A person sees a central air conditioner on sale that they think will save them money and cool their whole house, the person insists that this is what they need and want.

Their attitude is similar to that of the person that goes to a doctor and insists on medication that others have used, or they have seen advertised on TV, and the patient is convinced that they need this medication and that will be the end of their ailment.

Some physicians will just give them the medicine, and they are rid of the patient, and the medication may work for a short time, but the ailment returns.

Some physicians insist on investigating the cause to treat and cure the problem.

What is the most effective treatment for the ailment… a medication that might be a quick fix, but the symptoms keep coming back, or identifying the root cause and treating to cure the ailment, so that it won’t return.

If what you want is to live or work in an environment that has consistent, even room temperatures, utility bills that don’t cause sticker shock, and freedom from the fear of toxic molds, etc. then you want and need our energy saving services (residential and commercial).

FYI- We also build new energy efficient homes and buildings that pass stringent third party verifications.

“What are the recent advancements in the lighting field and fans with regard to energy savings?”

Dennis, the energy crook responded by saying:

A light emitting diode, (aka LED) used in lighting uses 1/12 the energy of incandescent lighting.

Dyson Manufacturing has made a new fan that uses about half the energy of a conventional fan but the original cost is quite high according to the following article reviewing the product:

http://www.digitalversus.com/dyson-air-multiplier-p497_8180_458.html#energy

I have a volunteer job at a farm that is a no-kill animal rescue facility. I am outside three or more days a week from early in the morning to past noontime, so this year has been a doozey. The weather is hard on all of us volunteers and even harder on the animals. When I get home I am so appreciative of the environment.

Feel comfortable in your environment

I am of retirement age, which means I cannot tolerate a lot of heat and humidity. The climate inside my house is ALWAYS COMFORTABLE. I feel refreshed on the hot days and warm and toasty on the cold days. There are no drafts and no deviations in temperature when I go from room to room. The house is constructed so that unless I am paying attention, I do not hear or notice what is happening outside. And the heating and cooling bills (for seniors this is very important) are ¼ of what one would expect to pay.

Hey, at my age I’ve fought enough battles that I’d love to keep to myself, but that would go against the “green” philosophy. We are all on this planet, so we all have the responsibility to keep it clean and not mess it up. So, I’M SHARING.

Beware of an energy scam

My suggestions are: Look for an individual or team who knows what they are doing. They will have done research, know the scientific principals involved in energy efficient technology, (green building), and will have the experience in building energy efficiently – the experience that comes with years of working in this business, and be able to assess your living space and tell you what works – no band aids. Band aids eventually make the problem worse. Remember the story of the little boy from Holland, who was trying to save the town by putting his fingers in the leading dam. The pressure would not hold, and the whole dyke burst.

It’s worth it to Go Green

As stated, energy efficienct, green technology is based on scientific evidence and analysis, not superstition or plagiarism. Beware of the guys out there that do voodoo, and the shell game. This is your home or business we are talkin’ about here. Use your intelligence, educate yourself, do your homework, find out how much experience they have, how they know what they know, and ask questions about the principles of energy efficiency until you get answers. The rewards of COMFORT and PEACE OF MIND are, as they say priceless”. GO GREEN!!!!

Residential Mortgages

Mortgages that were outrageous are now difficult to pay, as the real value of many homes is substantially less and does not match the purchase price. In the case of newly built homes, some of the materials, methods, and workmanship used to build them is unsuitable for energy efficiency technology, and the utility bills are rapidly competing with the mortgage payments on the house.

Presto, because the market and profits have focused on new “energy efficient, green building technologies” that will save energy and the buyer money, it now is seen as very lucrative business with millions of dollars being spent on advertising annually. A home properly constructed using energy efficient technology can lower utility payments by 30 – 50%.

This is terrific news, right. Well, opportunity sometimes brings shady or inexperienced contenders to the fore. And, although the companies may have the best intentions, their work is often found as more opportunistic than helpful.

Saying it’s an Energy Efficient House doesn’t make it so

Energy efficient technology for building is based on scientific principles such as physics, thermodynamics and rocket science and therefore has to be exacting and done with knowledge and expertise. In our experience it is not a job for those who are just practicing, unless, of course the customer is under the assumption that the work will need to be redone or modified. Sad, but true and the old adage, “buyer beware”, is endemic in a large number of so called “green” building cases.

An energy efficient home or building is always green but a green building is not always energy efficient.

Educate yourself, read our blog, and call to discuss how we can assist you. It’s free and easy and there is no pressure. We are here to help, not to hype. Not doing the aforementioned may cost you a great deal.

And there seems to be no end in sight to the rising energy costs.  In fact, energy costs have increased by an average of 2 to 2.5% annually over the past 50 years.

You may be one of the lucky ones who had managed to pay this winter’s heating bills. However, just how far can you stretch your budget next winter?

Now is the time to take stock of your home’s energy efficiency. A home energy audit/evaluation followed by energy saving improvements will eliminate those areas were your home (or building) is losing energy to the outside environment.

