Learn More about Energy-Efficient Living
Green Buildings Open House gives visitors a close-up look what works for NH
Have volatile energy prices and concern about global climate change
gotten you curious about how to add more energy efficiency into your
own way of life?
Read on for an invitation to the 2006 NH Green Buildings Open House from UNH Cooperative Extension Master Gardener, Laura Richardson, who co-founded the New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association and serves as its current president. Laura also writes for NH Outside and serves on UNH Cooperative Extension’s newly formed Energy Advisory Board.
The Green Buildings Tour will introduce visitors to a wide diversity
of real-world energy-efficient building strategies, including superinsulation,
envelope construction, thermosiphoning air panels, and earth-sheltering,
as well as passive and active solar space-and water-heating heating systems,
daylighting and energy-efficient lighting appliances, alternative vehicles,
solar greenhouses, food gardens, root cellars. and more.
Living Green
My life changed on a sunny fall afternoon in 1998, and I’d
like to think that the 2006
NH Green Buildings Open House event on October 7 could change yours
as well. Eight years ago, I toured several homes with energy-efficient
and renewable energy features. I saw that energizing our lives with
renewable energy isn’t that complicated; it just requires a shift
in perspective and priorities. I was aware that some folks had chosen
an energy-efficient lifestyle, but before experiencing a “green
building,” I’d never really thought about it in the context
of my life.
On that day in 1998, two New Hampshire homes changed my perception of
how to live. From the standpoints of aesthetics, comfort, and practicality,
these homes were lovely. Visiting them released me from conventional
ideas of what a house should look like or how it should perform, and
helped me understand how my own choices could change our environment
for good or for bad. One choice in either direction, when multiplied
by a population, can have enormous impact.
The conversation about energy and environment has been part of New Hampshire
citizens’ dialogue for decades. Climate and geopolitical instability,
finite fossil-fuel resources, volatile energy costs, health problems:
we face a confusing and paralyzing set of quandaries. We can solve them.
We need ideas and leadership and action. New Hampshire people are full
of ideas, and even leadership. Action is up to the rest of us. Making
change on the personal level is empowering and the ultimate results can have
an impact.
Let’s face it: every day we make energy choices, learn new habits,
and acquire new products. As individuals, we can make better choices
in where and how and on what to invest our time and money. Why not invest
wisely and responsibly, when these choices can make us even safer, more
comfortable, and ultimately happier. The catch: often we don’t
know what we don’t know.
Take the 2006 tour
New Hampshire is participating in the 12th
annual National Solar Tour this year, with 31 homes
and buildings on our local Green Buildings Open House tour. The 10 a.m-4
p.m. event is free and open to the public, no reservations required.
Check the New Hampshire
Green House Open House for specific information about the sites and how to get to them.
Sites on the tour show technologies like solar electricity (photovoltaics),
solar hot water (solar thermal), solar hot air, small-scale wind systems,
and geothermal heating/cooling systems. Some sites are connected to the
utility grid, and some are independent energy producers off the
grid. Many are highly efficient, with state-of-the-art insulation techniques,
efficient appliances, lighting, and heating systems. Most incorporate
passive solar design into an effortless, free-energy system.
Homeowners share their experiences with “green living”
Some of these places look so “normal” you would never guess
their energy use costs the homeowner next to nothing. Some sites have
been around for decades, others are brand new. Perhaps you are interested
in just seeing these homes out of curiosity or to pick up a few pointers
on efficiencies. Either way, the homeowners are ready to share their
experiences. Each home is different, just as New England architecture
itself has incorporated a little of everything. This event is like a
smorgasbord: you can pick up ideas from each site and add them to your
energy or lifestyle plate.
All of these sites are hosted by generous people who, whatever their
personal motivations, are willing to share their experiences with strangers,
in the hopes that others will change their thinking, their habits, and
ultimately their energy footprint; that they will experience the kind
of paradigm shift that I had back in 1998. The people who invited me
into their homes had no idea how their openness would affect me and how
one day could catalyze my future. Based on anecdotal feedback, this type
of event can be pivotal for many people, an eye opener, one of those
fabulous “Aha” moments. I hope it happens to you.
Living off-the-grid since 2001 in a home powered by a 2.4 kW photovoltaic
system, heated with a wood-fired boiler/gasifier, in a very efficient
passive solar home, I have upgraded my lifestyle and my priorities. I
did it willingly and have never regretted it. I encourage you to visit
sites near you or more-distant homes with technologies that intrigue
you. There’s no sales pressure and no commitment needed but an
open mind.
Learn more about 30 other homes in the Green Buildings Open
House Learn before you go
about the energy- efficient features
you’ll find at each home on the
tour.
NH
Sustainable Energy Association’s Consumer Guide Products,
services, and information for sustainable living in the
Granite State
By Laura Richardson, UNH Cooperative Extension Master Gardener and president of the NH Sustainable Energy Association
