Santa Monica Aims for Net-Zero Status

While perhaps being more famous for its beachlife and "Baywatch", the city of Santa Monica is in the process of becoming the nation's first net-zero city, through increased energy efficiency, relying completely on solar and other renewable energy. The city, with over 86,000 residents has currently over 60 buildings equipped with solar panels, while numerous other buildings, both residential and commercial are in the process of installing solar roofing.

"Solar Santa Monica launched a two year program on January 1, 2007. The voluntary program starts with 50 residential and commercial buildings. With the benefit of what is learned from these 50 projects, the program will be made available to all. The 50 buildings will include 30 to 35 residences, 5 to10 business and 5 municipal buildings."

With a total cost of $1.4 billion, spent over a span of 20 years, Santa Monica will achieve its net-zero status. The city has invested in an array of "greener" municipal cars, with over 80% of the city’s 519 vehicles being either alternate fuel (alt-fuel) or electric. Also, 100 of Santa Monica’s Big Bus fleet is liquid natural gas (LNG), which is according to the city of Santa Monica, 77% cleaner than diesel.

Good incentive Santa Monica, let's hope other follows suit.

Read more at http://www.cleanfleetreport.com/cities/solar-santa-monica/ or http://www.smgov.net/departments/ose/

Discover Geos - Arvada, CO

With the slogan "Earth, Sun, Home", the developers of the master-planned community of Geos in Arvada, CO aims for creating a sustainable, integrated community where energy from the Earth and the Sun replaces all fossil fuels. When completed, the neighborhood will be the largest net-zero energy, urban mixed-use neighborhood in the United States.

The neighborhood follows the pattern of "New Urbanism", a trend experiencing increasing popularity within the U.S. As with other "New Urbanism" projects, the community will focus on walkability and mixed-use development, with housing ranging from condominiums to single family homes, each type with its own subdivision within the neighborhood (see map above).

Want to learn more about Geos? Visit their homepage at http://discovergeos.com/index.php or check this page out for more information http://www.dkahn.com/geos.html

Planning On Building Energy Efficient?

Then this place would perhaps be a good way to start - http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SolarHomes/plansps.htm

This website from "Build it Solar" provides a thorough list of American and Canadian builders and home plans dedicated to energy-efficiency, and especially in terms of using solar power as a main source of energy. In addition, some more alternative builders are shown, e.g. adobe home builders.

The array of builders providing energy-efficient homes are ever-increasing, which is definitely a sign for a positive market change, with increasing demand leading to increased supply.

Also, check out the link below, for an article on affordable net-zero homes, with prices as low as $180,000.

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11546/a-net-zero-energy-home-for-180000

Net-Zero Energy House Costs Just 7% to 8% More - Colorado

A Colorado construction company called Ecofutures Building Inc. produces market competitive net-zero homes, for the sheer cost of 7 to 8% more than a new conventional home in the state.

"The net-zero-energy measures cost 7% to 8% of the total home price. Our clients pay more in mortgage but less in energy so it's cost neutral -- or even cash-flow positive -- to live in a zero-energy home at today's energy prices." - Eric Doub, company president.

The company built what was Colorado's first net-zero home in 2005, and subsequently won the U.S. Department of Energy's "Builders Challenge" in 2008, becoming the first builder to qualify with a score "literally off the scale", a -3 on the Home Energy Scale Rating System.

You can read more at http://www.hgtvpro.com/hpro/green_building/article/0,3142,HPRO_27916_6024003,00.html & http://www.ecofuturesbuilding.com/

Net-Zero Goes Worldwide - Southeast Asia's First Net-Zero Building

Singapore recently opened what is Southeast Asia's first net-zero building, as a part of the BCA (Building & Construction Authority) Academy Campus. The building is a test project initiated by the government of Singapore, which has developed ambitious plans in terms of green building: planning on "making 80 percent of all buildings in the island state green by 2030". As for now, only 5% of the state's building can label themselves green, and government is planning to spend US $357.5 million over the next decade on developing green public buildings

Some interesting features include:

• Floor diffusers: These supply cool air which, once warm, will rise to vents in the ceiling to be removed.
• More energy-efficient air-conditioning: This detects carbon dioxide levels and lowers fan speed when fewer people are around.
• Personalized ventilation: Air-conditioning around each desk is adjustable according to individual needs.

