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Go Green with Sustainable Energy
By Jeanne Mozier
There is no better or more secure way to invest your money than
by making your house energy efficient. The return on investment ranges from 6 percent to 12 percent, and comes
from money saved on skyrocketing electric bills as well as a wave of tax credits.
The problem is, often there is too much information. Homeowners feel overwhelmed and often either give up or do
something that may not be the best they could do.
Enter Mike McKechnie of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., builder, solar and wind power entrepreneur, but most of all, energy
educator. "If the power companies or government would only set up a program so I could just go around and
diagnose and prescribe for homeowners, we could all be saving lots of money," he said.
McKechnie believes power companies benefit by making higher profits as brokers of energy instead of building increasingly
unpopular and tremendously expensive new plants.
A practical visionary, McKechnie said that energy conservation is the best investment any homeowner can make. "People
start out asking about wind turbines or solar panels," he said. "When I tell them that if they spend
$500 on caulk and insulation they can use fewer solar panels and save $5,000, they listen."
McKechnie's rule of thumb is that every $1 spent on conservation saves $10 that would be spent on generating energy.
For new homes, McKechnie is ready to help educate the builder about good equipment and tested techniques. On existing
homes, he conducts a condensed version of a standard energy audit - a personalized power diagnosis.
"I quickly point out whatever the five biggest energy wasters in a house are," he said. "It can
be anything from old freezers to drafty windows. When they hear the one-to-ten ratio for savings due to conservation,
they get it and then we can start talking solutions."
The recipe for energy efficient housing is a simple one: conservation, equipment and generation. According to most
experts, it is the order in which you approach the problem that really matters.
Conservation is the most cost effective. Tighten the envelope of your house: the walls, windows and ceiling. Caulk
and insulation are the first and cheapest steps to take. Then move to windows. Better windows keep heat and cool
in. Cutting out interior wind chill is a dramatic step towards feeling warmer.
Owners of historic homes often agonize over what retrofitting windows for energy efficiency will do to the authenticity
of their structure. According to architects Matt Grove and Lisa Dall'Olio, sustainable design specialists in Martinsburg,
W.Va., even historic homes can be made green.
"It's the air space between the first and second pane of glass that improves performance," Dall'Olio
said. "Interior storm windows mean keeping in heat while not degrading the historic exterior."
One thing everyone can afford, according to Dall'Olio, is LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting that lasts ten times
longer than compact fluorescent bulbs and is safer, she said. And a new bulb soon to be on the market is comparable
in duration to fluorescents, fully dimmable and trashcan compatible.
New houses are even easier to make energy efficient with the first, and most crucial principle being to build a
smaller structure. "American houses are just too big," McKechnie said.
McKechnie and his brother, Pete, own Mountain View Wind and Solar in Berkeley Springs. Having spent much of their
youth in Europe, they now find the typical American lifestyle to be wasteful. "We make our building process
a blend of the two lifestyles and push the agenda of smaller and super insulated," McKechnie said.
All that square footage needs to be heated and cooled - forever. "The cost of a home is not just a mortgage,"
McKechnie said. "It's also the utility bills."
The brothers want to build one or two "intentional" houses a year for clients who are ready to "go
all the way," which means meeting all the principles, from building smaller to generating at least half their
own energy from solar or wind.
"I mention wind even though it's solar that is two to three times more usable around here," McKechnie
said.
Positioning a new home is important. This means taking advantage of slope and south-facing windows. "Have
the house's longest side facing a southern exposure," McKechnie said. "Put your windows on this side,
and allow the winter's sun to help warm the house at a cost of zero dollars. With the right awnings or shades on
the windows, the high summer sun can be blocked."
An important construction technique is to use two-by-six inch boards for framing instead of the standard two-by-fours
and fill the extra space with insulation. "A homeowner can pay the cost of additional insulation with what
they save on electric bills in a year," McKechnie said.
Also crucial is to select efficient mechanical systems, from Energy Star-rated appliances to home heat pump systems.
Electrical equipment of any sort uses a motor and the more efficient the motor, the less electric power is used.
"You'll be running these systems and appliances for years, so they need to use the least amount of energy,"
McKechnie said.
Since heating and cooling account for 50 percent of a home's energy use, geothermal heat pump systems that take
advantage of the constant temperature of the ground are a favorite of energy experts. Dall'Olio asserts that geothermal
heating and cooling uses 40 percent to 70 percent less energy than conventional systems, making them the most energy-efficient,
environmentally clean, and cost-effective method for temperature control.
The final step for those serious about energy efficiency is determining a means to generate energy. Solar renewable
energy credit markets can make home solar electric panels actually produce revenue.
"A homeowner can expect to provide 20 percent to 40 percent of their energy diet with solar panels, assuming
they've done the conservation and equipment steps," McKechnie said. A growing trend is to build a southern-exposure
shed by the house, place panels on its roof and pipe the energy generated into the house. Solar water heaters are
another favorite, dropping water heating costs 70 percent to 80 percent.
But expensive alternative generating systems are the last suggestion McKechnie makes. "People often go for
the sexy technology first," he said, "when really they are better served by common sense conservation.
I can't sell them enough solar panels to make up for building inefficiencies."
And Tax Advantages, Too
All the expert advice reveals the real secret: don't waste the
energy you already have. This approach to energy efficiency led to an interesting partnership between Mountain
View Builders and major regional accounting firm CoxHollidaPrice. Tax credits for renewable energy systems are
subtracted directly from the state or federal income tax amount you owe. The 30 percent no-cap federal tax credit
is available until 2016.
"People are really happy when they know that their tax guy thinks it's a great idea," McKechnie said.
State tax credits vary from state to state, and in Maryland and Pennsylvania, credits are particularly good. Each
state has different rules so check www.dsireusa.org for a master list by zip code of all energy-related tax incentives.
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