Sustainable House and Home

With more and more advancements being made in the way we can harness the natural energy sources available to us, the greater the likelihood that we will be able to access these resources in residential uses.  Like with most newer technologies, it is often the commercial markets and industry that break new ground.  It makes sense, too, with the types of cost savings that can be realized.  In terms of wind power and wind energy, we are only just beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible.

It isn’t that harnessing the power of the wind is anything new.  After all, sailboats and windmills have been utilizing this natural resource for many hundreds of years.  While the wind that is used in these cases is more of a function of converting that mechanical energy of the wind into direct mechanical energy of moving a shaft to do work, there are some lessons to learn.  The first lesson is that we can actually harness usable energy in a sustainable way.  This is, unfortunately, still a concept that is in its infancy.  We’ve known these things for eons, but the technology or desire to implement such technologies has just never been there.

Well, the time is now.  We still continue to develop newer and greater means of being able to tap into Mother Earth’s energy in a way that is a win-win for us and for her.  More recently, much effort is beginning to emerge to show exactly what is possible.  There are many forms of how to access this wind energy.  You’ve probably seen the wind farms in the hills of southern California.  These have been ongoing for decades.  In other places of Europe, wind power is utilized as a much greater percentage of energy demand.  Do they have more wind?  The quick answer is no.  What they do have in many places of Europe is a greater ‘climate of sustainability’.  This isn’t an excuse, just something to consider.

In order for wind power and other alternative energy means to become popular in our country, it is going to have to impact our spending.  This is just the simple nature of how our economy functions.   Having your back pocket affected by the changes in energy prices is one great motivator.  While there are some brave and pioneering homeowners willing to break ground with things like solar water heaters and geothermal energy, there are many more who don’t have the financial means to invest in such systems or the environmental consciousness to care.

As we opened this article, we talked about how the wind powers a shaft to do mechanical work.  In a newer wind powered world, the wind causes a turbine to spin, which causes energy to be produced. This energy can then be stored, transmitted through the grid, or used on site for various functions.  In this ‘on site’ application, you would be creating at least one aspect of a sustainable business operation.

While it requires more land to host a ‘wind farm’ a homeowner could still benefit or participate by electing to utilize wind power as some percentage of their energy.  This way, they could pay whatever rates would be set for their traditional ‘grid power’ and then a different rate for the wind energy.  Over time, the cost of the energy derived from the wind should come down as the initial expenses decrease.  Maintenance and upkeep or replacement costs would always take up some portion, but we can see how this sustainable resource could be implemented at least on some level until further technological advancements make wind power even more accessible directly by the homeowner.

The most popular ideas regarding wind power seem to center around placement of units in the ocean.  Some of these are set in large concrete pillars in the ocean floor off coastal waters.  These present issues with regard to construction, maintenance and portability.  Newer ideas involve having these wind turbines set on floating platforms.  They are much more easily positioned, don’t require concrete footings (which is a large cost savings in terms of materials and construction), and are even more efficient, in terms of converting the wind energy to usable electrical energy.  This whole efficiency dilemma is one that is faced with solar energy as well.

Overall, we are at a time when there are available means to make a big step forward in terms of how we use the natural sources of energy available to us.  Whether we choose to take the steps now to put in the necessary infrastructure that will help serve the inevitable demand is something that only our political system has the means to tackle.  This means that we need to choose our energy wisely because it is how we spend our money that speaks most loudly to our political leaders.

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Utilizing the benefits of geothermal heating and cooling systems also known as ground source heat pumps are awesome, but not that widespread.  There are fewer things more exciting to us here in the sustainable community as saving energy or other natural resources without sacrificing quality of life.  Okay, some don’t even mind sacrificing quite a bit in the name of a more positive relationship with the environment.  But, it is our opinion that in order for us to get to a place in the local and then global world where sustainability is the norm and not the fringe, is to make the things we discuss here on our site accessible.  By accessible, we mean, if you have to walk ½ mile to pump your water from a well and carry it to your home cistern or storage device, we are not going to get many people on board.

On the other hand, talk about saving money and all of a sudden more ears start to perk up.  If the money that can be saved is something that people are willing and (easily) able to do, then it is more likely to happen.  Unfortunately, we are just more motivated by our back pockets than an environmental consciousness at this point.  It is not only here in the U.S. that we face this dilemma either.  In developing countries where resources have been sparse for years, growth gives them the glimpse of a greater freedom.  If this comes at a cost in terms of energy production or environmental impact, the environment is sure to suffer at the expense of upward mobility in living standards.

It’s hard to lay blame.  We have enjoyed our own run with the fossil fuels and other petroleum-based world views for quite some time.  Now, we see that there are better ways to use and manage our natural resources.  One such place we can turn as homeowners to make a difference is in the way that we heat and cool our homes.  We’ve talked about how solar energy and wind power can both be used as ways of decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels as our only sources of energy, now we are going to turn our attention inwards – into the Earth.

How Does Geothermal Heating and Cooling Work?

To answer this, we’ll need to do a quick review of science.  Briefly, the way these systems work is by exchanging the heat of the water inside the tubes that are dug into the ground, from 50-250 feet deep.  The stable temperature of the Earth is what gives us the ability to do this.  At this depth, the temperature stays at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.  This means that, when you want to warm the air in your home, you would exchange the cold air with this ‘warmth’ from the Earth.  And, if you want to cool your home, you would use the tubes of water to reach down and cool the warmer air with this ‘cold’ temperature from the Earth’s ‘crust’.

