Category Archives: energy savings

Passive Solar Design Basics

Posted on July 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

Passive solar design begins with the simple idea that you can build a house that uses natural heating, cooling, ventilation and daylighting. These homes require much less fossil fuel energy to heat and cool than conventional homes do, which is better for the environment and saves passive solar homeowners money. Passive solar homes are comfortable to live in because they are designed to radiate heat in winter, maintain a comfortable year-round temperature, ventilate naturally, and let in plenty of natural light.

I became interested in sustainable design, specifically passive solar design, as a young architect — first while working in the Peace Corps in Africa, and later while working professionally in New Mexico. The details of any particular passive solar home design depend on the climate and the specifics of the site. Over the course of my 35-year career, I’ve designed a variety of passive solar houses throughout the country using different configurations of south-facing windows, sunrooms and other passive solar design features. (For specifics on one of them, read “The Western Solar Farmhouse: A Passive Solar Design” near the end of the article) What follows are the principles used to design any passive solar home.

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10 Ways Toward a Zero-Energy Home

Posted on June 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

1. Install low-flow fixtures. Most low-flow showerheads and faucets aerate water, which means you use less energy heating it. There is often no need to replace an entire sink — the important part is the aerator (the screw-on tip of the faucet), which determines maximum flow. This simple, cheap part could save you a bundle on hot water costs. See the hot water info page on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) site for more on this topic.

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for questions if this will add value to your home.

2. Turn off lights, computers and appliances. This simple habit doesn’t cost a dime and could make a big difference in your energy consumption, depending on how consistent you are. Teach children and other members of the household to follow this rule: If no one’s in the room, it doesn’t need to be on. In other words, shut off TVs, computers and lights before leaving a room, every single time. It’s a habit that requires a bit of diligence in the beginning but will soon become second nature.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Energy Manidates in Calif for Homes Projected to Save $6000

Posted on June 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

New energy-conservation mandates for California are projected to save homeowners about $6,200 on energy bills over the life of a typical mortgage, but developers are concerned that required upgrades are too costly and could hamper home sales with little short-term benefit.

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your energy efficiency value questions.

Savings will come from hot water pipe insulation, better windows, whole house fans and other improvements that are projected to make homes and commercial buildings 25 percent to 30 percent more efficient than required by current standards, according to the California Energy Commission.

McMillin Homes president Guy Asaro said the mandates will cost about $3,500 per home in San Diego County — higher than the state average of nearly $2,300. That is “not a good investment” for homeowners, he said, because it could take nearly two decades to recoup those costs.

The Energy Commission’s latest conservation standards approved Thursday in Sacramento take effect in 2014, another step in a decades-long pursuit of efficiency. Changes to the initial 1978 standards are moving toward “zero net energy” buildings that can generate all the power they need with rooftop solar panels and the like.

“Over time, we really get to this idea of buildings that do what we want without having the unwanted side effects,” said Douglas Kot, executive director of the San Diego Green Building Council.

Nationwide, buildings account for about one-third of total energy use.

The latest changes to the state’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards were adopted during the regular three-year cycle of updates that has made California a national leader in driving down the amount of energy consumed per capita. New mandates stop short of requiring solar panels but say new commercial and residential buildings must be designed to support sun-based energy systems.

“Increasing building standards is one of the more cost-effective ways to move to a more sustainable energy future,” said Peter Hamilton, managing director of the California Center for Sustainable Energy in San Diego.

Category Archives: energy savings

Passive Solar Design Basics

10 Ways Toward a Zero-Energy Home

Energy Manidates in Calif for Homes Projected to Save $6000

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