green building: Living Off the Grid with Batteries
- 02/01/09 05:27 PM
I did a home inspection not long ago on a home that was completely off the electrical grid. It was one of the more fascinating homes I've done. In addition to the solar panels, wind turbine and assorted other advanced renewable energy technologies, it had a bank of industrial batteries. Now these are not part of your everyday home inspection. Since I was a certified Home Performance Specialist for the state of Idaho, I have a fair amount of experience with alternative energy and energy efficient housing, so I got the job. That's one of the advantages of being the … (12 comments)
green building: Retrofitting
- 01/25/09 03:51 AM
Heating can be one of the greatest recurring costs associated with owning a home. The rising cost of fuel doesn't just hit you hard at the gas pumps - it can be a difficult pill to swallow when you get that monthly oil or natural gas bill too. And despite the current downturn in fuel costs, those expenses will rise again. This double whammy has caused many people to think outside of the box and look at options outside of traditional climate control systems. Some people are a little wary of green heating and cooling systems because they worry that they might have … (4 comments)
green building: Home Performance with Energy Star in Idaho - Financing Options
- 01/21/09 03:24 AM
Most Idaho residents aren't aware of a wonderful benefit that the state government has for remodelers. During one of the periodic sindfalls that came to the various states, Idaho developed a self-funding mechanism for funding home improvements that target energy savings for residential customers while most other states committed the dollars to "one-time" capital improvement projects. The result is that Idaho still has funding for home improvements tht are lacking in other states. You get to: Borrow up to $15,000 4% annual interest 5 year repayment term Under the loan program, you have to tackle the most effective (lowest cost/highest … (0 comments)
I did a home inspection not long ago on a home that was completely off the electrical grid. It was one of the more fascinating homes I've done. In addition to the solar panels, wind turbine and assorted other advanced renewable energy technologies, it had a bank of industrial batteries.
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