Sneak peek at concept home

I have talked about this before so I thought I would give you a sneak peek of what my concept is for underground housing. Please excused the roughness, this was drawn with only a pencil and ruler on a rough dining table.

The floor plan for this model will be posted soon. The home is approx 1600 sq. ft., 3 bedroom /2 bath plus a 2 car garage.

• The 2 story atrium is 18' X 18' and is accessed from the master bedroom and dining area via french doors filling these area with natural sunlight. Additional natural light is brought in via solar tubes. The atrium also includes a spiral staircase to the roof (garden) which meets code for a second exit. The two additional bedrooms are located in the front of the home.

It will incorporate solar panels for hot water and electric, along with self-sustaining plumbing system, see previous blog. The louvers over the entrance area help shade the front during the summer but allow the lower winter sun to warm the front wall. Although minimal heat is required due the earth insulation.

The venting at the top allow for plumbing ventilation, radon gas evacuation along with air circulation venting (not shown) and the wood stove chimney. I may include as an option a wood oven and stove in case of long power outages.

I am working to get the total price of construction for this model down to <200k>

This sucks!!!!!!!!!!! We have to do better!!!!!!

Today as I wandered through the internet researching the latest greatest advances in solar power I came across The American Solar Energy Society, their page to had a link to a solar calculator http://www.findsolar.com/index.php?page=rightforme.

Hey Great! I plugged in my average power usage for a 30 day period (from my electric bill) and let it do its thing. The calculator is based on professional installations using state of the art systems. The results are below.

This sucks!!!!!!!!!!! We have to do better!!!!!!

This is what drives me and this is why I am here to promote a grassroots effort to make it better and cheaper so that anyone can afford to reduce their carbon footprint and SAVE MONEY doing so. You can not rely on corporations when everybody is in this for major profit.

The results below show it will take 30 years to breakeven. Who but the wealthiest can or will do this? By the way, the newest of solar panels have a 30 year life expectancy and from what I have seen in the real world the power accessories (i.e. inverters, controllers and batteries) have far less. If you go this route you will never ever break even unless you back feed the grid and reduce you consumption. Even then they will only pay you the whole sale price (far less than what you are charged) for what you produce. I have seen advertised 'How-To' books (@$49.95) and videos on building your own solar panel for under $200, I have not purchased these guides simply because I know how to reuse old panels but I am very tempted to see if they are worth the money so that I can advise you on a better way.

For those of you interested in alternative methods, I recommend you visit another site I found. I have yet to read everything on it but it does look promising. Low Tech Magazine at http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/ for better solutions.


Calculator found at
http://www.findsolar.com/index.php?page=rightforme

System specifications for: Ranson, WV
Utility: Other

Solar Radiance: Solar radiance (insolation) is the amount
of solar energy received on a given
surface area in a given time. Commonly
expressed in kilowatt-hours per square
meter per day (kWh/sq m/day). This
measurement varies based on weather
and latitude of the given location. 4.62 kWh/sq m/day

Avg. Monthly Usage: This is the amount of electricity you
consume on average every month. It is
either determined by your input or
approximated by your electricity bill
divided by the cost per kilowatt hour
in your area ($0.0688/kWh). 1,526 kWh/month

System Size: This approximation is for a system to
produce enough electricity to offset
50% of your yearly usage.
It is determined by taking your avg.
daily usage, and dividing that by your
(solar radiance x 80%). The 80% is used
for the inherent inefficiencies in solar
power systems (95% inverter inefficiency,
89% weather impact, 95% inefficiency due
to soiling, utility, and module
inefficiencies). 6.85 kW

Roof Size: Approximate roof size needed to
accomodate your solar power system
can be deteremined by taking the
size of the system and dividing by
10 to get the square footage
(10 watts/sq ft). 684 sq ft

Estimated Cost: The approximate cost is an estimation
based on a price of $8/watt. This is
the average rate, including parts and
installation, for systems above 2kW. $54,782.04

Post Incentive Cost: The post incentive cost is an estimation
based on the available credits/rebates for
your area. This may include kWh
production incentives for up to 25 years
if applicable in your area. This provides
an approximation of the local/state
incentives, and should only be used as
an approximation. $36,947.43

Federal Incentives
Tax Credit: 30% Federal Renewable Energy Tax Credit

State Incentives
Tax Credit: 30% ($2,000.00 max) Residential Solar Energy Tax Credit

Estimated Cost: The approximate cost is an estimation based on a price of $8/watt. This is the average rate, including parts and installation, for systems above 2kW. $54,782.04

Post Incentive Cost: The post incentive cost is an estimation based on the available credits/rebates for your area. This may include kWh production incentives for up to 25 years if applicable in your area. This provides an approximation of the local/state
incentives, and should only be used as an approximation. $36,947.43

Avg. Monthly Savings: $52.49 25

Year Savings: The 25 year savings is based on the
amount of electricity cost you save over a 25 year period assuming a yearly
4% increase in utility rates. $26,234.12 25

Year ROI: 71.00%

Break Even: 30.79 years

The electricity you use causes the release of 27,468 pounds per year of carbon dioxide (which promotes global warming). Driving 30,438 miles in an average car emits an equal amount. To offset the yearly emissions, it would require planting 69 trees a year.

