While gas prices have jumped over the $4 level and consumers have become aware of "green building" advantages, solar energy for residential use has emerged from the shadows.
Professional builders interested in meeting the concerns of energy-conscious homebuyers are taking a new look at solar energy systems, primarily photovoltaic or PV systems. PV panels, usually mounted on rooftops, convert the sun's energy directly to usable electricity. PV systems can reduce an owner's dependence on power from the local utility while supporting conservation and environmental issues.
PV systems have come a long ways since they first became known in the energy-conscious 70s. For example, although solar generation is more efficient in some areas of the country than others, a smart builder and solar expert can design and install an effective system anywhere to reap the benefits of the sun's infinite energy. Geography is not a limitation.
The quality of PV panels has also greatly improved over the last four decades. So-called built-in panels blend with a variety of roof finishes, including shingles and concrete tiles, replacing big, unsightly metal frames. PV panels are now far more efficient, so that smaller panels generate more power. Better aesthetics combined with better function result in systems more acceptable to builders, design professionals and homeowners.
Even with improved efficiency, however, the goal of PV design has shifted from entirely replacing the local utility to partially replacing its power supply to the home. Most residential PV systems installed in the last few years deliver 60-80% of the home's electrical requirements. The change in design objective lowers the initial cost of the system while delivering a reasonable return on that investment by reducing the homeowner's monthly power bill.
In fact, supplemental PV systems often generate more electricity during the height of a summer day than the typical house uses. This is especially true of homes built to high-performance standards. As a result, and because the house is still tied to the power grid, the excess electricity is metered and sent back to the utility where it is credited to the homeowner. (See Sidebar '101') When the owner again needs to draw from the power grid, his accumulated credits are used before he is charged for "new" electricity.
It is important to note that PV power generation -- and its sister technology, solar thermal heating for domestic water -- is not a green solution for an old or inefficient building. A PV or solar thermal system reaches its full potential only when the house is designed and built to a high-performance standard. Such features as a thermally tight building shell, above-average levels of insulation, energy-efficient appliances and heating/cooling equipment, and controlled ventilation all work in concert with solar energy systems to efficiently lower the home's energy demand.
Improved technology has brought solar power systems into renewed favor with homeowners and builders. In combination with high performance or green-building practices, supplemental PV and solar thermal systems can be an effective hedge against rising home energy costs.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
The Rhythm of Home Building
The construction of a new home has a particular rhythm, fluctuating from dynamic progress in the early stages, to a natural and expected ebb of activity as the house nears completion. Our clients find it useful to understand this tempo. They know what to expect and they can appreciate their new home as it takes shape.
Initially, the building process shows almost daily progress. As we build the foundation and structural frame, the general, three-dimensional shape of the house quickly takes form. The house becomes real and tangible; room sizes and locations on the floor plans become obvious within a few weeks.
The beginning phases of construction happen faster than the finishing stages later in the process. At the outset, large-dimension components, such as the wall studs and roof rafters are assembled into three-dimensional forms. At this stage, several workers often build those and other structural elements at the same time on different sections of the house. The job site is a hive of activity, and there is obvious progress.
Likewise, the windows and doors, roofing, and siding materials install nearly as quickly as the home's foundation and structural frame, resulting in a nearly finished exterior shell. Meanwhile, the electrician, plumber, and heating contractors work inside to install their respective behind-the-wall systems before the framed walls are filled with insulation or covered over with drywall and other substrates.
It is a very encouraging time for everyone involved.
As work continues, however, the pace begins to slow considerably as the focus shifts from the so-called "rough" or early stages of construction to the finishes. Dynamic progress gives way to very subtle, yet equally critical, improvements and finishing touches toward the home's completion.
While the placement of insulation and drywall occurs somewhat quickly, and produces the dramatic effect of having the walls and ceilings nearly finished, the process of taping and texturing these surfaces to make them ready for paint, wallpaper, or other textures is necessarily slow. A drywall contractor may require a week or more to properly prepare an entire house. In addition, few other contractors can complete their work during this phase of the finishing process.
Typically, from this point to a home's completion, the various trade contractors that once worked side-by-side must now operate in sequence. Carpenters, for instance, install the cabinets and countertops before the appliances and plumbing fixtures can be connected and finished.
Meanwhile, the painting contractor waits for the trim carpenters to finish before he can cover their work. And imagine how many faceplates, switch plates, light fixtures, and other finishes need to be fastened in place to complete the electrical system, not to mention carpeting and other floor finishes, tile work, and plumbing fixtures.
The laborious rate at which this stage of construction occurs can test the patience of any homebuyer. To help ease any anxiety or mystery, we often schedule opportunities to walk through a new home with our buyers, pointing out the understated progress going on in the latter stages of construction to assure them that their home is nearing occupancy.
Understanding the rhythm of homebuilding, from dynamic beginnings to the precision of its completion, helps our clients establish reasonable expectations and appreciate the realities of the construction process.
Initially, the building process shows almost daily progress. As we build the foundation and structural frame, the general, three-dimensional shape of the house quickly takes form. The house becomes real and tangible; room sizes and locations on the floor plans become obvious within a few weeks.
The beginning phases of construction happen faster than the finishing stages later in the process. At the outset, large-dimension components, such as the wall studs and roof rafters are assembled into three-dimensional forms. At this stage, several workers often build those and other structural elements at the same time on different sections of the house. The job site is a hive of activity, and there is obvious progress.
Likewise, the windows and doors, roofing, and siding materials install nearly as quickly as the home's foundation and structural frame, resulting in a nearly finished exterior shell. Meanwhile, the electrician, plumber, and heating contractors work inside to install their respective behind-the-wall systems before the framed walls are filled with insulation or covered over with drywall and other substrates.
It is a very encouraging time for everyone involved.
As work continues, however, the pace begins to slow considerably as the focus shifts from the so-called "rough" or early stages of construction to the finishes. Dynamic progress gives way to very subtle, yet equally critical, improvements and finishing touches toward the home's completion.
While the placement of insulation and drywall occurs somewhat quickly, and produces the dramatic effect of having the walls and ceilings nearly finished, the process of taping and texturing these surfaces to make them ready for paint, wallpaper, or other textures is necessarily slow. A drywall contractor may require a week or more to properly prepare an entire house. In addition, few other contractors can complete their work during this phase of the finishing process.
Typically, from this point to a home's completion, the various trade contractors that once worked side-by-side must now operate in sequence. Carpenters, for instance, install the cabinets and countertops before the appliances and plumbing fixtures can be connected and finished.
Meanwhile, the painting contractor waits for the trim carpenters to finish before he can cover their work. And imagine how many faceplates, switch plates, light fixtures, and other finishes need to be fastened in place to complete the electrical system, not to mention carpeting and other floor finishes, tile work, and plumbing fixtures.
The laborious rate at which this stage of construction occurs can test the patience of any homebuyer. To help ease any anxiety or mystery, we often schedule opportunities to walk through a new home with our buyers, pointing out the understated progress going on in the latter stages of construction to assure them that their home is nearing occupancy.
Understanding the rhythm of homebuilding, from dynamic beginnings to the precision of its completion, helps our clients establish reasonable expectations and appreciate the realities of the construction process.
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