SanJoseGreenHome.com

Not sure how you are going to react to this but when I saw the below image and realized what’s going on I was shocked.  And not by electricity but by the fact how much of it is wasted on the way to our homes.  

Take a look yourself at the illustration below produced by the National Academy of Sciences.  It shows how out of every 100 units of electricity produced by a coal energy plant only 2 is used to light a table lamp that is illuminating your keyboard and that cup of tea.  The rest of the 98% is lost at the power plant, transportation, and heat.

PG&E claims the main source of energy for Bay Area homes is nuclear and natural gas but how much are these plants more efficient than coal?  Chime in if you know in the comments.  Let’s just really hope the efficiency is exponentially higher.

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Credit: Texture from ~diAnNa~, Inspired by this pre-made background by ~vallendesterstock

So Mary, how does it grow?  With wisely planted trees and shrubs, and many sunny days without rain in a row.  It’s called water-wise gardening my friends. 

Did you know an average Bay Area home uses almost 80% of its total potable water for simply watering the lawn and plants?  What would you say if you found out you can have a glorious looking landscape by spilling a drop instead of a bucket to water it?  Just imagine the water savings and your water bill at the end of the month.  In fact, read on and I’ll tell you where you can get a $1000 rebate for going water-wise! 

Don’t be afraid, “sustainable” landscaping doesn’t mean rocks and once a year blooming cactus. By understanding our climate zone, soil type, sun and shade conditions, and the water requirements of your site, you can have lush and beautiful garden if you practice some fundamental principles of water conservation. 

Why Landscape to Conserve Water? 

Drought is a part of the natural weather cycle of the West. Even though we have been able to import water from other areas, our population is rapidly outgrowing existing water supplies. In the years ahead, water conservation and water-wise landscaping will need to become a part of every westerner’s lifestyle. 

Use water conserving plants: The key is to choose plants that are (more…)

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In a market where hardly anyone is building green in San Jose, this newly constructed house in Milpitas area stands as a monument of energy efficiency and inspiration.  

It is about 35% more energy efficient than a standard home and prides itself on green elements like engineered lumber, radiant barrier roof, solar water heater, energy star furnace, extra thick insulation, excellent indoor air quality and much more.  

Come with us on a video tour and discover for yourself what makes this property truly unique.

This beauty is a five year project by Green Earth Construction, a Milpitas based and family run company.  Sylvia Leung and her husband had a vision to go green 15 years ago and are finally able to marvel at the fruits of their labor.  In addition to what you’ve seen on the video, keep in mind that the home is wired for solar and if one decided to invest into solar panels, one’s utility bills for the most part of the year could be virtually zero.  Now that’s a good number, isn’t it? 

Building green normally commands higher costs so perhaps the most pleasant detail about this home is that when considering a dollar per square foot basis, the home is priced comparably to a 25 year old home.  If you like more details, you can find all the info under Featured Listings on http://GreenHomeParter.com.  Feel free to contact me directly with any questions. 

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Have you heard about the many rebates, incentives and tax credits available for you now or in the near future?  It’s been all over the media, and you might have heard about it from the President himself – Energy Efficiency in our homes is critical for a sustainable, healthy and fruitful future. In fact he called it “sexy.”  Way to go Mr. President! 

According to a memo by the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board,

 “There are 100 million homes in America, and energy-saving measures like insulation, caulking, and heating and cooling system upgrades can reduce household energy consumption by 10 percent to 40 percent.” One little problem… Who’s really going to cough up all this hard earned cash these days to make their homes more “green”? 

Now, it’s safe to say that there are plenty of DIY projects for homeowner to get started on, i.e. programmable thermostats, smart power strips, CFL lighting, low-flow shower heads and faucets etc. but, to attack more than these items and gain greater energy reductions typically requires professional services; and it’s not cheap to retrofit a home. 

For example, some of the services that are typical of a home retrofit would require (more…)

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Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the greenest of them all…?  As if we didn’t already have hundreds of eco labels to worry about every time we visit a store, now there are green home certifications that are mushrooming up all over the Bay Area and the country.  Understanding these new ways of classifying quality and operation costs is becoming a must, especially when you build, remodel or in the market for a home.  Yet another chief reason for being able to decipher these new terms is to avoid growing generalizations or greenwashing. 

Frankly, most folks could careless about “green” homes. Very few want to pay extra for labels they don’t understand.  And why should they?! Price and quality are and should be the two high priority areas of concern.  However, if you remember from a previous post called “What’s a Green Home and Why Do We Care?“, green homes address much more than just fancy “eco-friendly” building materials.  They also encompass elements like energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water efficiency, materials use (recycled, reclaimed, sustainable), community and environmental impacts.   

