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New homes may not come with windmills – yet – but there are things you should look for
The nation is abuzz with green solutions to everyday affairs. From shopping bags to T-shirts, automobiles to water bottles, nearly every industry is reducing its impact on the environment. But wanna guess which industry found a way to save consumers $7 billion annually?
The residential building industry.
According to Chris Kielich, spokesperson for the United States Department of Energy, “Homeowners can achieve energy savings of 30 percent or more while improving the home’s comfort level by adopting energy-efficient building practices.”
Remember: Energy savings equals cost savings.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A NEW HOME
There are plenty of things that homebuyers need to look for to save energy (and money).
First, work with a certified green builder. Ron Hulbert, president of green-certified RS Hulbert Builders of Richmond, suggests homeowners get a green certification from a third-party company, such as EarthCraft House Virginia. “The third-party organization will inspect and do all the required tests on the home during construction to assure their guidelines are met,” he says. It is important to know who is doing the green certification, he says. “Right now there’s something called ‘green washing,’ which means builders will work on the home in the cheapest way and consider themselves green – but it’s not certified.”
Next, the DOE’s Kielich says, make sure builders install Energy Star appliances. Energy Star is a government-backed program designed to identify energy-efficient products in more than 50 categories. These products are 10 to 50 percent more efficient than those without the designation.
Finally, make sure the home is insulated properly. Kielich suggests looking for properly insulated crawl spaces and attics, as well as sealed gaps around windows and doors. “Properly insulating your home will not only help reduce your heating and cooling costs but will also make your home more comfortable,” she says. Moreover, buyers should understand that air flow, sealing, and insulation work together to increase energy efficiency. “Any air sealing efforts will complement your insulation efforts, and vice versa,” she says.
 CHECK OUT THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY
Do not overlook indoor air quality, adds Hulbert. “You know the smell of a new home?” he asks. “That smell is from urea formaldehyde and other toxins.” It can be found in common new home products, such as carpeting and cabinets. “You can’t make yourself a super tight, energy efficient house and turn your back on air quality.”
To achieve greater air quality, proper ventilation is key. However, there is a catch-22, according to Kielich. “Increased ventilation generally translates into improved indoor air quality, but there is often a related energy penalty,” she says. “For example, hot air pulled in from the outside for ventilation must be cooled and dehumidified.” That cooling can often lead to dampness as warm air meets the cold air in the vents.
Hulbert has a solution: condition crawl spaces. “We air condition and heat the crawl space. It helps to filter air quality and helps the heating and air equipment to work more smoothly,” he says.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES?
Yet, heating and cooling crawl spaces requires more energy. So what about those alternative energy sources that are all abuzz, such as solar power and wind power? They may not be quite practical, or affordable, just yet.
“Alternative energy sources haven’t gotten ahold of the market for single homes in my opinion,” Hulbert says. “A lot of communities won’t let a windmill be installed behind their houses. Solar hasn’t picked up yet because of cost. And in a lot of communities, they won’t let you put solar panels on roofs.”
Still, there are some affordable solutions that may lead to long-term savings, even if short-term savings are not a reality.
BECOME A MINI-POWER PLANT
Patrick Farley, founder of Watershed Architects, installed a $25,000 solar electric system on an outbuilding at his Richmond City home. Thanks to the net metering program with Dominion Virginia Power, Farley actually sells power to the power company. Farley is one of 52 Virginia customers participating in net metering, but the numbers are expected to rise as the cost of solar panels decreases.
In a net metering arrangement, homeowners can add unused solar energy to the Dominion power grid in exchange for a credit on their electricity bill. “If you use 1,000 kilowatt hours a month and you produce 100 kilowatt hours with the solar array, your bill would basically be for only 900 kilowatt hours,” explains Rob Rice, regulatory advisor with Dominion. Homeowners, therefore reduce their monthly bills by the amount they produce.
“Net metering is just one of the energy saving strategies our customers use,” said David Botkins, spokesman for Dominion Virginia Power. “But it requires an up-front investment of some significance.”
According to Farley, “the cost of solar energy systems is highly variable depending on the particular technology, the complexity of the system and the extent to which it was deployed.” For example, the cost of the most common photovoltaic system currently averages roughly $8,000 per 1,000 watts of rated output (or $8 per watt).
 TRY THE SOLAR WATER
For homeowners wishing to buy a home with a more cost-friendly solar solution, Paul Risberg, President of Charlottesville’s Altenergy Incorporated, suggests finding a home with a solar water heater, or installing one yourself. “A lot of solar technologies are environmentally friendly but may not be economically feasible,” says Risberg. “However, you can very easily install a solar thermal system to make hot water that will save you money. Solar thermal systems will also reduce the amount of energy and carbon emissions associated with energy consumption.”
Solar thermal systems should be used with a back-up energy source. “Solar power is almost always purely supplementary,” he explains. “You’re not going to have solar energy at night when the sun goes down. You either have to store the energy that you get during the day in batteries or you have to have a backup system that allows you to buy energy when you’re not producing it.”
The price of solar water heater may cost about $7,500. But, Risberg says, homeowners will get a $2,000 federal tax credit for installing the system.
UNDERSTAND YOUR ENERGY SOURCES
According to Farley, the best way to go green is to understand your energy sources. Those sources, he says, could be from a mountain top-removal coal mine operation far away in Appalachia. “Every time you turn something on, you are likely connecting to the destruction of these beautiful mountains,” he says. “The current energy delivery system can be quite devastating.” However, buying an energy-efficient home may lead to increased savings and a minimized harmful impact on the environment.
Carrie Belt is a Richmond, VA-based freelance writer. For more, visit www.CarrieBelt.com.
For more information about how you can live a green lifestyle, visit the U.S. Department of Energy at www.doe.gov.
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