Passiv Haus, Dresden, Day 1
The first day of the PassivHaus conference in Dresden showed some clear similarities in the Home Performance Industry in Europe and America as well as some huge differences. Similarities: 1. The industry on both continents is developing with a strong reliance on subsidies, either government grants or tax credits, or utility rebates. Testing and certification is essential to this approach and is a backbone of both industries. 2. The early adopters of deep energy retrofits are usually very expensive. One home that was showcased today had a $574,000 Euro price tag for the retrofit. This obviously takes significant subsidy or a "true believer"...Continue Reading!
Green? Greenwashed? Or Just Miss A Few Details?
A Southern California "Green Renovation Home" just got a lot of press and a Congressional Award.... and then the "rest of the story" came out. The home was called Net Zero but actually turned out to be an Energy Hog. What Happened? Here's the article (From a British source.... seems to be arm's length observation) This is exactly the type of press that we dont need in our emerging industry. What can we do to prevent it? See my previous post HERE, agreeing with Henry Gifford that checklist based renovations can miss a few seemingly small pieces...Continue Reading!
100427 ACI 2010 Wrap Up
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100223 PG&E Class Recommendations For Energy Wise Renovators
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Influence The Appraisal With Your Open House Brochure?
Today we had an Open House at a newly renovated home. Several people commented about the brochure that we provided, so I decided to post it. If you click the images they will expand to full size. It's our standard 4 page brochure which is more extensive than the standard one page photocopy provided by most realtors. Each page has a purpose and there is a whole series of slides in PlanetSavers University explaining why we feel it's worth the extra effort. The first page mentions my Realtor, but just barely. Pictures are obviously important but it also includes...Continue Reading!