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Toward Energy Self-Sufficiency In Some Surprisingly Simple Steps
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As Cindy took in her new potential view, she said, "Who would have thought that by orienting a house differently that you could make your house more efficient?"
Advantage: Energy that costs nothing, unless a couple of trees need to be cut down to allow the sunlight in.
Disadvantages: Most new houses are built in subdivisions where the front of the house faces the street. Passive solar design might mean your house would face the back yard or side yard, and many people would be uncomfortable with this.
Tight Building Envelope
Many building practices that have become routine focus on retaining heated or cooled air, such as installing efficient windows. But it's possible to make that envelope even tighter so that even less energy escapes.
· The double-wall system: The house, as planned, is a five- to six-ton house, meaning the energy it takes to heat and cool it would be substantial. McKechnie suggested using a double-wall system.
That means the house's skeleton is built with two exterior, parallel walls, 3 1/2 inches apart, using inexpensive two-by-four lumber. In a double-wall system, the outside wall is covered with plywood and then siding, such as vinyl or brick. The inner wall is covered with drywall, just as it would be in a standard house.
The space created between the walls is then filled with three layers of insulation. Generally, it's R13 formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation, resulting in an R40 exterior wall. The R value indicates the degree of insulation, and the higher the number, the better-insulated the house. Exterior walls in a standard American house are typically insulated to an R13 level. The first and third layers run vertically, and the middle layer runs horizontally.
This doesn't change the design of the house, but it does tighten the envelope considerably. McKechnie estimated this will increase the cost of the house by only about $4,000 but will lower the heating and cooling energy cost by 40 to 50 percent.
Advantages: Allows a tight envelope to be formed around your house so little energy escapes. Creates deep window sills -- a real plus when decorating.
Disadvantage: Slightly higher initial cost.
Renewable Energy
Choosing a power source, heating and cooling system, or hot water heater can mean wading through a lot of often-contradictory information. There are two types of systems, those that convert natural energy (solar and wind) and those designed to use traditional energy sources at a higher efficiency rate (high-efficiency heat pumps, geothermal and radiant).
