Adding Green to our Homes is a bit like Personal Health

Adding Green to our Homes is a bit like Personal Health

I’ve recently run across an article in the New York Times by Ronda Kaysen entitled: Making Your House Greener. I think that Ronda “hit the nail on the head”!  I will not reiterate the entire article, but I do want to point out several excellent points from the article with our additional commentary.

1. In 2009, the average household consumed nearly 50% more than the average car.PTAGH commentary: Even though this stat is 10 years old, it still holds true today. According to Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, residential housing in the US accounted for 16% of our emissions in 2016 while transportation accounted for 29%. When you consider that this transportation number includes all modes of transportation and the fact that most households have more than 1 car, you can see that the average house certainly emits more than the average car.
2. Figuring out how to make your house less of an energy hog can feel overwhelming. It’s hard to know where to put your money, and which investments might make the most sense for your home.PTAGH commentary: Most of us know a number of things that we can do to conserve energy. What most of us do not know is the relative benefit (reduced emissions) of those things. How much energy does changing to a LED lightbulb really save? Is installing a gray water system really worth it? How much of an impact does composting provide? And on and on… The PTAGH personalized Home Sustainability Plan answers these questions for homeowners.
3. Homeowners may soon have to start thinking more seriously about reducing their footprint. In New York State, legislators passed a sweeping climate bill that will require the state to cut its emissions to 85% below 1990 levels by 2050 and to offset what remains by 15%.PTAGH commentary: There are other states that have started to implement similar plans and we expect that most (if not all) states will eventually. Being able to spend the least amount of money to achieve the greatest reduction in emissions will be key.
4. The first step is to understand your current carbon footprint using a carbon footprint calculator.PTAGH commentary: We have found that different carbon footprint calculators measure different home resources and activities. One of the primary reasons for developing the Home Sustainability Plan was to provide a comprehensive measurement across all 5 resources that come into and go out of our home.
5. “Energy Efficiency is a bit like person health. You have to decide what is healthy enough for you, and then set a realistic plan to achieve that goal, and then maintain it over time.” Casius Pealer, director of Tulane University’s Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development program.PTAGH commentary: We love this quote from Mr. Pealer. Very few people can spend the money required to achieve a Net Zero home. The trick is to understand which investments provide the greatest return. In a recent talk describing the benefits of a Home Sustainability Plan, Dean Berg from Path To A Green Home, discusses the need to ‘pick and choose’ what is important to each individual homeowner as they strive for a ‘greener’ home and how to measure the benefits from those choices.
6. Bringing water to and from your house uses energy too, so reduce water waste.PTAGH commentary: This is exactly right. Many don’t think of water as a greenhouse gas contributor, but the energy required to process and transport the water is. At Path To A Green Home, we go beyond water and we measure the impact of all 5 resources that go into and come out of our homes: heating fuel, electricity, food & food waste, product & product waste, and water.
7. “People underestimate that little changes make a big difference”, said Ann Jacobs. Replacing all windows may not be the best use of your money. Insulating and sealing may provide a greater benefit for less money.PTAGH commentary: Sometimes the ‘hogs’ in our individual homes are obvious and sometimes they are not. Likewise, the resulting benefit (reduced emissions) from ‘fixing’ or addressing a ‘hog’ is often not obvious either. In many people’s homes, simple lifestyle changes (very low investment) can have a fairly large impact. Our personalized Home Sustainability Plan identifies the ‘hogs’ and the financial analysis of which actions provide the greatest impact.
8. The easiest time to go green is when you’re renovating.PTAGH commentary: Yes, if you’ve decided that you are going to make a major home modification (upgrade heating system to mini-splits, insulate walls/attic, replace windows, etc.), the easiest time to do that is while the home is ‘opened up’ or during a renovation project. However, it’s also key to understand that creating a ‘greener’ house does not necessarily require a major modification or renovation. See prior comment about the significant changes that can come from simple lifestyle changes.
9. Take advantage of rebates and incentives.PTAGH commentary: Depending on where you live, there may be numerous rebates and incentives to lessen the financial sting. These rebates and incentives are not always easy to find so you will want to do your research or talk to multiple contractors.

Again, a great article from Robin Kaysen. If you have any questions about how you can get started on your Path To A Green Home, please peruse our website or contact us.