A home is a dynamic system that interacts with it environment and occupants in many ways. We are all aware of the electricity coming into our homes and the dollars flowing the other way to pay the bill. We may be somewhat less aware of the effects of sunlight, wind and rain…unless things are not working well.
But in fact sunlight wind and rain can all be working for you, while reducing your out of pocket expense. Typically homes are well built and reasonably efficient. But they could all work better.
Modern high-performance homes are typically 60 percent more efficient than their predecessors. This is mostly due to new insight and technology. By clarifying goals and performance measures Dwellgreen can help you on a path towards a high performance home.
The four Dwellgreen goals: zero energy, watershed balance, fortified home and, quality of life guide our high performance strategy for home improvement. Our four goals provide verifiable multiple benefits as an integrated whole. It is in the combined effect that the home owner gets the biggest “bang for the buck” and where savings more than cover the costs of investment.
The transition from an expensive energy hog to a zero energy home involves three inter-linked strategies: Conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy. There are many new ways to tighten up older buildings. Energy Star appliances, lighting, insulation strategies, windows and high efficiency HVAC systems that control humidity, work better for less. With reduced demand, meeting the balance of the load with solar power becomes feasible. Metrics like Energy Star and Home Energy Rating Score (HERS) ratings are already in place to help track performance.
Our homes and communities exist in the larger context of local and regional watersheds. Water is becoming scarcer and expensive. When your house and yard uses water efficiently, absorbs rainfall, releases clean water, and contributes to regional biodiversity, you are promoting watershed balance. By using high efficiency appliances and fixtures, cisterns, reuse and naturalizing the backyard, homeowners can save money and implement a balanced water footprint.
Hurricane safety improvements qualify homes for reduction in their wind insurance premiums. These may include shutters, impact resistant windows and doors, bracing vulnerable gable ends, secondary moisture barriers, roof deck to truss adhesion and other structural improvements. Fortification from the inner invaders: termites, mold and wood rot also protects the integrity of the home’s structure.
These would include aging in place, multi-generational and universal design standards. Healthy indoor air quality, native and edible landscapes and low maintenance homes improve health and save money. Many households are opting for in home care of elderly or infirm family members at significant savings over institutional care.
Many of us bought attractive homes with little insight on how they worked in our local environment, or what they would cost to operate and insure. Modern buildings can operate for less than a third of their ageing predecessors. The beauty is we can renew our communities, create jobs, reduce insurance liability, dependence on foreign oil, and live in buildings that actually work well with no out-of-pocket expense, financed through savings.
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