Maximizing energy efficiency starts with large south-facing windows, which help to naturally heat your home in the winter and keep it cool in the summer.    Also known as passive solar design, this is a key element in new homes that are working towards zero carbon emissions. Natural sunlight controls temperatures and also reduces your building’s lighting requirements and can therefore cut back on your electricity bill.

But what if you have an existing non-south-facing home and you want similar effects?

While retrofitting existing buildings to utilize passive solar design tends to be difficult, there are some easy ways to capitalize on small changes.

• When possible, retrofit your home with skylights to allow natural light to penetrate.
• Replace your existing windows with double-paned glass.  This prevents heat loss during the winter and keeps out the heat during the summer.
• To keep your home cool during summer months, install awnings or low-emissivity blinds over windows.
• Plant deciduous trees on the southern and western sides of your home.   They’ll shield the sun in the summer, and with the loss of leaves in the fall and winter will still allow light to access your windows.
• Really take advantage of the sun:  install a solar hot water system to heat your hydraulic radiant floor!

Additional posts you may be interested in:

• The Net Zero Energy Home (3)
• Can the average person really afford to build green? (0)
• Should I Use Earthen Plaster: the Pros and Cons (0)

My grand-dad used to say “pick your poison.”  He knew that nothing is perfect.  There are good things and not so good things about every choice.   When sustainability is your primary goal, you make decisions with a different set of parameters.  You might be willing to put forth a little more time and effort knowing that the end result will benefit not only you, but the environment.  But before you begin any big project, you better sit down with a paper and pencil and make the old “T” chart.  I started one for you.  Behold, some pros and cons of earthen plaster.

Pro

• Low Environmental Impact
• Energy intensive
• Adds thermal mass for both passive and active solar heating
• Relatively inexpensive
• Easily patched and repaired
• Adds a warm, natural feeling to your dwelling
• Has great breathability
• Provides a protective shell for your straw bale home
• Lots of warm, rich colors
• Variations in texture
• Allows for artistic expression

Con

• Can get saturated by rain and constant wetness
• Can mold (grows on the organic matter in your plaster,  but there are techniques to minimize or stop this)
• Labor intensive
• Doesn’t meet building codes in some localities
• Can crack and “dust” if composition and consistency of earthen plaster is incorrect
• Requires multiple coats
• Sensitive to temperature and weather when applying
• Is pretty messy!

I think the pro list is longer than the con.  So if we follow “T” chart rules, this project is a go. Earthen plaster has been used for centuries.  Earthen plaster dwellings have stood the test of time; you can find these dwellings literally scattered around the world. Why not add your home to the list?

Looking for “recipes” for earthen plaster? You can find several in my last post, Earthen Plaster Recipes.

Additional posts you may be interested in:

• Straw – The New Brick (1)
• Do you want to toss a gob? Build with cob! (0)
• South-Facing is Best—But What If My Home Is Already Built? (0)

More and more people are certainly finding a way.  Consider the experience of the Porters of Massachusetts. Through creativity and good old fashion hard work the Porters were able to fulfill a dream and a commitment to the environment by building their green home.  They acknowledge that they spent a fair amount of time scouring second hand shops, viewing websites and “how to” manuals, not to mention dealing with multiples of contractors (trying to get the best “green” systems and products) and of course, navigating through all the bureaucratic language to assure they build within government parameters and LEED certification standards.

They regularly used a calculator to determine how much each system would cost and how much they could ultimately save.   “They tell you you have to be rich to go green,” states Erin Porter.   “You hear it everywhere.  You have to fight the perception.”   The Porters succeeded in proving that perception wrong.  See how they did it: http://hollistonleedhouse.blogspot.com/

Frank Schiavo’s remodel of his home in San Jose, California, shows how a budget-minded person can capitalize on passive solar heating and cooling.  Frank’s home features conservation techniques and in the process he has reduced his electric and gas bills to just a few dollars a month.  Frank does have a background in environmental studies and he has put it to good use.   Are you successful at reducing your garbage output to zero?  Frank is.   Frank is a regular guy doing some pretty amazing things with a very small building budget.

Have you been successful and building or rebuilding green?  Are you one of the ones that can show the rest of us the way?  Write me and let me know.  I’d love to showcase your efforts and your expertise.  Let’s share the wealth of green.

Additional posts you may be interested in:

• The Net Zero Energy Home (3)
• South-Facing is Best—But What If My Home Is Already Built? (0)
• Green Flooring Options (4)