Thermal
Mass
The materials used to build
a sustainable home are the main factors that not only determine its ability
to be independent of outside energy sources... because
of its thermal mass - but also it's foundational strength,
its structure... Having enough thermal mass (to store
heat) reduces the need for excess solar panels and the resulting cost
to heat the home in the winter. That same insulative value also keeps
it cool in summer. Ancient adobe pueblos are great examples of this.
And they're still standing. "Massive" walls (tires rammed with
earth, strawbales...) capture sunlight during the day and store the heat,
to be released at night, keeping the temperature in the home relatively
stable, and eliminating or greatly reducing additional heating needs.
Each type of thermal mass material will have a different
"R" rating. Energy
efficient fireplaces help too.
Passive
Solar Design
Positioning
the home on the land so that most of the windows face south (for US),
to obtain the most sunlight during winter months, is essential for optimal
FREE heat. That is the essence of passive solar design.
Make sure that trees (that don't lose leaves), or hills, don't block
the sun entering the home. South facing windows provide the environment
for an indoor greenhouse, that provides food and herbs, not to mention
oxygenating your home! And the plants act as air cleansers and add a
welcome humidity for those living in dry climates.
Be sure
the area where you want to build is suitable for the style
of sustainable home you want to build, and that what you want to build
is allowed. Remember, no right can be denied that we don't allow. It's
time to take back those things that should never have been given away,
or been taken by anyone else. Our Rights... to build our own home as
we see fit!
Energy
Solar
panels and/or wind turbines produce the electricity
needed for an off-the-grid home. When the sun shines, solar panels charge
a bank of batteries for later energy use. "If the sun don't shine",
that means it will be cloudy, rainy, etc... and, usually, the wind blows
during those times. That's when the wind turbine kicks in and recharges
those same batteries. If both fail during an extended cold or extreme
winter, a propane or gas generator backup will suffice. Propane may be
good to have anyway, not only for backup, but for a gas stove too.Reduce
the amount of appliances, "toys", and other "invisibles"
that drain electricity... all those things that come with clocks, little
lights, etc. Plug them into surge protectors that can be turned off when
not in use. The main purpose for living in a sustainable home is to reduce
or eliminate one's dependency on the grid, and with it all the outrageous
costs we assume for that energy, including oil wars.
"Blue"
Water
Can you
drill a well? Do codes allow you to catch "blue" water
from your roof? If you can afford to drill a well, that eliminates the
need to put a roof on that allows rain & snow to drain into a cistern,
but it would still be a great option to have anyway. This is becoming
very common, and is a serious detriment to real change for people everywhere
who want to live a more simple, sustainable life. If you catch water,
a large cistern or 2, will be needed. It can be buried to keep it from
freezing in cold climates. Alternatively, water can be channelled to
a cistern situated inside the home, creating soothing waterfall sounds,
and for humidity. A series of graduating filters makes the water potable.
Grey
Water
Recycling
grey water is one of the most wonderous things... Water
from shower/dish/hand/clothes washing (no chemicals), cooking water,
etc can be channelled into the indoor garden area. A garbage
digester that chops up particles is available. This water is nutrient
rich and plants thrive on it! Most Earthship owners have fantastic gardens!
Banana trees are common. Excess water not used for gardens can be re-directed
to the bathroom and used to flush toilets, rather than using clean potable
water. If traditional toilets are use, hopefully they are low flow. I've
heard people criticize them for not flushing well. I bought one a few
years ago for the stick home and it has worked amazingly well! Much better
than the old one. I did get the wider, "porceline" coated drain,
which cost more... but I think you get what you pay for. I'm sure it
has saved enough for it to have already paid its way.
Oh
Black Water
Is a septic
system, or hook-up to a sewage system, required in your area? One may
be able to convince regulators to at least listen, or read about, the
new and improved systems for black water treatment.
If one is able to utilze some of the modern marvels of our day in our
homes... composting
or solar toilets
- one can eliminate further waste of water. Composting toilets are already
being built in Colorado's mountain parks. Many Earthship and other sustainable
home owners use these methods, when not forced to comply with local edicts.
