Electricity produced from the sun is a key component of our program to build healthy energy efficient and zero energy homes. The cost of solar electricity has dropped to a point that it is affordable and if combined with high tech energy efficient building practices can create energy independence for the home owner.
From what I am reading these days the cost of solar electricity will continue to drop in the next few years to a point where it will be no more expensive than electricity produced from dirty sources such as natural gas and and coal.
The all electric home is the future of home building. Imagine having no utility bills, no heating or cooling bills, and being able to plug an electric car into the home’s electric system. All of this is possible today and will save the home owner tens of thousands of dollars over the life time of the house.
Another, and the most important, reason to build an energy efficient home is the environment. A super insulated, air sealed home, sited to the south for passive solar heating and lighting uses much less energy than a conventional home. The addition of solar electricity and solar hot water can create total energy independence for the home owner and reduce heat trapping carbon emissions to zero.
What could be better? A home that is energy independent does not contribute to global warming, and saves the owner tens of thousand of energy dollars over time. Yes that is why we design and build green energy efficient homes.
In future posts I’ll link to web sites that report on the advancements in building and renewable energy technology. While we in the USA are behind in the take up of efficiency and clean energy there are a dedicated core of forward thinking environmentalists, builders, and renewable energy people who are working for change. Energy efficient homes and renewable electricity will contribute to the shift that is underway to a world powered by renewable energy.