This electric car would have kicked my....

In my days at the track, it took 450hp in a gutted 2,900 pound race car to get me into the low 12s at 111 mph. Not to mention I also burned about 1.5 gals. of 104 octane fuel from the time I left the pit, made one pass and returned to the staging area. On a good day I would burn 8 to 10 gallons of racing fuel at $4.85 per gal. = $48.50 in fuel alone or about 40 cents per second of actual race time. This guy puts me to shame....yeah he has probably got $20 to 30K in it, where I only had about $5K in mine but that wouldn't have stopped embarrassment factor.

Click on the title to see what I mean and watch in awe...........
Thanks Jerry for forwarding this to me.

Remove the caps when recycling

Please read the post in Italics below.

They may tell you about this in the beginning when a new recycling company takes over your local contract (I bet you read all the literature they may or may not have sent you) but they are a business and they only make money by doing things the most efficient way they can. It doesn't matter about the ethics of what they claim to be doing, it's all in the fine print. So the question is how many items really get recycled ? Why don't the recyclers just write it on the bins "REMOVE ALL CAPS!" There, an easy solution..........

Posted by Seth Mote on EARTH911.com Nov. 23rd (see the link)

"I work for a company that sells baling wire to most of the large recycling programs around the country. Upon a recent tour of three very large recycling facilities on the eastern coast I noticed that a fairly large amount of plastic drink bottles where ending up in the "to landfill pile". After the third tour I asked the plant manager about these bottles and I was informed that if the lids are left on the bottles they go to landfill. He told me that they don't have time to unscrew the caps for separation and that if they try to bale these with the caps on they don't hold the shape and take up too much room. This is something that I never thought about before and feel that it is a concern we all should raise awareness about."

To read more on recycling plastics click on the title of this post.

Self sustaining plumbing system

I designed this plumbing system for an underground home in a remote area to provide water during power outages, however it will work for any home or cabin built on a hillside. I prefer locations like this due to the enormous weight of the cistern (which is above the roof level) when full. By burying the cistern you will also prevent freezing. In its simplest form it can provide water, both warm and cold to all interior fixtures with just a little muscle.

flat roof garden

This link, designed for city dwellers or anyone who has a flat roof, shows how easy it is to save money and go green at the same time. If you live in the city and have a flat roof on your building approach the owner or association to see if you can create a little paradise on your roof. I would imagine that this would be great for those who live in the southwest and have flat roofs as well. It would diffiently save you on air coniditioning while allowing you to have a great garden as well.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/091005-green-roofs.html

Free air conditioning and heat

This is a very simplistic air conditioning/heat/fresh air system found everywhere on the internet. I found a patient date as early as 1903 on one version. The funny thing is it works as well today as it did then. This is the type of system that we will use in our underground housing project. If you can imagine, 63 degree temps coming from a simple pipe on a 95 degree day. Add to that >55 degrees coming from it on a otherwise freezing day in the winter. It wouldn't take no more than a wood stove or alternate heat source to make it very comfortable. In our underground house design it would take far less to make it a very comfortable 68 to 72 degrees, but who doesn't love a fire.

What do the numbers mean?

This short article is a reminder of what the numbers inside the ubiquitous triangle of chasing arrows mean. Use the link below.

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/green-living/recycling-refresher-course-00000000007102/index.html

The Story of Stuff

For those of you who have not watched this, I highly suggest you take the time. It's only 20 mins. long and could change the way we now think as a society. Over 7 million have already view this so don't be the last.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

FREE SOLAR HOT WATER

Free Solar Hot Water
Although this was built to heat a pool it can be used for other applications as well.

This is the result of an experiment to see if I could build a hot water solar panel absolutely free. AND IT WORKS!

I do tend to salvage more than the average person but if you look around your garage or shop you may find that you do as well. You can also modify to match what you have. I will post the drawings for the next proto type very soon that will cost around $100 or less to build using 1/2 copper tubing. The drawings are free and the more you can salvage or reuse the cheaper it will be. Let me know how you do.

