Posted by: Earl
on Jul 13, 2009
I've been asking questions of home builders (or their sales representatives) as I plan a new home. I am basically pleased with what I have seen in my survey but we still have a long ways to go. Case in point - the new construction I've encountered recently is much tighter and better insulated than I have previously seen (at least with a couple of better builders that I've checked out). On the "not so good news front" there is a real lack of knowledge about options for implementing new technologies such as geothermal assist for heat pumps, solar water heaters, photovoltaic solar, and even passive solar designs.
An interesting bit of insight that I received from the builders was that for fundamental changes to permit widespread adoption of these technological advancements it needs to be driven by someone other than the builder. It must come from the developer. I proposed a group of houses oriented for optimal passive solar gain and drilling for geothermal piping in advance of construction. The builder said that it was interesting but they couldn't do it. Most of the lots that they procure for building are made available long after the streets have been laid out and, in some cases, after the streets and utilities are all in.
If the top of the picture is north how many of these houses are oriented for optimal solar gain?
You know how when you turn over rocks you sometimes find some nasty stuff under them?
Posted by: Earl
on Jan 16, 2009
This is the first of what is likely to become a long series of posts. I have made a decision. I want to build a new, energy efficient home. I do not yet have a timeline but I can anticipate that this will take the better part three years. If I can do it soon I will be happy but I don’t want to set an unreasonable expectation. It may actually take longer because I anticipate a great deal of difficulty in finding the lot that will meet my requirements. I promise a blog on this subject soon.
I plan to document the entire process in detail and share on www.energyinfoforyou.com. I’ll use the blog to highlight some items of broad interest. It is my desire to build a hybrid solar home with both passive and active elements. I also plan to utilize some geo energy aspects.
Please share your experiences as well.
