As a Green Architect, I find myself constantly looking at my own living situation and asking the question, how can I live more sustainably? By that I mean, how can I use less, generate more, waste less and recycle more. In recent studies, the US consumes a staggering 21 million barrels of oil a day. Of that, 64% and in some studies up to 73% is consumed to heat, cool and power our buildings. At his rate, we are selling our future and the future of our children, grand children and great grand children to the Oil producing nations. This is not wise from the standpoint of national best interests nor is it sustainable.

Currently there is a great deal of emphasis on new building, for the purposes of this discussion I am going to focus on existing homes and how we can make them more energy efficient. My suggestion is we need a Green Action Plan. This is my GAP for existing dwellings. In a separate article I will discuss commercial buildings.

In this case I have established 6 key goals in my Green Home Plan. 1. Limit wasted energy. 2. Reduce energy consumption. Control and monitor energy use. 3. Utilize passive solar principles.

4. Generate power and heat. 5. Capture natural light to reduce lighting. 6. Plant a Victory Garden

1. Limit wasted energy. The Building envelope is where the most energy is lost. ! 1.1 Infiltration is the biggest problem. Sealing the gaps around all doors, ! windows and penetrations in roofs and walls. ! 1.2 Sealing plate lines at top and bottom of all exterior walls is essential. ! 1.3 Insulating all existing exterior walls and roofs. My first choice is to remove ! the interior wall surface and use a foam insulation system. Ceiling spaces can be ! foamed either at rafters or at ceiling joist. If applied properly this completely

! seals everything. At a value of R5-R7 per inch, this is extremely effective. ! 1.4 Insulate under floor area. Raised floor systems need to be ventilated. Most ! existing houses have zero underfloor insulation. Once again my first choice is ! foam insulation. Batt however is better than nothing. Proper installation is the ! major issue. Use a reflected back batt with the reflective surface on the warm, ! interior side.

2. Reduce energy consumption. ! 2.1Older appliances, electronic equipment, light fixtures are very inefficient when ! compared to new ones. The Refrigerator is the biggest culprit. Plan a scheduled ! replacement in the household budget to upgrade on a constant basis. ! 2,2 TVs, computers, especially monitors, small equipments such as fans can use ! a great more power than new replacement. ! 2.3 HVAC equipment has improved drastically over the last 25 years. New units ! are usually smaller and can be changed out with a minimal effect on existing ! ducts.! 2.4 Hot water is a big item. If possible, install instant hot water units. A note of ! caution however. You need to do your homework. Number, size and location is ! very important to have an acceptable flow for your family. Another red-flag, Hard ! water can be a mortal enemy of these units. Test the water quality and review ! size of pipes. These units are expensive but will recoup the cost over a 2-3 year ! period of time. If the units doesnʼt last that long, it is expensive. I suggest you ! consult with some real experts. ! 2.5 Replace incandescent bulbs throughout your house with fluorescent strips ! lights, compact fluorescent (CFL) or LED lights. These lights all last longer and ! you will easily recover the additional cost over the life of the bulbs. ! 2.6 Look at some of the monitoring and smart home features to run your ! systems more efficiently. There are WiFi systems such as Control 4 and ! Homelogics that can give you tracking of energy use, control window coverings, ! turn lights on and off just to mention a few options. Price is dependent on how ! complicated your system gets

3. Create a Solar Energy Plan. Utilize passive solar principles which simply allows sunlight into your home in the winter and blocks sunlight in the summer. Early morning sunlight on the east and west sun in the afternoon can even be a problem in some instances in the winter. Install window covers and/or overhangs to control these conditions. Deciduous trees is a very effective way to block summer sun and allow winter sun into a building. You will see the difference in your winter heating bill and summer cooling costs.

4. The active side of the Solar House Plan is utilize with solar panels to generate hot water and photovoltaic solar panels to generate electricity. There are upfront cost but with the reduced fuel bills, there is a payback over time. A typical house system of 3.5 kilowatts/hour currently cost about $25,000. Many state have Tax Incentives which reduce these cost. The typical payback is about 7 years at todays energy rates. An equipment rental program or purchase with installments is available in many cities where the payment is less than your current utility bill.

5. Allow natural light in wherever possible. Light-tubes, clearstory, skylights strategically place windows can have drastic effect on lighting use during the daylight hours

6. My Victory garden is one of my major focuses almost daily during the growing season. I enjoy getting back to my roots on the ranch but it is a great source of fresh, healthy produce and it saves me money at the grocery store.

This is the Green Home Plan, which I am applying to my Eco House, a 1921 brick bungalow on Windsor Street. Photos will be posted as it progresses. Stay tuned.