In most cases, you can fix quite a few problems on your own.  By fixing the “Low hanging fruit”, (the basic improvements) it will pay off big in savings on your home energy costs. With monthly energy bills for some as high as a thousand dollars or more a month, even a modest 30 percent savings can mean the difference between having energy or facing shutoffs.

“For nearly 16 million American families the struggle to heat their home this winter will hit the crisis point in early summer.” According to a 2008 report on CNN’s Lou Dobbs Report, 15.5 million people were at least 30 days behind on their heating bills. While most utility companies are prohibited from shutting off energy in the winter months, the beginning of warm weather means many of those families will now have their utility shut off.

The problem is no longer seen just in low income families. With record energy prices, unemployment or underemployment, the problem is creeping into working and middle class families. These are people who have always paid their bills regularly and whose heating costs are just one of the soaring costs of living.

“Going into 2008, we had expected oil prices to start easing,” says Tancred Lidderdale, analyst for the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But the close match between global oil supply and demand – the tight market – means geopolitical tensions and market worries can have a large impact on price, he says. “And all the tightness in the market is showing up in heating oil” when it is in peak demand, Lidderdale says.

The federal assistance program, LIHEAP, which provides funds to states to help families pay winter heating costs, has been serving a steadily increasing number of families since the program began in 1980. However Congressional appropriations for the program have not kept up with the increases in energy costs.  The 5.8 million families who receive energy grants represent only 16 percent of the families eligible for the program. To try to stretch the limited funds,the amount of the grant awarded to each family has decreased, leaving even these families barely able to make it through the cold months. Many will not have enough money to avoid having their energy cut off this summer. In those cases, the cutoffs will affect cooking, air conditioning, and hot water.

Families who receive federal energy assistance account for only one-third of those facing shut offs. And a large number of families are exhausting their savings and credit lines to avoid shuts offs. A survey by CreditCards.com found that nearly 9 percent of Americans – an estimated 20 million consumers – use credit cards to pay heating bills this winter. However, unless they are able to keep up with the credit card debt, that solution may not be available next winter.

Check back for Part 2 for the continuation of Energy Crisis.

If you’re already the type of person that researches a product before purchasing it, the same diligence should be conducted when purchasing a home, new or existing. Otherwise, chances are you could purchase someone’s “lip stick job”—fancy countertops, elaborate floor covering, etc.  only to find that once you’ve moved in  there’s no substance to your home’s structure.

For example, the heat outside can conduct (penetrate) through the walls into your home forcing your air conditioner to work harder.   If it’s cold outside the heat in the conditioned air inside your home can conduct (penetrate) out through the walls making your heater work harder.

Recently, when I was surfing the internet looking for like minded people interested in energy efficiency technology, I came across an enraged homebuyer turned blogger.  Apparently, the blogger had purchased a new home advertised as energy efficient but it wasn’t, so they created a website/ blog to warn others about the builder.  I suspect they hadn’t done their due diligence before they bought the house and they were probably also angry with themselves. Their experience doesn’t need to be yours. 

When you buy a home it is generally the largest single purchase most people make, and as far as I know there aren’t any returns.

House Lemon Law

Since it’s not possible to return your home if you don’t like it, there are groups of people wanting to legislate a “House Lemon Law”.  However, with any law it is usually a remedy after the fact when the damage has already occurred.  Prevention is much more effective and definitely less costly.

As you move towards making your purchase decision, be mindful that one day your utility bills could equal or surpass your monthly mortgage payment.  It’s already happening to some homeowners. They owe two mortgages—one to the bank and one to the utility company.  

Ask to see the present owner’s utility bills.  If they won’t produce the utility bills keep looking, or if you really like the house, have a third party audit performed by a certified BPI or HERs auditor.   The same is true for a newly constructed home.  If the house doesn’t have an independent third party evaluation already,  insist on having one done.

Hind sight is always 20/20, and you probably won’t win if you bet that energy costs will go down. Historically, energy costs have increased by two to two and a half percent a year for the past 50 years.  I doubt you’ll regret making the time to prevent what could very possibly be a costly and preventable mistake.

The answer is yes. 

As energy costs rise, the value of a home that is more energy efficient than an average, conventionally built home should receive a higher valuation.  And that is just where the industry is beginning to turn, as fewer people can afford to pay two mortgages—one to the bank and one to the utility company.

Energy Star Homes

The Energy Star program for homes is a government based organization, dedicated to helping consumers save money and the environment.  The program emphasizes consumer education about energy efficient building practices and products.  

Energy Ratings

Homes with higher energy efficiency then the average home, in addition to saving money on their heating and air conditioning bills increase the amount of money (discretionary income) each month left in their pockets.  It stands to reason that an Energy Star Home should have a higher value.

Home Performance with Energy Star

Energy savings begin at a much lower level than a complete home overhaul.  Energy savings can start with your everyday home appliances such as your microwave, light bulbs, DVD players and more. 

