"Green" for the Rest of Us: Retrofits to Existing Homes
Geo Miller, Editor
I’ve decided it’s no longer just a question of comfort. It seems just plain irresponsible to let my old house continue to leak heat in the winter, to use the treated public supply for watering my lawn and gardens, and to wonder whether the type of plastic I throw into the recycle bin actually gets recycled or is tossed because it is the wrong type.
I’m on a mission to investigate, and to provide the information I find about saving energy and living a sustainable lifestyle in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, to anyone who is interested.The mission is necessary, I believe, because you can find lots of information on how to build green. But there’s a lot less information available on how to green up existing homes, especially older ones when you may be trying to preserve their character and style.
That’s how the GreenRetros newsletter idea was born. I want to retrofit my 170+-year-old New England farmhouse with whatever is available to improve its energy efficiency and to lower my use of traditional home energy sources. I also want to preserve the character of my home, which is what attracted us to it in the first place.
But I’m not a nut about either. I’ll work within my budget and simply take a pass on things I can’t afford.
I attended the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s Building Energy ’08 conference and trade show in Boston last March and learned there’s a lot available for people with goals like mine. And much of it can be had without the need for a second mortgage.
But in many cases there is a cost premium compared with traditional home rehabs. However, many of the cost premiums can be offset by government tax incentives, manufacturer rebates, and financing options.
The big energy companies support these activities. And their support comes in spite of the fact that such activities threaten their normal way of doing business, in which we require more energy and they supply it.
But maybe they’re just smart, and recognize it as the early steps in the change to a new business model where saving energy and improving the environment become financial incentives in themselves.
Big energy companies, in my experience, are an odd mix of very smart and very helpful people working in companies that themselves are lumbering and lethargic. National Grid (formerly Keyspan) is our natural gas provider. It has lots of good sustainability and energy saving information on its web site, and when you speak to the employees you find they are even more knowledgeable and willing to share and provide insight.
But in early July, when I followed up on a National Grid offer and called to schedule a free home energy audit, I was told that the earliest available was in October! My name, of course, would be put on a list in case of a cancellation in my area.
Twice before I had attempted to have home energy audits—one was at my current home, about five years ago, and prior to that it was for an apartment I rented. Both of those earlier cases involved lots of redirects and missed calls, and neither audit actually took place.
But based on the conference I attended last winter, I know essentially what needs to be done, even without any high-tech diagnostic tools.
Equally discouraging has been my experience in finding an installer of blown-in insulation. Early attempts led me to some questionable companies. During one such call, a woman explained to me the installers’ process of drilling holes through the siding of the house and inserting a hose to blow in the insulation. She advised me to make sure the installers filled the holes when they were done; they would do so only if asked. She then asked me not to tell anyone that she told me that, because “they don’t like it when I do that!”
The point is, for green home retros at least, you have to do your own research to come up with good answers. And that’s what GreenRetros is for.
In coming issues of GreenRetros, I’ll keep you posted on the details of my retrofit projects as well as those of other homeowners and small business owners, primarily in Middlesex County.
And if you’ve done any such project, please let me know if you’d like your story told here.
Reach me at geo@greenmenow.com or 978-621-8981.
