GreenGeezer

The Heart of a Green Home: The HVAC System

Bloomington Hollyhocks
Originally uploaded by cgulyas2002

We are finalizing plans for our high-performance home in Bloomington, Indiana, and received this email from our Energy Modeler and Home Engineer, Marko Spiegel.

David,
I'm enclosing a number of pdf files, some of them  RemRate summaries, and one of them my summary.  Here is the conclusion:

a.  All electric at $0.065 is the most economical way to heat and equip your house - least capital and least annual cost

b.  air source heat pumps will do the trick and all alternatives and not economically justifiable - if you guys were economists - not passionate promoters of sustainability

c.  The #1 energy saving measure you guys do is dramatically lowering all loads - therefore all paybacks of high tech solutions look really questionable

d.  Of all the renewable energy options and combinations the ground source heat pump in combination with 2.5kW Solar PV is of course the best - it achieves HERS17!!! - and lots of bragging rights

e.  Air source heat pump and 2.5kW Solar PV get you at least to HERS 29- not bad at all
If you asked me what I would do given the major difference in cost:  I would choose the simplest HVAC system using air source heat pump to start out with and add PV once the house is complete and you guys are comfortable in your situation.  An on-demand electrical water heater from Stiebel Eltron costs max. $500.-/piece.   PV will address ALL your loads and keeps your systems simple.  Simple is a big part of our design goal."

What combination would YOU choose?

Crocuses in Bloomington, Indiana

Farmers Market, Bloomington, Indiana

Why We Love College Towns

20060918 Indiana 017
Originally uploaded by richmanwisco

Just take a look at the September calendar of events from Bloom magazine and you'll see why college towns, especially Bloomington, Indiana, are such great places to live.  From Andrew Bird, to Rigoletto, to the Bean Blossom Blues Festival to the Lotus Festival , there is such a variety of affordable, high-quality entertainment and, yes, culture.   

Shaker Barn

I'm on vacation so here's a picture of a beautiful Shaker barn for your enjoyment.

Shaker Design

Yesterday we visited the Shaker Village in Hancock, Mass (their webite is down or I would link to it) and  once again admired the efficiency and beauty of their round barn design which loads the hay into the middle, where the cows, arranged like wheels of a spoke, feed on it, are milked, and pass manure, which falls to the basement level, where a wagon wheels it out to the fields where it is composted.  The Shakers were also technological innovators in their use of hydropower in their machine shop.

College Town Plans "Rails to Trails"

The last time we were in Bloomington, Indiana we biked down the former path of railroad tracks that will become part of hundreds of miles of trails.   Beautiful and quiet, we wished they could be left wild prairie and not be turned into a "park", though who would begrudge anyone such a beautiful path for biking and running.

Indoor Coolness without Air Conditioning

This past weekend we visited our friends in Bloomington, Indiana, who live on the historic west side of town.  On one of the hottest days of the year, we were inside, kept cool by the ceiling fan and the breeze it drew in through the shaded windows.    No AC needed.

Home

I dare you to take a look at this Low Impact Woodland Home and tell me that you wouldn't want to live there, or at least stay there for awhile.   Every fantasy of what "home" means: harmony, non-domination, anti-consumerism, protection, peace, and comfort all resonate from this design. I wouldn't feel bad about creating a new footprint in the woods if it were a footprint like this one.

Small House Society

We're in Bloomington, Indiana this weekend and once again we are struck by the beauty of the small house.  Bloomington is full of historic small houses.  Small houses take less energy to heat and cool, of course, but small houses are also more welcoming somehow.  For one thing, they look nice next to trees.....then I remembered that the Small House Society has a lot to say about why small houses are so appealing:

   "There has always been an interest in small houses. However this interest is rapidly growing today as a result of various factors such as: economic conditions, concern about the environment, and a desire for simple more effective living. People who are able to make smaller living spaces work often end up having more time and money for other areas of life such as marriage, family, education, fitness, and career. This helps create a more balanced and enjoyable life."