Read more at http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2009/10/27/singapore-showcases-its-first-zero-energy-building/

Aloha! First Net-Zero Community in the U.S. Under Development on Hawaii

The Department of Hawaiian Home Land will initiate construction of the net-zero Kaupani Village Community this summer, with the first house scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of the year, while the entire subdivision will be completed by the end of this year.

The community, located in Waianae Valley on the island of Oahu, will consist of 18 homes, all equipped with solar water heating, roof-top photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, and energy-efficient lighting and appliances. The community will consume no more energy than it generates, and aims for LEED platinum certification, making it the first community of its kind in the U.S.

Another interesting aspect to it is the affordability, as the community will be typical of Hawaiian Home Land projects, meaning that certain limitations apply for eligibility. Applicants must be at least half Native Hawaiian to qualify for a lease for a land lot. So far, over 300 families have applied for lots in the community.

I must say, I really like the idea of building green, sustainable homes for the low-income part of the population, instead of limiting this trend to the upper middle class portion of the population.

Read more at http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2010/03/08/story3.html?b=1268024400^2990791

Europe Way Ahead in Terms of Green Building

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=europe-shows-the-way-to-energy-effi-2010-01

"Europeans now have half the carbon footprint of Americans, so we can learn how it’s done from them. It won’t kill us to get our energy from renewables and efficiency. It might even be quite pleasant"

So, what is the reason for this gap between the EU and the U.S.? It might have something to do with certain standards being implemented in Europe, such as feed-in-tariffs paying homeowners to install solar panels on their roof (Germany and Spain), using triple-glazed windows as standard in the building code (Norway and Sweden), and developing an energy efficiency standard where a net-zero house is required (Germany's PassivHaus standard).

Obama's "Cash for Caulkers" program is a start, but more inventive standards is needed, to catch up to our European counterparts.

Obama Launches Home Star Program for Energy Efficiency

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-obamas-home-star-program-could-2010-01

The Obama administration presented their Home Star "Cash for Caulkers" program earlier this year, a program which will hopefully contribute to green up the nation's homes, as well as putting unemployed construction workers back to work. According to the Scientific American the program will "will pay you up to half the cost to retrofit that gas-guzzling house of yours for up to $4,000 and in the process put a quarter of a million unemployed construction workers back to work lowering your energy costs and carbon footprint. The $23 billion dollar program should retrofit at least 6 million houses, and put a dent in the 17% unemployment rate in the construction industry".

Canadians Ahead of Their Time

Check this rather dated article out, published all the way back in March 1996 - http://www.homeenergy.org/archive/hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/96/960310.html

Now I am not exactly sure when the trend of building sustainable homes started, but I am pretty sure these guys were somewhat ahead of their time, with their autonomous home completed in 1994. The interesting part of it is however, that this home was built for the same price of a conventional home in Calgary, all the way back in 1994. So, why wasn't there built more?

The home was designed to be completely autonomous, that is - independent from electric, water and sewage systems, and features the common aspects of autonomous housing, namely active and passive solar panels, high-performance windows, energy-efficient appliances, airtightness, water conservation technologies and heat exchangers. The home was built by Autonomous and Sustainable Housing Incorporate (ASH), which is still in business. You can visit their website at http://www.ecobuildings.net/index.php

How To Turn Your Aging Home Into A Net-Zero Home

Before the upgrade, Bindley's home was a quite conventional ranch home

"Jane Bindley had a dream: to turn her 1978 ranch in central New Hampshire into a net-zero-energy house. How hard could that be?"

Quite difficult, but possible. Bindley's home had mostly north-facing windows, and with a hill to the south of the property the project became quite costly and comprehensive. The solution became wrapping the house in 1/2-inch-thick structural insulated panels (SIP's), creating a thermal envelope with a rather good insulation rate (R-35). In addition, the walls were sprayed with closed-cell spray polyurethane foam, bringing the R-value of the walls up to R-52, while the roof achieved a rate of R-73. The windows were replaced with triple-glazed fiberglass windows from Thermotech. For heating, the house uses ductless minisplit air-source heat pumps which are much less expensive than ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs).

