New Concepts Aplenty for “Green” Retirement Houses

Baby boomers looking to retire in a very “green” way often end up being frustrated. The main reason is that most active adult communities are anything but environmentally friendly - they are located far from community centers so they require lots of driving, they don’t always use the most energy-efficient materials and systems, and they usually ignore alternative energy sources and low carbon footprints. The alternative for those truly dedicated to the movement is to strike out on their own, which though might be fun, can also be expensive and prone to trial and error.

The Wall Street Journal published an eye-opening article earlier this year on the “Green House of the Future“. The Journal asked 4 leading architects to come up with a home design that was environmentally friendly - and possible. The results were amazing:
- A house like a tree. The “bark” of the building contained photosynthetic layer that captures sunlight. The home had a lot of other cool features as well.
- So why not a house like a lizard. Cook + Fox came up with a home that turns “dark in the bright sun to insulate the house”, and clearer on dark days to help warm the house.
- The Incredible Edible House. The concept from Rios Clementi Hale Studios featured a home with edible crops like chickpeas on the outside. The food being grown not only helps feed the occupants, it provides insulation. Windmills and water capture are other features of the home.
- A “breeze chimney“. The home from Mouzon Design has many typical energy generating features such as solar panels, but it also has an old architectural tool, the breeze chimney to help heat and cool the home.

Recycled Green Homes in Phoenix
Green Street Development in Phoenix is winning kudos for their LEEDS certified remodelings in downtown Phoenix. The concept is sound, why not turn former tract homes either in town or near public transportation lines into zero energy consuming homes. While the firm is pitching the project towards young urban professionals, in our opinion they are missing half of the boat - retiring baby boomers who not only want to downsize but be near the urban action too. Listen in to the PBS podcast, it’s most interesting.

GE: Net Zero Energy Homes by 2015

Interested in building or refitting your retirement home so that it’s green? General Electric (GE) announced last month that by 2015 it will have developed the products needed to let new home builders and existing homeowners  manage and generate electricity for overall net zero annual energy.  If achieved, that means that you will have a zero energy bill! GE will get to that goal through its current portfolio of energy-efficient lighting and appliances products,  demand response technology,  and residential power generation products like solar PV and residential wind products.

The GE net zero energy home offerings will come from three major groups within the product portfolio: energy efficient products, energy management products and energy generation/storage products.

Energy Efficiency Products: GE’s portfolio of energy- efficient appliance and lighting products will help enable the net zero energy home by reducing energy consumption in the home.

Energy Management/Demand Response Appliances: GE demand response products will help consumers to manage their costs and energy consumption while helping reduce utility demand peaks, thereby reducing the need for more power generation – depending on utility participation.

• GE plans to be the first manufacturer to offer a full suite of demand response appliances that will work with utility smart meters to help shed load from the grid, while helping consumers save money during peak demand usage and pricing times. GE appliances and products will work with smart meters to delay or reduce energy use without major interruption to consumer’s lifestyles by giving the consumer control over their energy use. Residential housing consumes 37 percent of the electricity produced in the US. Appliances, Lighting and HVAC represent 82 percent of electricity consumed in the home.

• As the second single largest energy users in the home, incorporating highly efficient water heaters into the net zero energy homes is critical. GE will offer the its innovative GE Hybrid Electric Heat Pump Water Heater with demand response technology in late 2009. The new GE Hybrid Electric Heat Pump Water Heater is designed to use about 2300 kWh per year, which is less than half of the energy of a 50-gallon tank water heater that uses approximately 4800 kWh per year. The energy savings of approximately 2500 kWh per year represents a savings of about $250 per year based on 10.65 cents per kWh.
• In 2010 GE will introduce the Home Energy Manager – the central nervous system for the net zero energy home that will work in conjunction with all the other enabling technologies in the home to help homeowners to optimize how they consume energy. In addition to the Home Energy Manger, GE will introduce a line of smart thermostats, also available in 2010.

Distributed Generation/Storage

• Collaborating with GE Energy, products like solar PV, advanced energy storage, next generation thin film solar, small wind will help GE reach its zero energy goal.

What do you think? Is zero energy in your home a worthwhile goal - or something you could care less about?  Let us know in the Comments section below.

Preventing the Heartache of Greenwash

No, it’s not something you add to the wash to get out those pesky grass stains you used to get playing touch football. Nor is it a St. Patty’s day breath-freshener. Greenwash is what happens to you when you succumb to a developer who promises you a “green” house in a sustainable community, only to move in and find the Chinese wallboard smells like rotten eggs.

Unfortunately there are some builders and developers who are free with the terms “green” or sustainable. But luckily there are several new standards that you can use to evaluate those green claims. Perhaps the most important is The National Green Building Standard™, recently approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The new Standard applies to all residential construction work including single-family homes, apartments and condos, land development and remodeling and renovation. It defines what green practices can be incorporated into residential development and construction and how home owners can operate and maintain their green homes. Having a national standard in place helps consumers and builders systematically evaluate “green” claims made for their new homes.