I had salvaged the following:

(2) sets of old windows from a neighbor that was upgrading

(1) 50' 5/8"garden hose with a smashed end (not the best choice but it was free)

(1) gal. of roofing patch (left over from a repair job)

(2) male replacement hose ends

(1) old sheet of plywood

misc. PVC T's and valves

(2)steel reinforced washing machine hoses

several scrap 2x4's (various sizes)

several scrap 4x4's (various sizes)

The frame was built to accommodate three of the four window sections, if I added the fourth it would have been over 8' in length and more difficult to move around. As it is I can easily move to store or relocate. Once the frame is built drill two 5/8" holes in one side and laid out the hose so that the entire 50' fits into the box as flat as it can be to allow for maximum exposure. Cut the ends off of the hose and pushed them through the two drilled holes in the frame and attach the replacement male ends. Next stir the roof patch well and spread over the hose covering as much of the inside framework as possible. Insert the window frames and screw from the side. This will allow you to remove them for repair or to modify at anytime in the future (you will note a few walnuts in the photos from a neighbors tree and a crack in one piece of glass). Chalk the frames to water proof.

The stand is just 4x4's cut on angle and attached to a scrap piece of phywood with a 2x4 at the bottom to hold the panel in place. The panel is not attached to the stand. Think of an easel.

I will clean up this unit over the winter by staining the wood with a waterproof stain for a very aesthetic look and salvage something I can use to protect the glass.

Note the input and output hoses are washing machine hoses that are steel braided to help protect the exposed lines and they are designed for hot water.

I used a 1" valve with a 3/4" tread adapter and tapped into the high side of pumps output line. The valve allows me to control the flow of water through the panel and also allows me to shut off the water when temps are acceptable. The return line tapped into the low side of the output. I wasn't sure at first if this would work well but it did. Next year I may replace it with a downward 45 degree tap that should allow less restriction on the flow.

This pump normally runs at 10PSI and there was absolutely no stress on the hoses.

When testing ( full sun) the panel rose to 175 degrees without the water flowing. When the pump was running, the panel temp. stayed around 135 degrees and the water flowed out between 100 & 110 degrees. Due to the size of the plumbing the cold mixes with the hot at an estimated ratio of 10:1. The pump only runs for 8 hours during the hottest part of the day (here 10am to 6pm) and with the help of a solar cover used at night the water temp stays between 86 & 90 degrees which is what I set out to do.

Although you can control the flow to the panel I normally leave it fully open as this is the range I was looking for.

Good luck if you decide to take on this endeavor. It was well worth the time.

Integrated Pest Management and it's biggest supporter

20 years ago I sat in front of one of the most animated man I have ever been associated with. He exploded with excitement when speaking of his trade and the way he saw the future of it. His enthusiasm impressed me so that I promptly quit my job as an electrician to work for his company.To my surprise, on the first day of my employment I found that he had only 45 customers and was still working on his logo. Today that dream of his has taken him to the 4th largest lawn care company in the nation, NaturaLawn of America...

Phil Catron, President and founder of NaturaLawn has kept his enthusiasm and dream , providing customers with an alternative to the larger chemical companies we all know. In the beginning Phil had worked for the largest of them but they didn't want anything to do with his want to integrate IPM (Integrated Pest Management) into their current format. So he set out to do it on his own. IPM in its simplest form means to treat the problem area only, not the entire lawn. I spent many hours walking lawns spot treating one weed at a time and it was my responsibility to promote the use of no chemicals at all through educating the customer. It took time back then to convince people to change but they have. The process was simple, have patience, change some minor habits (cutting height 3-4", keep blades sharp), build on the soil and the lawn of their dreams would come. I can not tell you how many times I would see other companies pull up across the street from me, jump from their trucks spraying everything in sight and disappear before I had finished surveying the current condition of my customers lawn, leaving only the smell of Diazinon (banned in 2004) wafting in the air. During the first winter months I worked there, not only did each technician have to earn their Pesticide Applicator license, but Phil would assign each of us a subject, not to learn but to teach everything we had learned to the others. After several weeks of preparation we would stand before our peers faced not only there questions but Phil's as well. He would be in the audience and only the most confident of us could smile when he raised his hand above the crowd.

Now since the growth of NaturaLawn, I am sure Phil can not be at every training session, but I guarantee he still requires each franchise to do the same as he did in the beginning.



I am not promoting NaturaLawn or am I paid to write this and the truth is I haven't spoken to Phil in years but I have followed his successes and he would be the first to tell that you can perform all the lawn care you need on your own. I have attached several links below including NaturaLawn that explain IPM, offer tips on alternative remedies or choosing a lawn care company if you are unable to do it yourself. There are also one that list many bio degradable house hold items that can be used to help fend off unwanted weeds and pest in your lawn or garden.