"Utility bills confirm that in 2009, Bindley’s renovated house produced 1,732 kWh more electricity than it used".

Although Bindley reached her goal of owning a Net-Zero home, it became a costly affair:

Insulation Package: $110,000
PV Array: $60,000
Triple-Glazed Fiberglass Windows: $37,000
Warmboard Subflooring: $ 20,000
Additional Costs: Approx $40,000

These numbers, totaling a staggering $267,000, proves that converting old homes into modern green homes is costly, and labor-intensive. However, all props to Jane Bindley for spending such an amount of money on upgrading her home into green-friendliness.

See the entire article at http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/leaky-old-house-becomes-net-zero-showcase

Envisioning Masdar - The Model of Future Cities?

Heard of Masdar, Abu Dhabi?

Me neither. But, this city under construction is actually quite interesting, and rather different from the extravagant "bigger-taller-better" mentality often found in the U.A.E. While this city is still aiming to be better than others, it's in terms of green building and sustainability, which is a good thing.

A quick overview of the project:

Size: 6 Square Kilometers
Projected Population: 40,000
Energy Source: Solar Power (a solar farm is already completed), Wind Power
Water Source: Solar Powered Desalination Plant

The city aims to be entirely carbon free, waste free and free of gas-powered cars. A Personal Rapid Transit Network (PRT) is being developed for the city, a system which includes a projected 3000 driver-less pod cars powered by solar generated electricity. With no fossil fuel vehicles allowed, the air-quality of Masdar should be quite decent, if not fantastic. Huge umbrellas, wind walls and lots of greenery will keep the city's average temperature 20 degrees F lower than the surrounding areas. The project is scheduled to be completed sometime between 2015-2020 and plans to become a paramount in ecological and sustainable city planning.

Read more at http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/energy/news-masdar-zero-carbon-zero-waste-city-future

How Much Damage A Solar Panel Can Withstand

Net-Zero home in rainy Seattle proves solar panels can be used anywhere.

Russ Hamlet and Jon Lange of Bainbridge Island, WA, recently finished their Net-Zero home, the first of its kind on the island, an outer suburb of Seattle. The PlanetGreen video explores their home and discusses its innovative design, in addition to something more interesting, namely how much human and weather-related damage a solar panel and a solar tube can withstand. Fascinating!

Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV3euyl8mlw

Net-Zero Building the Emerging Trend of 2010

Not-so-energy-efficient McMansions are out of date

According to Lowe's, the Net-Zero building technique is the emerging trend of 2010, among other energy efficient building methods, including "New Minimalism" and "Tight Building Envelopes".

As people become more and more aware of their carbon footprint, and seek ways to reduce their contribution to global warming, in addition to reducing their energy costs, new building techniques is finally starting to compete with the omnipresent McMansion. According to Chris Colby, a LEED certified architect out of Millbrook, NY "homes in the 2000 to 2500 square foot range will be king in 2010, as compact size, low maintenance and low energy cost will be the three biggest factors in home builds or purchases".

Read the entire article at http://www.lowesforpros.com/the-top-5-building-trends-of-2010

Portland Community College is Going Green

The largest campus of Portland's Community Colleges, namely the Sylvania campus, located between Tigard and Lake Oswego, is moving towards becoming a Net-Zero campus. The campus retrofit is scheduled to be completed by 2013, and involves erecting a new campus building, in addition to installing a 1.1 megawatt co-generator to replace its current coal-fired and natural gas systems. This generator will, according to Linda Gerber, the PCC Sylvania Campus President, reduce the school's power bill by $1.1 million annually, from a current $1.6 million to a much lower $400,000. The retrofit is also expected to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 57%.

The price tag for the retrofit is $15,4 million dollars, and is the first of several upgrades to the PCC Campuses. PCC received a $1 million grant from the Oregon State Energy Program, which helped to jumpstart the project.

Read more at http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2010/01/14/Moving-Toward-a-Net-Zero-Campus.aspx