The National Association of Home Builders is enthusiastic about the new standard. “The standard provides home builders and remodelers with a much more expansive third-party rating system that they can use to achieve green certification under NAHBGreen and the National Green Building Certification Program,” said Mike Luzier, CEO of the NAHB Research Center. The NAHB praised the flexibility of the National Green Building Standard because of its flexibility - it allows home builders and home buyers options based on climate, geography, style preferences, and budget.

Another standard is the Green Building Initiative® (GBI), which has a partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The GBI promotes energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally responsible building design. Other well-established green standards are from LEED and Energy-Star.

What You Can Do

Consumers are understandably confused about green claims - and are afraid of being greenwashed. If you are interested in buying a home that is supposed to be environmentally friendly, don’t be shy about asking what kind of green certification it has rated. Although it is unfortunate that there are so many different standards, they all share most of the same principles. So if your developer can point to some kind of accepted green certification, it probably means a lot more than unsupported claims. The basic principles in all sustainable certification programs involve: energy efficiency, using recycled materials, minimizing storm water runoff, renewal energy sources, emissions, water conservation, and healthy interiors.

For more information about LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

Looking for Green Communities

What’s Your Opinion About Greenwash? Share your opinions using the Comments section below.

Solar Roof Panels Offered Free by Shea Active Adult Community

The #1 green priority in baby boomers’ retirement homes is solar power, according to a recent survey. Capitalizing on this interest, Shea Green Certified homes at Trilogy now offers solar powered roofs as a no-cost option in its Victoria Gardens active adult communities. The builder’s website claims savings of up to 60% on electric bills and a reduction in the home’s carbon footprint by 48%. Shea is providing the BP® Solar roof tile system.

Shea Green Certified homes in Victoria Gardens by Shea residences will be equipped with a 3-kilowatt solar power system with photovoltaic cells that convert free solar energy to household electricity. The solar panels will help homeowners gain more energy independence and protect against future energy costs. Excess energy generated will be supplied back into the grid for homeowner credits. In addition to solar panels, Victoria Gardens homes will have additional green features including a monitoring system, low e glass, solar attic fans, Energy Star appliances, and other increased energy efficiencies. Homeowners will be eligible for additional tax credits from the government’s Solar Investment Tax Credit program. The option becomes available Jan 1, 2009.

Disclaimers on the “Free Solar” offer makes it clear that it is available on select homes and lots depending on elevation and orientation. Energy savings varies based electrical usage, plan, site, orientation, weather, energy provider and rates. from “Green” Homes survey conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of Shea Homes. Trilogy is a registered trademark of Shea Homes, Inc. Shea was named “2007 Builder of the Year” by Professional Builder Magazine.

For more information:
“Looking for Green Retirement Communities?“

Energy Conservation Measures - the New Mudrooms

A study from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) shows that the energy crisis is producing big shifts in what consumers are looking for in new homes. In as short a period of 2007 to 2008, buyer interest in common features like mudrooms, home offices, game rooms, and home workshops have plummeted. Instead, consumers are looking for a plethora of energy-saving related features that were only glimmers on the horizon in 2007. Builders and architects are paying attention, because the market is so soft for their services.

Leading the pack in new desirable home features are tank-less water heaters, overall energy efficiency, “green” flooring, water saving technology, and recycled building materials. Our conclusion: the green movement is coming - and high energy prices will do more than anything to speed up its arrival. If you are looking to buy in a new active adult or 55+ community - put these features on your list.

And by the way, you might be curious about tankless water heaters. Understandably enough, they don’t have a tank, but instead heat the water in the pipe on its way to your faucet. By eliminating the tank you save a lot of energy that is wasted while you are away for the weekend and overnight. Oil and gas fired hot water heaters are typically more powerful than electric.

The AIA Home Design Trend Survey is conducted quarterly with a panel of 500 architecture firms.

Will Green Communities Save the Housing Industry

July 22 — If there is one “cool” trend in home building today, it is going green. A number of factors have come together to make the green (environmentally sustainable) movement the potential saving grace of struggling home builders across the world. In fact, a McGraw-Hill Construction/National Association of Home Builders study predicts that “The market for green housing will grow to from as little as $12 billion this year to between $40B and $70B by 2012.”

Obviously the high price of oil is factor number 1. With oil prices skyrocketing, residential buildings, which account for 21% of U.S. energy consumption (source: U.S. Energy Information Administration), are an easy target for money-saving ideas. At the same time, environmental awareness and interest (thank you Al Gore) has never been higher. Taken together, it is no surprise that a recent Harris Interactive poll by Move, Inc. (operator of Realtor.com) showed potential homebuyers more interested in green features in homes than they were in luxury amenities. The survey found that almost half of (49 percent) said features such as solar panels or energy-saving appliances were “important,” compared to just 31 percent who rated luxury amenities important.

