PV as an investment [RE-wrenches]
Jim Hartley
grail at inil.com
Mon Sep 10 14:59:11 PDT 2001
jay peltz wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> Heres my question. Sure I give the customer many angles to make the
> system cost
> effective, but how many people run into problems when you suggest:
>
> "Well its cheaper to reduce than produce. We need to get you a new
> refer, washer,
> lights etc etc. "
>
> Then I show them the math, and its like major blank time.
>
> Just wondering what you all have run into.
That's called a double whammy. Or, severe sphinctoring time.
Existing housing stock will pose a lot of problems. You also can't move
the house on its lot. What you see is what you gotta deal with. You
all know what the difficulties are likely to be so I won't go there in
any detail. New construction is an altogther different thing since much
of the time these homes will require new appliances anyway. That's
where you can slip them in sensibly. There's a lot more congenial
latitude to work with in other respects as well. You can also control
the lot siting far better, by the way.
I just wrote an architect friend about a notion I have. This fellow has
spent years specializing in extremely energy efficient home designs as
his primary design priority. He is aiming precisely at your "reducing"
formula FIRST. He's very successful at that too, even to include
lowering air exchanges to unheard of levels without sacrificing air
quality.
My question to him had to do with new construction where more is
possible for comparatively less money usually. My idea for him had to
do with designing the home first, primarily and purposely AROUND the
power system and the other utilitarian equipment [furnace, AC,
sumps,lights etc.]. The challenge would be in the finishing out of the
house and its facade so it was a pleasing thing. Curb appeal is what
usually sells houses, be they new or existing. So the task would be to
wrap the "power plant" in curb appeal. These new homes could be
initially relatively modest starter homes maybe. Considering the
various energy concerns developing nationwide, this approach may make a
lot more sense than we may fully realize at the moment as to longterm
marketability. Perceptions are in flux right now. I bet they won't be
five years from now.
Around here, the various high schools design and build homes in their
building trades programs. They always sell. Some programs have worked
with alternative energy concepts as well. Some years ago I was a
building/energy consultant working under contract to the state energy
office with such building trades programs with respect to passive and
active solar thermal systems. I think this is another opportunity to
check out on a local basis - working with RE systems on these school
sponsored projects. This gets some young people familiarized with what
is what and some of them may be hire-able as pre-indoctrinated RE
workers later on. I suppose you might consider this a way of
infiltrating the larger infrastructure that is responsible for creating
tomorrow's homes. And what's wrong with that? There is nothing whatever
nefarious about it.
So, returning, to your specific observation, there are ways of lessening
that sticker shot confrontation. But you have to choose your candidates
well. It's called a new home mortgage where all sorts of things get
buried out of sight, out of mind. Besides, what woman would want to
bring into her new home a ten year old refrigerator? Not many if they
had a choice.
Jim Hartley
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