In the case of this $200,000 ZEH, it’s in an Oklahoma neighborhood where homes normally cost $125,000. The extra $75,000 the builder spent to make the home so energy efficient can be made up well within the original owner’s lifetime. For example: Average-sized midwestern homes see gas heating bills in the $200+ per month range and an average electricity bill in the $100 per month range in the winter. In the summer the gas bill drops but air conditioning can add back another $150 to the electricty bill. Fall and spring may see both bills totaling $200. By cutting both gas and electricity bills to zero this ZEH saves about $2,900 per year (based on each season being three months long). If gas and electricity prices don’t go up it will take less than 26 years to recover the extra $75,000 cost of the energy efficient construction. In the event the original owner sells less than 26 years from now, I assume a ZEH will have a higher sale price than a home with all those bills to pay.

If you’re shopping for a new home and your bank will approve the slightly larger loan needed to pay for extra-efficient equipment, then it’s probably time to think about how much savings better windows, appliances, and insulation are worth in the longrun.

Tags: energy, efficient, home, construction, efficiency, zero, ZEH, electricity, gas, bills, save, eco

In typical Google style (simple and “why not?”) the cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, and San Francisco are featured on The Summer of Green web site. It’s a collaboration between the Earth Day Network and Google and features about a half-dozen tips on searching green destinations anywhere and the same number of recommend sustainable or organic restaurants & chocolate shops, car rentals & cabs, spas, museums, and even outdoor shops (in Vegas, no less) in each featured city.

Google’s employees must spend a lot of time playing around with their own search engine too. I think one of the coolest finds on The Summer of Green is the flood maps on the Los Angeles page. It turns out my building, in the 90292 zip, will be beachfront property, on a small island, if the ocean rises just 9 meters (about 30 feet). And, if the ocean rises just 12 meters (about 40 feet) I won’t have to worry about signing another lease here.

Tags: Google, Summer, of, Green, Earth, Day, network, environmental, travel, car, rentals, hotels, restaurant, organic, spa, search, flood, map

I’m Mike and I’ll be discussing all the ways, easy and tough, to save energy. We’ll even review how long it takes to get a payback from things like new insulation or a more efficient water heater.