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I love working with wood. It’s warm, natural, and beautiful. And when you’re building a house it’s easy to cut to any odd shape you need. Metal, on the other hand, inspires no warm feelings in most of us. It’s cold and harsh. And not easy to alter. So why would anyone want to build their [...]
photo by Frank McMains One of the most common desires people have for a dream home is “lots of light.” They are usually thinking of plentiful and broad windows, but there is another dimension to a light-filled home. Night time. There are new models of household appliances coming out every year. Wonderful new features grab our attention and move us to buy a new and improved refrigerator or TV. At the same time, we can reduce our energy consumption, and our bills, by looking at the label.
photo by Johan J. Ingles-Le Nobel I read a lot about building new energy efficient homes. This can range from the current Energy Upgrade California rebate program to the passive house movement. But if you’re doing a small addition, or an interior remodel, energy efficiency efforts don’t really apply. Or do they?
photo by Nick Wheeler A “deep energy” retrofit can reduce your heating and cooling bills by over 50% in an older house, sometimes up to 90%. This approach. however, is not for the faint of heart. |
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