Water is used multiple times before it leaves the structure. After that
it is contained and treated in a "botanical cell" (an oudoor
planter). Much the same as nature provides in what's left of wetland
areas. The continued recycling of water that enters a structure, eliminates
the waste of potable water normally used to flush toilets in a traditional
home. It also reduces the need for massive industrial waste-water treatment
plants, with heavy toxic chemicals, before sending it on its way... into
streams, lakes and aquifers. These systems have been researched and developed
by Earthship Biotecture for over
20 years.
Appliances
There are
many alternative appliances on the market today that greatly reduce the
consumption of energy. Refrigerators, one of the main energy drags in
a home are available that are smaller, very highly insulated and run
on much less energy than the conventional. Many alternative homebuilders
are adding what used to be called "root cellars", in the northernmost
part of a home. These areas, bermed and on a lower level than the rest
of the home, are cool enough to be able to store vegetables without refrigeration.
"Phantom" energy drains can come in a variety of ways. From
every little clock and lights on every appliance, to the surge protectors
holding vast amounts of electrical cords. Cutting off the power that
fuels all of these things will retain energy in the batteries for a possible
necessity later on.
You can
also, if you are building or have space in your yard, dig a small root
cellar where you can store all those veggies that don't need
refrigeration to last a good long while... like squashes, potatoes, etc...
Or, if you can and/or dehydrate foods, they can be stored there also.
Retrofit
Your Home
It is not
an option for most people to go out and buy land to build their own sustainable
or alternative home. In fact, as population continues to explode, there
will be less availability of land to be developed, for anything. It means
altering the political landscape so that people can reclaim control over
their lives and homes, thereby enabling them greater independence, as
"Peak Oil" becomes more widely apparent. If one cannot afford
to build, or move, retro-fitting your existing home would be the best
thing one can do now to reduce one's dependency. In fact it is imperative
that we begin doing this to our homes and businesses anyway... they may
sell much better, very shortly.
Great strides
are already happening with solar energy. If not already, we will have
solar panels that will be much less expensive and installed on a south
facing wall, or on the roof as shingles. Some will be less efficient,
but the very low cost of adding more may offset that. By allowing entrepreneruial
ingenuity to florish, we can expect to see huge innovations very quickly.
Freedom rocks!
Most likely
your existing home can be retrofitted to achieve a greater measure of
sustainability and freedom from high energy bills. Southern exposure
has an even higher probability factor. Windows, more insulation, especially
north walls, can increase a home's capacity to generate warmth. Wind
turbines, for when the sun don't shine. They can be a less expensive
than solar, especially if you live in a windy area. They are relatively
small and amazingly quiet. And it's just a breat sight to see one blowing
like mad, providing you with energy to cook dinner, use a computer, or
watch the tube... One of the great things about a truly sustainable home
is... there is always something to do. TV takes a vacation. And a fresh
breeze blows the heavy shroud of cobwebs out... and re-invigorates the
mind.
Education
Getting
these things done means persuading officials to change - better yet eliminate
- most of the codes and regulations for installing these mechanisms.
It may also mean that we will need to become more involved in our city
and town councils to affect change more rapidly. We must help them learn,
through our own education, that change is not "bad" and that
it is inevitable... if not, we will be reduced to relying on a grid that
is becoming more volatile. People are more likely to affect change on
a local level than to try to change the leviathon of federal mandates
that require dependency and smothers innovation and integrity. When people
begin seeing the difference all this will make in their lives, it will
spread exponentially, eventually affecting status quo of federal and
state contro,l along with heavy taxation, that chokes free enterprise.
By handing over our hard earned money to "the state", thinking
that they will do what we should be doing for ourselves, we show the
world how irresponsible we are. "They" take advantage of this
because they know that man takes the path of least resistence to the
extreme, where he takes from his neighbor without asking (taxes), as
easily as taking candy from a child, and with virtually no resistence
exerted... we hand it over.
With the
denial of responsibility, we succumb to our lowest capacity. We give
up our rights and freedom... "to be safe", without any effort
exerted. There is no freedom without our unalienable rights, declared
in our Constitution... of which Dubya recently stated: "it's just
a goddamned piece of paper". This from the "man" who swore,
with his hand on a bible, to uphold and defend.
Responsibility...
what a beautiful thing.
"Today's
public figures can no longer write their own speeches or books,
and there is some evidence that they can't read them either" - Gore
Vidal
"If
you really want to help this world, what you will have to teach is how
to live in it" -
Joseph Campbell
"There
is no such thing as freedom unless there is freedom to refuse" -
David Hume