Third party sources play an important role in verifying that green homes are truly are as they are cracked up to be in their marketing.  Here are the three most prevalent green home titles you are most likely to see in our Bay Area neighborhoods:  (more…)

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You and I probably had a similar experience when we saw that plasma TV quality for the first time at our local Fry’s store.  The picture quality was so vivid and beautiful it seemed like you could reach in a grab that tropical fish.  The technology is truly wonderful but unofrtunately, plasma TVs have become the home’s equivalent of a gas-guzzling SUV, consuming two to three times more energy than other smaller types of TVs. In fact, some models, even when used only a few hours a day, will suck up as much electricity each year as a refrigerator. Powering a fancy TV and full-on entertainment system can add nearly $200 to a family’s annual energy bill.  In five years this will add up to a $1000 easy.  Plasma TVs are really a gift that keeps on taking.

Comparison of energy suckers by California Energy Commission

Now if someone started regulating the size of TVs we can buy or own, most of us would have a serious conniption with this.  But wouldn’t it benefit us if we were made aware of (more…)

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Sure we can talk about green products like bamboo floors and solar cell phone chargers but with our homes accounting for a 21% of total U.S. carbon emissions, the focus is obvious – energy efficiency.

If we really want to reduce pollution and our carbon footprint we ought to be honest with ourselves and start with things that have the biggest impact.  Yes, it’s true, caulking those windows to improve the efficiency of our homes is not as sexy as the designer eco-smart, ventless fireplace in the corner but we have to be real, don’t we?

Green products are fun, really, but when it comes to a more holistic approach to lowering our impact on the environment, nothing is more effective than making some smart improvements like tightening that ductwork, good insulation, and weather stripping.

Enjoy this fun video where you will go on a room by room tour of a typical home and receive tips on energy improvements while tapping your foot to some groovy music in the background.

By making smart improvements we can usually make our homes more comfortable and efficient at a fraction of the cost.  Doesn’t matter whether we own or rent, sustainability starts at home.

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If going solar would cost you nothing would you consider it?  A few weeks ago I attended a small Green Business Show in San Jose, where our local vendors had a chance to present their services to the community.  These shows are always a great fun because green vendors pack a good punch of specialized knowledge. 

That day, one of my inquisition victims was Jeremy, a solar design consultant with Solar Technologies.  So I started as usual… “How are you”, “How’s business?”, and then “Why in the world don’t we have more solar panels in our neighborhoods?” 

After quite a few minutes of warm exchange of insights we realized we haven’t come up with anything that much revealing except for one awesome fact – affording solar energy is not as hard as most home owners think.  In fact, it makes total financial sense.  We parted by sharing one last sentiment  – most home owners simply have not taken a chance to look at this opportunity. 

So why most of us have not embraced the sun as a source of energy? 

1.  The main reason home owners have not adopted solar technology more widely is because of initial cost.  These days it’s in the range of about $25,000 -$28,000 for an average 1,600 square foot home.  Big price tag indeed. 

2.  A secondary rationale is esthetics – some folks feel that having big solar panels on their roof hurts the curb appeal of the property.  

3.  A third reason most folks have not gone solar could be one or a combination of these simple reasons: they are not sensitive to environmental issues of today’s world or they are simply waiting for a kick in the (more…)

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So you’ve heard the benefits of CFLs.  When it comes to energy savings, CFLs or Compact Fluorescent Lamps simply blow the regular incandescent light bulbs out of the water.  According to the Energy Savers Website, CFLs last 10 times longer and can save up to $105 over the life of lamp use.  Now that alone should launch every eco and budget conscious home dweller to the store to stack up on these and start saving. 

Unfortunately though, too many still get stuck on that initial price tag.  A single CFL can cost up to 6 times more than a regular light bulb.  Ouch, a hefty price tag indeed.  Much too often we’ll shut down our common sense down in order to avoid that initial price pain.  The photo below was taken at a local Rite Aid Store.  Five buks for a light bulb!  Hang on though, I am about to tell you how to buy these for pennies on the dollar.

Now here’s a small secret with big savings.  If you go to any of the Asian stores, you may find a pleasant suprise.  Some stores sell the CFLs for (more…)

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All the TV shows, all the magazines and all the advice from our environmentally conscious friends about green living can really make our heads spin.  Is your floor off-gassing VOCs, do your cleaning supplies have endocrine disruptors, what’s the carbon footprint of your German Sheppard… Oh my goodness, some of this can sound like a brand new language!

One of the reasons this blog was started is to help you simplify things and take the burden of interpreting all the “green” jargon out there today.  I’ll take the joys of staying on top of all this and you, my green partner, enjoy and implement some of these concepts when you can… deal?

You’ve heard the term “Green Home” by now; probably many times if you’ve visited this blog or browsed the internet on the subject before.  Have you ever asked yourself what that really means?  Chances are you have. 

Essentially, living green implies being aware of the environment around us.  Not just locally, but also globally.  We do our best to consider results of our actions when it comes to our bodies, health and nature around us.  Green homes are no different.  An environmentally friendly home is a home that—compared with a standard home—uses less energy, water, and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier for its inhabitants. These homes can either be built green from the start, or they can undergo some eco-conscious alterations or remodels later down the road. 

5 KEY COMPONENTS

Nearly all eco friendly homes will consider the following key principals essential to green building and (more…)

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