Before you spend your money check around. With today's unlimited access to information on the web (I recommend you stay with the .gov or extension services), it is easy to find alternatives to chemicals. It's not only cheaper and safer, it's logically green.

http://www.beyondpesticides.org./lawn/factsheets/faq.htm
http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h300choosinglawncare.html
http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/yard/lawn/chemicals.html
http://www.essortment.com/home/lawnpestfungus_scpv.htm
http://www.nl-amer.com/

A weekend getaway

Mountain View Solar and Wind, LLC is one of those companies serious about energy efficiency. Mike goes out of his way to educate people on the advances in the industry. Again there can be high cost involved so if you are able to attended his open house keep in mind that you are there to learn, not buy, unless you can afford to. Besides, you will probably need your money for shopping in Berkeley Springs. And make sure you talk to Mike vs. the vendors, he knows more about their products then they do.

And don't forget to take a few empty jugs to bring back the free & famous spring water.

Enjoy....

Thanks to KV for reminding me about the open house





2ND ANNUAL SOLAR OPEN HOUSE OCT 3RD & 4TH

We are hosting our second annual Solar Open House October 3rd from 10AM-4PM & the 4th from 12PM-4PM. We invite you to join us on a tour of a middle-class, average-sized home that is fitted with energy efficient equipment that can be used by mainstream America. The systems installed include grid-tied & net metered solar photovoltaic (PV), Velux solar hot water system, Skystream 3.7 wind generator, SIPs walls, high efficiency heat pump, radiant floor heat and all the electronics that make it operate maintenance free. Protect against power outages, high utility rates and reduce carbon emissions. Be part of the renewable energy revolution. There will be workshops on solar hot water, solar photovoltaics, small wind power, and geothermal heating & cooling. Solar House tours will be running throughout the day, and there will be a variety of professionals representing many green building technologies & products.



WHERE: 3026 Pious Ridge Rd, Berkeley Springs, WV 25411

WHEN: Oct 3rd from 10AM-4PM & Oct 4th from 12PM-4PM

COST: Free admission, food and drinks will be available to purchase. This year our open house is part of the American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour, for more info on the National Tour click here.

NOTE: We have had a great deal of interest in volunteering to help spread the word about the Open House & helping during the event. We are still actively seeking volunteers, and if you are interested please contact our Director of Operations, Colin Williams at (O) 304.258.4733 or via email at mvscolin@gmail.com

For a brighter energy future,

Kelly Waugh

Mountain View Solar and Wind, LLC

15 Greenway Drive

Berkeley Springs, WV 25411

(O) 304.258.4320

Can you afford to go green, the answer is

Going green is not just doing your part, it can help everyone save tons of money, great thought huh? It always seems to cost more to do the right thing. Sometimes I believe that the term 'going green' was some marketers spin for "make'um feel bad about the environment and we will be elbow deep in the $$$$ aka 'GREEN", wink, wink....
Example, I recently attended a home show and found that the reality of it all is most 'green' systems cost so much that one, you would have to be very well off to afford them (after all you are buying bragging rights as well) and two, they would probably be obsolete by the time you broke even. When you are talking about investing $25K to $50K on these systems it is no wonder few are able to do it. Will the prices come down, eventually, after all the initial investment cost are recovered. Engineers tend to over design things at times. The more bells and wistles the better. So it takes a realitively long time to recapture the companies investment and well, with profits, bonuses, board members, think in terms of everything that has been going on and you will probably answer your own question. Doubtful.

During the last few years I have had a chance to work out a few basic systems for the average person. I did this out of necessity to get my bills down to an affordable level. My designs are based off of systems that have been in place for thousands of years. It's easy when you think about it, but so few have the kind of time to research or experiment with what works and what doesn't. Since I was laid off at the beginning of the economic breakdown, I found that I had more time than job offers. So I just started working for myself and was fortunate enough to be around friends and associates who enjoyed discussing the alternatives to these high dollar systems. Try talking to your friends over a couple of drinks and the ideas will be flowing by the third round. As for me, I found most of the materials I needed in my own garage or shed and a huge amount of information on the net. Remember, think about it all logically.....you don't have to spend a fortune buying the latest greatest gadget, you can probably make it yourself. If you don't have the time to research, stay tuned.
It is my hope going forward to provide you with helpful links, tips and designs so that you can build your own systems for pennys or nothing but your time. You may just want to make a few minor changes in your everyday life and save some bucks. Just think, you can recycle/reuse all that scrap in your garbage or garage and bring going green back to the people who need it the most, you. For those of you who can afford to have someone else help you, I hope to also include links for companies as I come across them who are making green not just affordable but cheaper than the conventional methods, believe it or not there are still a few out there who aren't seeing 'going green' as $$$$.