Tag Archives: geothermal

Another example of style + green

Custom Banquet in Bay Window addition

A couple years ago, our Sandy Springs clients first asked to help them reduce their energy bills by adding renewable energy to their house. We did a solar evaluation and decided that we need to look at other solutions since there were too many trees blocking the sun. We came up with a plan to upgrade their regular HVAC to Geothermal HVAC, and to change our all of their windows to high performance Marvin windows.  They also added spray foam insulation to their roof line and encapsulated the crawlspace to keep the basement dry.  We finished the energy upgrades at the beginning of the summer and they are telling us that their house is not only more energy efficient, it is much more comfortable as well.

 

While we worked to upgrade the systems on the house, they presented us a set of plans to make their existing home functional.  While their house was on a great street in a great neighborhood, it did not fit all of their needs.   We did a complete tuneup of the houses design on the main level and the upstairs.

First we started with new windows and doors.

Custom Marvin windows were used to replace the existing non energy efficient windows

We chose custom Marvin windows since we needed windows that could be made to a custom size and maintain their high performance attributes.  With custom aluminum cladding and low-e glass, these windows will help block out harmful uv rays and drafts that could increase energy bills.

The cladding is a great alternative to all wood windows since aluminum will not rot and will not need replacing for many years to come.

Custom library with new mahogany exterior doors

Another area that we focused on was the library.  It started will a simple enhancement to the existing cabinets and when we finished, they had a complete new custom library with built in storage.

We also took out the windows and installed new custom mahogany doors with low-e glass.  The floors were refinished and we installed all new stain grade crown molding to match the cabinets.

The designer selected a custom stone top to break up the lower and upper cabinets and to provide a durable surface that will never need refinishing.

 

In the end, our clients were very happy with the outcome of both the green upgrades and the craftsmanship that gave them a space that better fit their current needs.

 

 

This post sponsored by SawHorse, “The Sign of Renovation in Your Neighborhood ®.”

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Ideas to reduce your Summer energy bills

The kids are out of school and the sun is out.  This usually translates into higher energy bills.

Since it is hotter out, the HVAC system will have to work harder. In our house- since the boys are out of school, the HVAC has to try to keep up the the loss of conditioned air when the doors are opened and closed. In addition to loss of conditioned air, there will be more laundry to clean since they like to play outside.

So what are some solutions for the Summer to keep the energy bills down?

If your HVAC or water heater is on it’s last leg, there are systems on the market that cost a fraction to operate. Geothermal HVAC can reduce your heating and cooling costs by over 60% and Solar Hot Water can reduce your hot water needs by up to 90% in Georgia. There are also great green incentives and rebates to help reduce the upfront costs of these systems.

Other simple ideas that have low or no cost include:

  • Installing a programmable thermostat (and programming it!)
  • Turning light offs- they waste energy and produce extra heat (this causes your cooling bills to go up)
  • Find cold water detergents to reduce hot water bills
  • Install a low flow shower head
  • Install a dual flush toilet

For more ideas on how to save watch some of the videos on our Q and A Page.

Contact us today if you need help lower your Summer bills.

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Energy Rebates through Shine Program in Atlanta

When the Shine program was first announced, I did not pay that much attention to it since there was going to be a lot of paperwork and little rebates for my clients.  However, since then, the city has launched a pilot phase for the program increasing the rebates to 25% of the cost of the work up to $2,000.  This is an addition to the GA Power rebates up to $1900.

If you are counting on the federal tax credit still, then you need to act fast.  The credit expires at the end of this year.  That is $1500 that you could loose in rebates if you do not get the improvements before the 31st of December, 2010.

Sample rebate:

Energy Improvement      $8000

Atlanta rebates                   $2000

Federal Rebate                    $1500

GA Power (up to)                $1900

If you add solar or geothermal HVAC you may qualify for even more federal and state tax credits as well.

Here is Mandy Mahoney talking about the Shine Program a few months ago:


About the author

Matt Hoots is president of SawHorse- Atlanta’s leading design/ build firm since 1978.  He also is co chair of the GAHBA Green Building Council, frequently blogs and writes a monthly green Q&A for Atlanta Home Improvement MagazineContact SawHorse for more information.

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Green- It’s about the bottom line

Solar Water Heaters have a 3-7 year ROI according to the DOE

While many of of clients are willing to make an extra investment to “help save the environment”, most of them are mainly concerned about their economic bottom line.  I don’t blame them. In these tough times, you have to make smart economic investments to make sure you actually get a good return on investment.

When it comes to new construction and renovations, we offer upgrades in several areas over “standard construction” because there is actually a good return on the extra cost of the investment.  I have been giving presentations to many of our trade partners and I get consistent feedback from them that ‘green cost more and does not work all of the time.’  This is a misconception based on people gravitating towards the more expensive items that are green that may look cool but do not perform as well as other options.

That is why I prefer to use the term building science.  When we make recomendations to our clients, we keep their investment dollars in mind.  We look at a few things for each solution:

  1. How well does the technology work?
  2. How long it is going to last?
  3. How fast will it “pay for itself?”

Let’s look at a couple of solutions that we offer based on these questions.

Geothermal HVAC

  1. How well does the technology work? A.  Geothermal works very well in all climate zones.  Since it is much more efficient than a traditional heat pump, it performs much better during extreme temperatures as well when traditional equipment has only mediocre performance.  We are a Waterfurnace dealer and they have some of the best equipment on the marketplace as well.
  2. How long it is going to last? A.  While the condenser on a traditional heat pump it rated to last for about 12 years- the loop field (the condenser for geothermal) is rated to last about 55 years.   If you look at the upfront extra cost for the loop field it pays for itself very quickly when looking at the cost of maintenance and replacement cost over the life of the home.
  3. How fast will it “pay for itself?” A. This is my favorite answer.  For most scenarios, we are seeing a 5 year payback for geothermal.  On some larger houses we are seeing an even faster payback since many of them use so much energy.  This translates to hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings over the life of the system.

So when considering a renovation or new construction, if the tern green seems a bit unclear and confusing, consider design a home using building science that is specifically engineered for your needs.

Our building performance  (Fresh World) offers green solutions for homeowners and builders, while our green building division (The Hoots Group) is Atlanta’s pioneer in residential building science.

Find out more about us here, check out our videos, and become a fan of us on Facebook!

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