No longer do Jeff and Rachel Hohensee feel the chill when severe winter knocks at their Colorado home. But their green cozy home was not as comfy when the couple bought it in 2007. After consuming some 3,300 kilowatt-hours of energy in a single month to heat their home, Jeff decided on making the dwelling energy-efficient. The owner, who works as a consultant on sustainable-living topics for Natural Capitalism Solutions, a non-profit based in Hygiene, always advised his clients to go green, but now it was his turn.
energy efficient home
The process of making the home energy-efficient began with an energy audit that included a blower-door test and infrared pictures to discover where more air than desired was leaking from the home. Caulk and insulation foam was brought into use to block leaky areas. For the attic space, an insulation blower was rented that tripled the amount of insulation. To improve insulation, the couple planned another energy audit and hired someone from Standard Renewable Energy to help them. CLF bulbs replaced the incandescent ones, while the toilets and showerheads were substituted by their low-flow versions. The couple also fixed added two inexpensive fans to a ventilation system in order to move warm air created from the sunlight in one part of the home, through most of the house.
Wood-burning stoves took the place of old propane stoves and a solar water-heating unit was added to pre-heat water going into their water heater. All the home's appliances were upgraded to Energy Star-rated models. The dwellings exterior flaunts its large array of solar panels. Finally, the project concluded in November with the replacement of the exterior doors and windows with high-tech, energy-efficient versions made by Serious Materials in Boulder. The two-year project used $35,000 out of Hohensee's pocket, a ClimateSmart loan for roughly $25,000, and tax breaks and rebates to finance the retrofit project, which cost $125,000. The net-zero home has put 2,000 kilowatt-hours back onto the grid just in a year and a half.
Via: Daily Camera
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