ABINGDON, Va. – Green building, which is already mainstream in cities like Asheville, N.C., and Charlottesville, Va., is starting to catch on in the Tri-Cities.
“Since last year, when the winter was so bad and everybody’s light bills were sky high, we’ve gotten a lot of calls,” said Craig Milhorne, a partner in Highlands Solar Energy, which installs solar panel systems. “With the federal rebates and state rebates, it’s made it affordable for almost everybody.
His company was host for a recent tour of a house being constructed with geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, spray-foam insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors and other components of sustainable building.
The tour, at a home near South Holston Lake in Washington County, Va., was just the latest event held in the area to promote green building, or methods of construction aimed at environmental sustainability and energy savings.
Nick Safay, chairman of the Holston Valley Green Building Coalition, a group of area businesses that provide green building products and services, said events focused on green building are scheduled each month around the Tri-Cities.
He said people are opting for greener buildings because they mean lower operating costs, better indoor air quality and less impact on the environment. Overall, Safay said, building green costs 10 percent to 15 percent more, an upfront cost that’s paid back in five to seven years in energy savings that continue.
The area’s green building trend also has been helped, he said, by efforts within builders’ associations nationwide that have brought training and advocacy to contractors who want to be certified as green builders.
And while institutions like the higher education centers in Abingdon and Kingsport have led the way with green building, homeowners also are jumping on the bandwagon.
“We’ve seen [electric] bills this year in the Abingdon area in the $700 range, so that’s pretty much of a wake-up call,” said Terry Boone, president of Perfect Air of Abingdon, which installs geothermal heating and cooling systems.
What exactly makes a house green? Here are a few of the main components:
* Geothermal heating and cooling systems use the earth’s steady temperature to reduce the need for heating and cooling by other means, said Boone.
A system consists of several 300-foot wells, which contain pipes circulating a non-hazardous fluid that picks up and releases heat from the earth, he said. The heat also can be used in a hot water heater to reduce energy costs there.
Another component of green heating and cooling systems is zoning, which divides the house up into several areas, each of which can be heated and cooled independently.
The cost of a geothermal system is a substantial upfront investment, Boone said, but the extra cost pays for itself in energy savings in eight to 10 years, and lasts, on average, for 27 years – about 10 years longer than a standard system.
* Spray foam insulation is a new innovation that fills every crack and crevice. It’s been dreamed of in concept for a long time, said Boone, but only recently has the technology become available.
“It makes the house something like a Styrofoam pop cooler,” said Boone, who said it essentially wind-proofs the house in a way that fiberglass cannot.
“Five years ago, nobody in our area had heard of spray foam insulation – now, in custom homes, it’s become a catch-phrase.”
For the foundation, he said, insulated forms can be set in place and filled with concrete, creating airtight walls.
* Energy-efficient windows and doors can make a big difference, Boone said. Among the features of modern windows: a low-emittance coating to reflect the sun’s heat and double-pane windows filled with argon, a gas that insulates better than air.
Double-sealed doors have extra weatherstripping that helps prevent drafts.
* Solar panels can help a homeowner cut his electric bill by half or even wipe it out entirely, said Milhorne.
“During the day, you’re producing power, and at night you’re buying it back,” he said. “The higher the energy rates, the more valuable your solar system.”
Milhorne said a 5-kilowatt system, for example, can cut the average monthly power bill in half. Plus, it generates enough renewable energy certificates to make about $1,800 a year selling them on the Internet.
The retail cost of such a system is $30,000, but after state and federal subsidies kick in, it’s only about $12,000. At that rate, he said, it pays for itself in about seven years with the energy savings.
Homeowners can tackle the next-largest part of their electric bill, the hot water heater, for about $8,000 retail or $3,500 after rebates for a solar system.
He says it’s only a matter of time before the East Coast starts to experience electricity shortages – and green energy becomes mandatory.
“I think for everybody to do their part and put in solar, it would help the demand,” Milhorne said.
“If cap and trade [carbon dioxide regulation] passes, that $250 light bill will end up being a $750 light bill, so if cap and trade passes, these solar panels are going to look really cheap by comparison.”
Boone looks at it another way. The green building industry is evolving at a rapid pace, he said, and it creates opportunities to live in a greener way without making major lifestyle changes.
“If you’ve worked all your life and you want a big house, this is the way to do it,” Boone said. “Building a 6,000-square-foot house is not exactly lowering your carbon footprint, but if you do it right, it does make a huge difference.”
dmccown@bristolnews.com | (276) 791-0701
YOU SHOULD KNOW
* Database of regional green building resources: http://sites.google.com/site/swvagreenbuildingcenter/
* Holston Valley Green Building Coalition: http://holstonvalleygbc.org/about/
* Perfect Air of Abingdon: http://www.comfortbyperfectair.com/
* Highlands Solar Energy: http://www.highlandssolarenergy.com/
Upcoming events on green building (all are free and public):
* June 22, 5:30-7 p.m. Presentation on green space, Kingsport Higher Education Center
* July 29, 5:30-7 p.m. Tour of the addition at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education in Abingdon, Va.
* Aug. 26, 5:30-7 p.m. Presentation on alternative building solutions, Machiavelli’s, Bristol, Tenn.
* Sept. 23, 5:30-7 p.m. Presentation on water efficiency and quality, Kingsport Higher Education Center
* Oct. 28, 5:30-7 p.m. Green schools presentation, D.P. Culp Center at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tenn.
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