Green Living
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Who has built a green home?
What features does your green home include? Appliances? materials? Solar panels (Hydro or PV) Is your heating costs less than what you thought they would be? Do you know your home's HERS value? Did your home cost more than what you thought?
Re: Who has built a green home?
At our presentation yesturday from a green builder a figure was presented that our most used energy source in the US was energy used to heat, cool, and run our homes. Transportation was second on the list. Obama wants to raise energy costs so that alternative energy and building green becomes cost effective. Today, PV Solar Panels will never have a ROI because it will take over 35 years to recover their cost when they have to be replaced every 25. It was quoted that in 10-20 years most people's home energy costs will be more than the cost of their mortgage. Has anyone else heard this?
That's ridiculous, clearly Obama doesn't know how high my ridiculous mortgage is
The figure presented was that energy costs would increase at least 4 times what they are now. Last month's bill was $300 (I live in CO mtns) times 4 would be $1200, our mortgage is $1400. Of course in HCOL areas this would not be correct.
You know those labels on appliances with the letter grades to show efficiency levels? The Dutch require them on houses as well. We were an A when we bought. So we are technically efficient, but strictly through insulation, double-glazing gaps, and our hot-water-on-demand system. It isn't like we are doing anything sustainable.
Unless you count the fact we buy "wind power" from the electric people.....
The SIP's you are talking about are the foam lined plywood panels (for want of a better description)?
We have something very similar, based on a metal frame structure. The insulation of temperature is great, but added bonus is sound proofing. And damp doesn't penetrate which is a huge problem in our area. Our lower levels are literally the foam liners, extra wide, with no wood (the wood would just rot out), and the upper levels are a combination.
Flyfish,
I am building a green home. I responded to one of your other posts.
That idea is so stupid. Why not subsidize alternative energy instead of hurting low income families?
Look into geothermal instead. The system we put in last year will have paid for itself in 8 years.
But I want to point out no matter how "green" your appliances, paint, or HVAC system. It is much greener to renovate an existing home than to build. The carbon footprint on new construction homes is huge. You can make existing home more energy efficient, replace appliances, and put in green surfaces without ever needing the gas guzzling machinery needed to dig a foundation or hang trusses. And 90% of the "green" builders out there aren't really truly green. It is a big marketing poly. How much OSB board and beams are they going to use? What kind of nasty adhesive are in that stuff? How about the insulation, studs, shingles, etc.?
This is why I am asking. If you renivate and older home, but is 20 years it costs to much to heat and cool how much are you really saving. I don't know if energy prices will go up that much. The reason we are looking at SIP construction is that SIPs are made with recycled wood, the foam core is made out of soybeans, and creates and air tight seal that does not require a lot of energy to maintain. I don't respond to scare tactics and wanted to know if anyone else heard that amount that enegry costs might rise in the next 20 years.
We are still in the research phase of building, buying, or renovating our current house for the future. Right now we have electric baseboards, a propane heater, a pellet stove, and a wood stove to heat our 20 year old house. We don't have a furnace system. How can we make what we currently have more efficient?