For a detailed description of this method, you can visit GeoExchange or Reddawn.  Basically, what we wish to emphasize here is the very fact that it is possible to heat and cool your home using only the Earth as the source.  Geothermal systems for use in residential applications can save you anywhere from $750-2,000 per year over traditional heating and cooling units.  This can help recover your initial higher costs of purchasing a geothermal unit to between 3 and 5 years in most cases.  There are only maintenance issues and the small amount of electricity that is required to run the unit itself.  However, you can also capture some of the superheated water not used to heat your air for hot water, so there is an additional savings there.  There are some larger applications of this geothermal energy systems in commercial settings as well.  Universities and large corporations in suitable locations, could benefit with huge savings in terms of yearly costs for energy production.  This could mean greater bottom lines, as well as good public relations.

It is only a matter of time before we start to see these types of alternative energy systems being used more and more in the mainstream.  It has been estimated that only about 1% of U.S. households employ this technology.  We are experiencing what some call an artificially low cost of energy because of how we subsidize and incentivize many aspects of the industry.  When such subsidies are lifted or naturally disappear because of market forces, only then will we truly appreciate the true cost of energy.  There have been attempts by the government to give tax incentives to purchase these types of alternative energy units which has led some to find the financial means to be able to afford them.

In fact, if we wait that long, then we will once again be forced to choose something like geothermal energy based on financial reasons alone.  If more commercial applications could be viewed as successful and widespread, more companies would be willing to invest and the costs would come down and trickle into the residential market as well.  With more and more individual homes willing and able to participate in obtaining the benefits of geothermal heating and cooling, we would be that much closer to our goal of a sustainable world.

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When it comes to talk about sustainable energy, there is much to discuss.  For the purposes of this article, we are going to address some concerns with non-sustainable avenues versus more environmentally friendly and forward-looking solutions.  Right off the bat you can tell that we are going to be getting into some heated topics.  You’ll notice our bias here but just realize that, like all things, it is about balance.  If all energy consumption could be converted to solar and wind energy tomorrow would we be in favor of that?  The answer is a resounding yes!  However, we know that this is simply not a possibility or reality.  It may not even be a reality for decades to come.  There is just so much infrastructure, technology and social concerns to address.

At the very core of many issues regarding energy use is personal choice and consumption factors.  We are simply too spoiled and comfortable in the West to address many of the issues head on.  In the United States, gasoline prices are considerably less than most countries in Europe.  The only place where gas may be less expensive is in the places from where it is refined and shipped.  This is true, especially of places in the middle-East, where a gallon of gas can be measured in cents, not dollars.  Could you imagine if gas was that cheap here?  We would probably not even be having this discussion and that is the problem.  You see, if we only use financial reasons for why we change behavior, then we are at the whim of market forces and not good conscience and a harmonious environmental outlooks.  To some, this is okay.  To others, they recognize the trap of this and see that we are just going to keep ourselves stuck in the rut.

In our homes, just like with our cars, if we are only motivated to change behavior because of financial reasons, the shift will likely be much slower if at all.  Energy costs do drive behavior.  This can be a good thing.  In a free economy – and a perfect world – these things will work themselves out.  If you can find an alternative that meets your needs better, you will go with it.  This can be in terms of price or quality or what ever other parameter you may be using.

This was certainly the case with solar energy in our country for years and still is to some degree.  You didn’t see the desire for individuals to purchase solar energy equipment, panels and such until the prices came down and the technology improved to make a return on investment likely in a reasonable time frame.  This isn’t a problem, just a reality.  It was not a group of environmentally conscious people that led the charge.  It might have been supported by them, but it was entrepreneurs and inventors who came up with better technology and the means to sell it that made it become more and more popular.  Of course, having our government and many local municipalities subsidize it didn’t hurt either.  This is just the point.  Solar energy finally became more competitive both in terms of price, performance and convenience.  This is the triple threat when it comes to getting us motivated to change our behavior here in the United States and other like-minded countries.

Have you seen similar trends here with wind energy?  Well, yes and no.  This is a bit more of a geographic issue.  Solar energy has geographic parameters as well, but they are a bit less so than the wind ‘zones’ in the United States.  While the southwest is clearly a great place to consider solar energy, there are other pockets around the country where solar is also a very viable solution.  Wind power can be great in areas where there is naturally occurring climatic reasons for such forces to be more prominent and consistent.  While the technology for wind power has also improved, it is not at the same level of exuberance as solar in many areas.  Both are sustainable energy sources, but solar seems to have achieved a little bit of an edge here.  There are other sources of alternative energy as well, like geothermal, tidal and landfill waste-gas.  These are all exciting areas which we can keep our eyes on.  They all follow the same principles of utilizing naturally occurring or pre-existing, in the case of the landfill-gas style, sources for producing energy.  This is what sustainability is all about.  By utilizing these other sources of energy, we may one day wean ourselves off of the petroleum-based and, literally fueled, economy that we currently have.  When this happens, we will likely see much less in the way of tensions between countries as well, because we will all be able to sustain ourselves.  While global world peace is a great target to shoot for, let’s just start with what we can do at home and work and go from there.

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