Investing a few extra hundred or even thousand dollars in energy conservation has a faster and faster payback as energy prices climb. Builders are taking notice, offering homes with enhanced conservation and even energy generating feaures. Meanwhile California became the first state in the U.S. to adopt a new building code that requires a number of energy-conserving building practices across that giant state. The code approved by the California Building Standards Commission mandated measures including recycling of construction waste, energy savings, potable water conservation, etc. Other communities such as Marin County, California and Aspen Colorado also have imposed green building code requirements. LEED’s Certification, which sets certain standards (Gold, Silver, Bronze) for energy conservation, etc. are also being developed and considered elsewhere.

More
Check out all the interesting “green” building articles in the July 2008 issue of Builderonline.com
Here’s a cool video on how one “Builder fights rising energy costs”
Looking for Green Communities

Green Retirement Communities Start to Blossom

March 31 — Baby boomers are known for their devotion to preserving the environment - at least when they are not driving their SUV’s. So the big question is, will the folks who pioneered Earth Day look for green (sustainable) retirement and active adult communities? Just as important, will the marketers of those communities recognize the need and make the product available in an appealing concept?

We recently came across some examples of green communities, which is encouraging. Shea Homes, a large national home builder, has announced that environmentally friendly homes will be the focus of some of its new developments in Florida and other sun belt states. These homes will be so-called “eco-friendly”, and will have energy saving features such as solar attic fans, motion-sensor triggered lighting, energy-efficient windows and appliances, and garages with electric-vehicle charging stations. Some materials like insulation will be recycled. According to a report in Off the Grid, Shea says it has “focused on small, incremental green features that will add up to important energy savings.”

Meanwhile other developments are getting on the environmental, or green, bandwagon as well. Some retirement homes being built for the military in San Antonio feature solar hot water heaters. A retirement community builder in Maine, Sea Coast Management Co., has offered incentives to install solar water heaters as well as a Toyota Prius to home buyers.

Cohousing communities tend to be at the vanguard of green retirement communities. Although these communities might be a touch too new age for many people, they are almost always interested in preserving the environment, as well as sharing common facilities and ongoing connections with neighbors. These intentional neighborhoods, created and managed by residents, offer an innovative solution to today’s environmental and social challenges. Here is a link to a directory of co-housing communities.

How green is green? As Carol Gulyas wrote at Topretirements last year in “Looking for Green Retirement Communities“, it is important to evaluate “eco”, “green”, and “environmentally sustainability” claims carefully and sceptically. Many active adult community builders talk about green, but the reality is not always up to the promise. She suggests that you learn more about what it really means to be environmentally friendly - and then ask questions of builders to be sure. Of course part of the equation is how much baby boomers will pay for when it comes to the environment. That’s because for now anyway, being green takes some green.

Lily Valley Sets High Bar for Green Communities

November 3 — Imagine a community that is being developed by the Dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture at Taliesin, Victor Sidy, along with 6 apprentices at the famous school. For one thing, you can be sure the community will balance well with the environment, and is not just so-called “greenwashing” (painting a community as green when it really isn’t). For another, it will be beautiful. Sidy’s team has developed plans for Lily Valley, called the “New American Village”, which will be just north of Hattiesburg MS. The effort by Taliesin is a response for innovative architecture to help this area of Mississippi devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Lily Valley will eventually occupy some 67 acres north of Hattiesburg, MS. It combines a mix of residential, commercial, and cultural elements and amenities. The idea is to create a sustainable and walkable community where residents can walk to grocery stores, medical care and recreational facilities. Homes will have solar panels and other controls to save energy. Some buildings will have green roofs to help control runoff and reduce heating and cooling costs. Homes are being designed for people of all economic levels.

Resources:
Prairie Mod article about Lily Valley
Looking for Green Retirement Communities?

“Green” Resources for Retirement Communities

October 17 — Environmentally oriented retirement communities are beginning to earn a toehold in this country. But the pressure for green communities and for energy and environmental conservation is really coming from the people who live in retirement communities — more so than from the developers. A recent study from the Mediamark Research BoomerView study found that 40.7% of baby boomers say “Preserving the Environment” is a very important guiding principle in their lives (that is 11% higher than reported by all adults). A good example of green (sustainable) retirement communities are the cohousing projects for baby boomers that are being built in the American West.

We recently came upon 2 great environmental sustainability resources that we recommend. One is a cooperative project developed by the Whitney Center, a retirement community in Hamden CT. Their useful Environmental Handbook on Conservation for Retirement Communities is free to download.

Another great site is a fun to read blog by Carol Gulyas - GreenGeezer. Carol posts entries almost every day about building and living in green homes. She and her husband are building a “green” home near their old college town of Bloomington Indiana. Carol will be writing an article for this website in the near future - stay tuned.

Resources:
Check out this Tips and Picks article - Looking for Green Retirement Communities?
Story about Lily Valley - an exciting new community that is very green
Walkability Score - Move to a community where you can walk! Use this tool: Enter an address, find out what you can walk to from there