This column by Julie Jason in The Connecticut Post talks about how homes can be energy savers, which makes eminent sense in this energy-intensive century.
Energy initiatives to be best way to save
Updated: 07/02/2009 09:00:59 PM EDT
Assume for a moment that energy costs skyrocket in the not-too-distant future — a pretty safe bet, whether you attribute the cause to over-consumption on a worldwide basis, OPEC manipulating prices, the effect of cap-and-trade legislation or some other theory.
Then assume that inflation and income taxes rise dramatically — another safe bet considering that someone has to pay for expanding federal outlays.
When taxpayers start to search for ways to lessen the financial burdens they will be called upon to shoulder, one of the few areas they will be able to impact will be the home.
In his new book, “The Cul-De-Sac Syndrome,” John F. Wasik, personal finance columnist for Bloomberg News, presents the case for how the housing crises started and advocates for green building on a grand scale. Wasik would like to see businesses and regulators realize that it’s time to progress beyond the suburban model that costs too much in energy use and out-of-pocket expenditures.
Building smarter homes is one step in the right direction.
“Come on,” said Wasik, “it’s time to move into the 21st century. Right now, we build homes the way we used to in the 19th century — stick homes are built by hand, one ’stick’ at a time.”
The smarter home is built in the factory in energy-efficient, lower-cost modules and assembled on land.
In his book, Wasik describes Californian Michelle Kaufmann’s smarter homes in detail. The
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walls of the modules are wired, plumbed and set up for a high-efficiency heating and cooling, with radiant floor heating and green roofs that accommodate plantings and rainwater for irrigation.
“Her homes are manufactured, yet they defy the image of a factory-built home,” he explained.
Smarter home technology could transform the homebuilding industry worldwide, said Wasik. Kaufmann “may become to homebuilding what Henry Ford was to automaking,” he said.
Retrofitting a home is the next best thing to building a smart home, explained Wasik. To lower the cost of owning a home, consider improving your home’s insulation and upgrading to more energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. Also think about solar heating and photo-voltaic solar technology to produce electricity, Wasik said.
Incentives for making your home energy-efficient are worth exploring. At a minimum, call your electric utility for a home energy assessment.