Three "R's"

Renew, Reuse, Recycle.

       There is a terrific book called "Cradle to Cradle" published in 2002 that proposes methodology like the 3 r's and how the impact of what we do is usually much more than what we see around us. The Chamber in Knoxville has launched a Green movement to encourage its members to participate in the process. "Cradle to Cradle's" authors suggest that recycling is truly "down cycling" due to  the fact that materials usually degrade during their life cycle and do not rejoin upstream manufacturing at the same purity as the original material. (See: beer cans at Alcoa) We have talked for years about recycled beer cans going to Japan and coming back as Hondas, well not really. The high grade aluminum used for pistons and other stressed parts are not made of beer can grade alloys. 

       My point in all of this is that if we are to really have an impact on our manufacturing process and generally wasteful life style we will need to take a much closer look at how to close the loop. Annie Liebowitz's "The Story of Stuff" points out the fact that we degrade many aspects of our environment as we go through the life cycle of product manufacture, delivery and use. I applaud the Chamber's efforts to encourage the 3R's. I hope that we can dig deeper into the subject. So far our Green efforts have grazed the surface and the marketing claims touted from these positions are pretty hollow when you get down to brass tacks. I hope we can engender a culture that will take an honest and in depth look at our over-all way of doing things.

Duct demise

Yet another duct system that failed to pressure test! A very fine ~ 50 year old home in Knoxville is another example of the deplorable condition of our HVAC systems. This home fortunately has most of the ducts inside the conditioned space. Even so, the duct runs that were in the crawl-space were not particularly well insulated and leaking energy into the atmosphere.         There is consistency in the occurrence of poorly designed and installed HVAC systems in these older homes. I guess the issue is that they were never designed for central heat and air to begin with. Some systems are just worn out, many troubles are the result of compromise during installation. In any case there is a lot of work to be done to bring these homes up to current standards. I am thinking that the national energy loss through duct systems is far over the claimed 15%.

Recent Rater

Last Friday I rated two homes in Old Concord, a lovely colonial and a quasi-Craftsman. Both were double Energy Star, the colonial rated over 200! Both of these homes typify the challenge with energy savings in our existing homes inventory. The colonial is inefficient by design ( single pane, leaky windows and no insulation in walls or the frame floor ) or, as in the bungalow, losing energy through poor maintenance. I actually found a cat in the supply side of the HVAC! The potential for savings is huge and the investment is minimal compared to the value of the property. In both cases durability is part of the picture as bulk moisture and condensation are already destroying the buildings' structure.

The homeowner in this case is a good example of one of our failures as a service to the community. She is adamant in her desire to improve her energy consumption, but has had a hard time finding someone to do the work. Part of the problem is the attic and crawl-space environment where most of our energy loss occurs is a foreboding environment. Another issue is that there are several trades involved with energy loss. All the trades disrupt the integrity of a building envelope and few if any understand the consequences. Finally, the general public is pretty unaware of the problem, otherwise rater's and repairman's phones would be ringing off the hook. No demand no supply.

As demand for ratings increases the fulfilment part of this equation is a good business opportunity.

Is "Green" a Priority?

   Larisa Brass posed this question in her recent column. In my world her premise really begs the question - Why would Jane & John Q. Public spend their hard earned cash on a $500 rater fee? If the choice is between a rater plus the $1500 that will likely be needed to tighten up a home and say, a new leather couch, which way will they jump? Lately, it continues to be on the couch. So why pick Green instead? Energy savings is a good reason, carbon footprint works for some folks (though it appears to be a bit altruistic for E. Tenn.) how about indoor air quality? That's actually the best one though it is tough to put a number on the benefit. Folks seem to be distrustful of Green marketing campaigns and with good reason. Too many products haven't performed as advertised.

   Fuel cost has changed so fast I don't think people have had time to react, other than in disbelief. The more we pay for energy the less we will want to use, right? Well, maybe, but I think its more complex than that. TVA is going to inflict rate changes, gas won't go down, natural gas is going to be high this winter. The point of this is that, so far, pain in the wallet isn't driving home owners to energy raters in the area. The Energy Star Home Energy Rating System (H.E.R.S.) is a proven method to determine energy use in a home and a direct path to where savings can be found. This is not new, Home Energy magazine (a rater mag) is in its 25th year of discussion on how to build an efficient home. I lived off the grid for several years in the 70's. Still we are struggling with a thin market for raters in the valley.

    SO.....Do we think that the rise in energy cost will provide the momentum towards a busy rater/energy consultant market or will it be some other market shift in awareness that entices Jane & John on board with energy conservation?

Disruptive Technology

A recent article forwarded from my compatriot at TerraShares, John Atkins, gives hope to the belief that technology might help us get a handle on our energy consumption. Solar panel development company, Nanosolar, has just raised the bar on manufacturing solar thin film panels.Using "ink" and printing techniques they are able to better panel manufacturing speed significantly. It's a big difference and the kind of quantum change we need in the renewable inventory to reduce our fossil fuel consumption. There is no question that conservation, by itself, is not going to get us out of our energy bind. A recent TVA study shows that, with current renewable resources fully deployed, demand side load still requires better than 65% fossil fuels to meet projected demand. New and disruptive technology therefore is the target. If Lamar Alexander's  Manhattan Project grows any teeth we might just get a chance to brighten our children's future without burning the place down in the process.

TVA

It occurs to me that the distributors within the TVA footprint are soon to be the source of energy conservation for our region. TVA has done its homework in a very public way and will soon be presenting the valley with some options regarding demand load reduction. Distributors will get to choose their own path from the TVA recommendations. I hope that the utilities will want to test their customers' homes to establish the best path to energy efficiency for each case. In my experience each building is different and presents a different set of issues that only become obvious when the structure is pressure tested and thoroughly inspected by an accredited rater. This leads me to the idea of a Energy Star HERS score for residential housing created at the time of sale and published with MLS. Like the cars we buy and their fuel milage estimate our homes should come with an energy rating attached. As the utility rates rise I suspect the efficiency of a home will become more important to the home buyer. And rise they will...........

What's the Point?

Why bother to get a home rated? 

The most obvious reason is to save energy and as a result save on your utility bills. Most homes today are very leaky do to building penetrations by electric, plumbing and HVAC installations. The average home is loosing 15% of its energy through HVAC duct loss alone. A home can't be too tight and most are very leaky.

Another reason that is less obvious but is really more important is indoor air quality. The combination of leaky ducts, unsealed building utility penetrations and the fact that the ventilation systems are usually in your attic and/or your crawl-space means that your home is a breeding ground for mold. Many ventilation systems create an environment that, do to condensation, help mold grow inside your home. Moldy, leaky ventilation systems cause respiratory health problems. 

A tight, properly ventilated home will save on utility bills, add thermal comfort, provide clean fresh air and add value to your life.