strides have been made in green technologies. As an example, we are about to start construction on a 1,600 sf house that will produce all of the energy it needs to operate. The homeowner will never have to pay for oil, gas or electricity! When we analyzed the cost savings to the homeowner over the life of the mortgage, the total came to $300,000! Basically the house will pay for itself and more! Using green technology to your advantage can not only make your lifestyle more rewarding, it can put green in your pocket! Live Green/Live Free.
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