Did you know, that even a small change such as switching from an incandescent light bulb to a longer lasting compact fluorescent bulb can save you over $60 in an 8-year period based on replacement and operating costs?  

And that is just based on one light bulb.  When a home is filled with products that meet Energy Star standards, not only will the savings accumulate, an appraiser can add value to your home based on the homes overall Energy Star performance.

Energy Star Program Status 2011

Before the 2008 housing market crash, there were approximately half a million homes in the United States that were Energy Star rated.  Proponents of the Energy Star Program hoped by 2010 that there would be over two million homes rated.  That is a small step in comparison to the more than 128 million homes in the United States today that are not rated.  However, it is surely a step in the right direction. 

The Energy Star program was created not with the resolve just to rate homes for overall efficiency, but to make consumers more aware of the waste of energy in homes that drive up energy bills. 

The forward momentum of the Energy Star Program may have been dealt a blow in the 2008 housing market crash, but rest assured there’s no turning back. Gone are the days when antiquated, energy wasteful building practices will be accepted by consumers and regulators. Thus, the value of an energy efficient home increases because market demand makes it so.

Every structure has its unique problems, because no two buildings are exactly the same even if the building plans are.

Construction is a process performed by human beings, and not everyone has the same priorities.  A builder may want to construction a sustainable building with energy efficient technology so that buyers feel comfortable in their environment, but the people performing the actual work may not care.

For example,

Unfortunately, the end result is the buyer doesn’t get what he or she has paid for and wants—to feel comfortable.  Added to a person’s disappointment is the difficulty in fixing the source of the problem(s) because they are random and need to be located and repaired by a professional at a cost.

If you want to avoid feeling disappointment, added expenses, and a waste of your time it’s probably a good idea to learn something about energy efficient technology used for building envelope improvements. 

Since there are differences in building practices between every constructed building, having some knowledge will enable you to make informed decisions.  The more information and understanding you have the greater chance you will have of getting the results you want.

Is it because people are too lazy to bring plastic bags to a recycling center? Is the cost of recycling a plastic bag higher than making a new bag out of recycled plastic?

The winner between the powers of political correctness verses the powers of lobbyists with a bias often times determines why one thing is deemed better than it is.

If we all became vegetarian over night what would we do with all the cows? If everyone was eating cows meat what would happen to the competitive price of  prime beef cuts?

Anything excessive, no matter how healthy or good you think it is can turn into unwanted garbage or a toxin. A simple plastic bag provided by a store because of its cheap price and convenience has turned into a huge landfill problem and ocean hazard..

Dirty cloth bags have the same potential of excess and worse due to their ability to carry disease when not properly cared for. Proper care of cloth bags requires the use of water to keep them clean.

If everyone is in the US is forced to use cloth bags the water consumption to keep the bags clean and sanitary must be multiplied by millions and millions of users using water, a natural resource that is in short supply

Replacing plastic bags with paper bags will send us back decades in our effort to stop deforestation. Deforestation causes massive virgin tree cutting adversely affecting our environment for oxygen production. Besides paper bags are notorious and ideal breeding grounds for roach infestations.

What happened to good olde American ingenuity? Why not figure out a way to make plastic bags valuable enough to recycle and create a feasible way for people to make money recycling them.  If we can send a man to the moon we most certainly should be able to develop  useful products made from plastic bags that go from cradle to grave to cradle. 

Cradle to grave to cradle means creating a product that once its intended usefulness is over the product is remade into another useful product with the original raw material being used over and over again.

Is local produce cheaper or more “green” than produce shipped and grown thousands of miles away from consumers? The answer to this question is even more complex than the question about “plastic or paper”.  In determining the answer to which is more “green” locally grown or trucked in produce, the answer depends on how much fuel was used in the growth process for each piece of produce and the methods used for growing.

Some farmers, right next door to you, may utilize methods that consume large amounts of fossil fuel for tractors to till the ground, keep weeds down, and harvest, as well as using petroleum based (fossil fuel) fertilizers and chemicals, etc.

One apple organically grown in South America without pesticides or tractors for picking may cost 10 ¢ delivered to your local market  whereas the locally grown apple may cost 20 ¢ to produce and take to a local market, not including the cost to clean up air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

I invite you to think about the “truth in advertising” behind the use of the new term “green” being used by marketing firms as a way to make a product seem better than it really is.

The real message I invite you to think about is- what the new term “Green” really means to the application that Marketing firms are using to make a product seem better than it is.

British Petroleum (BP) is a prime example of a company employing “Madison Avenue” advertising techniques to capitalize on the “Go Green” movement. The inference in their advertising messages is that they bring the best green products to your door because they are concerned about preserving our environment. REALLY… Then how does BP explain the Gulf Oil spill?

Before you purchase a product claiming to be green, check to see how much the product actually helps to solve an environmental problem or will it actually hinder you, your children, grandchildren, and neighbors from making our environment clean, safe, and healthy.

Look into alternative products and evaluate them to see what is the reality of their sales pitch and claims. Then make your choice instead of acting like sheep following behind another lead by the desire to eat green grass.