by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.24.09 via Treehugger.com
Now that the stimulus bill has passed and the word about tax credits and weatherizing incentives is out, you can bet that the tin men selling “insulating” siding and new “energy efficient” vinyl windows will be out in force to sell you stuff that “pays for itself in three years” and that “the government will pay most of the cost anyways”. Except these are two of the least cost-effective measures that you can take, and can significantly decrease the value of a house if they destroy its character and charm.
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by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.23.09 via Treehugger.com
In response to our post Crossway Zero Carbon Home Brings Back the Timbrel Vault, commenter rayn wrote: “I don’t see how this house could be anywhere near zero carbon even if all the bricks were sun baked. The windows had to be created in a furnace somewhere.”
He has a point. “Zero Carbon Home” is a term with specific meaning in the UK:
A zero carbon home is one that generates as much power as it uses over the course of a year and therefore has net zero carbon dioxide emissions.
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Well I have received the energy analysis of the cottage project that I have been working on for the past couple of months (here & here). On the HERS Index (RESNET) the cottage scored a 55 versus a code compliant score of 100. It is only 3 points away from the Architecture 2030 challenge’s 2010 target of 52. Oh so close!
What is amazing about our rating is that we have more than doubled the size of the home, but we have reduced the projected energy bills by half in comparison to the existing cottage. So the client is going to save approximately $1,000 a year in utility costs by renovating the little shack. So I am now challenged to make some modifications that can bring our rating down to a 52 while cutting some cost.
-Josh
This is one of the worst things about the profession of architecture, the waiting game. Last month I was able to bring in my first client to work with the office. Nothing too big, just a small addition renovation project to a cottage. However, what makes this waiting game so frustrating is that, as my wife puts it, “They are the perfect client”. Since as an office, we recently had a restructuring of firm goals and are now incorporating sustainability into all of our projects instead of select few, along with sustainability as a passion of mine. This particular client has two goals for the cottage, durability and energy efficiency.
So after almost two weeks of working on developing a few design schemes for the client to review, I sit here and wait. Wondering what scheme are they going to choose, how they want to alter them, or blend schemes together, etc. Plus there are things about each scheme that can make the project very exciting, such as taking advantage of the views, daylighting and utilizing prevailing winds for natural ventilation.
I just can’t wait to start with the next step of the process and refine the design to allow the cottage to work the way they want the house to function both today and as the family grows and changes.
-Josh