Making Houses Whole continued from previous page
A few decades later, as we continue working toward that same environmentally sustainable green future, we’re realizing more and more that a key element in greening our lifestyles is energy and how we use it. On one hand we’re looking at where our energy comes from and finding ways to move away from the old fossil fuel paradigm toward solar power, wind and hydro generators, hydrogen fuel cells, captured methane and so on. But when we examine our immediate home energy usage on a day-to-day basis, the question we have to ask is: Where are we wasting the energy we’re using now? Are we using an antiquated refrigerator that sucks power,
old school incandescent light bulbs where new compact fluorescents or LEDs would do the same job? The washer and dryer, the heating and cooling system, the home entertainment center, stove and microwave all use power. Do they use it well? And how do all those things work together? “The house is a whole system,” said Hector Osorio, co-owner of Alternative Building Center in Eureka, a supply house for contractors and do-it-yourselfers looking for green alternatives. I met Osorio at last spring’s Plan-It Green Building Green Communities Conference in Arcata. His booth was full of green building materials: insulation made from repurposed blue jeans, countertops crafted
previous page Shawn Ellsworth teaches trainee Josh Sarandos how to set up and operate a calibrated blower door for testing leaks in the building envelope. inset: The blower insert seen from the outside. above The fan on the blower door creates suction equivalent to a 20 mile-anhour wind pulling air in through gaps including poorly sealed windows and doors, faulty heating ducts etc. Some energy saving assistance programs require before and after testing. left Shawn uses an infrared thermal imaging scope to find cold spots where heat is escaping. The images are stored in the device to be downloaded to a computer later for whole house analysis.
6 do it green guide 2011