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Eco-Home™ Network Open House FORUM
AN ALTADENA HIDEAWAY Sunday, February 27th, 2005 • 1 – 4 PM E-HN members Free. Guests $5 per person At the home of RSVP: Peter Morgan, TreePeople, (818) 623-4873 Our first Open House Forum for 2005 is special in more than one way: first, it’s the first Forum we’re doing in collaboration with the TreePeople and second, it’s the long awaited opening of the home of Eco-Home™ Network Treasurer and Volunteer Coordinator, Jan Hoag, and her husband Ralph Zenger for an Open House Forum. The home was built in 1921, with bedroom and dining room added in 1934. When Jan first saw it in October 1999, it was such a run-down fixer-upper that the realtor who showed it to her apologized afterwards, saying that if she had known what bad shape it was in she would never have shown it to her. What she didn’t know was that it was just the kind of challenge that would most excite Jan’s creative imagination. By this time Jan had been a member of the Eco-Home™ Network for over 8 years and on the Board of Directors for 7, steeping herself in information about sustainble building and remodeling. She leapt at the chance to transform the humble little Altadena hideaway (only 950 sq. feet, plus detached guest room) into a small gem of eco-renovation. Occupied by Jan and Ralph and their two big dogs, Sam and Missy, it’s a shining example of minimizing the footprint of our buildings, a key principle in sustainable building. Not that Jan or Ralph had heaps of money to invest in this project, but they had some, and Jan had watched the slow progress of the eco-renovation of the Eco-Home™ environmental demonstration home, and realized it took more knowledge and persistence than money to make a home sustainable. After escrow closed in November and the place was hers, they proceeded, as time and funds allowed, to make the home more energy efficient with:
A whole house fan is mounted in the attic, in an opening into the house. When turned on, the fan draws cooler outside air in through strategically opened windows (or even doors), into and through the house, and exhausts it out the attic. Obviously, for this to be effective, the air outside needs to be cooler than the air inside the house, which it generally is by the time they get home from work in the summer. The other consideration is adequate venting in the attic, otherwise the motor will burn up. There is usually a chart on the box indicating the size of the fan, the size of the house it will work best for, and the attic ventilation needed. They got the smallest size available, and it is more than enough. Many homeowners install their fans themselves, and it’s not difficult, but, because of the oddness of their house and attic beams, they chose to hire someone who really knew what they were doing. Jan and Ralph feel a definite improvement in the comfort level of the house both summer and winter after making all these energy efficiency improvements. Floors They replaced the dirty old carpet covering the plywood subfloor in the detached guest room with carpeting made from recycled PET (soda) bottles. Jan remarks that it cleans up beautifully with a damp soapy cloth (or borrowed rug shampooer). The kitchen floor is “real” linoleum obtained at Linoleum City in Hollywood where they have a large selection, and will do the installation. According to Jan, the hardest part was deciding on the color. “Ralph kept pleading color-blindness whenever the color issue came up,” she laughs. “I ended up walking around among the huge rolls of linoleum which were standing up like a forest, until one of them reached out and grabbed me (well, sort of). “The dogs are able to run around on the linoleum without doing much noticeable damage, and it seems to clean up very well. The only problem is the few times I polish it with the Taski Vision Matte Acrylic floor polish provided by Linoleum City it looks great, but is too slippery for the poor dogs!” The paint used indoors is zero VOC Frazee ”Envirocoat) and/or ICI “Lifemaster 2000”. The “Envirocoat”, used five years ago didn’t cover as well as the ICI paint, which they have used more recently. Appliances Water Conservation The vegetable garden (which cannot legally be watered with graywater) has a drip system on a timer. Jan apologizes in advance for her failure to plant a winter garden this year because of other demands on her time. The Eco-Home™ Network Board of Directors and many friends, relatives, and business associates of Jan’s can testify to the fact that their summer vegetable garden can produce an over-abundance of excellent organic food, having been the pleased recipients of much of its excess production over the years.
The front yard is all drought tolerant landscaping. Maintenance consists mainly of cutting things back occasionally and trying to get rid of the ivy planted by a former owner. A lemon tree manages to thrive on few, but deep, waterings. Mulch is used to conserve water in the soil and discourage weed growth. Recycled Plastic Decking
The Splurge She had assumed that gas heating would be more energy and financially efficient, but was convinced by the spa salespeople that with the insulation under the spa shell, and the insulated cover, an electric heater was more practical. Waste water from the spa is used to irrigate various trees and flowers in the yard. The Baqua Spa chemicals used are bromine-free and chlorine-free and don’t seem to adversely affect the plants. Alternative Energy
The total cost for the 2kW system was $19,000; with the $8,000 rebate obtained through Southern California Edison, the actual cost was $11,000. A state tax credit for that year of $1,670 brought their final cost down to $9,330! Their “net metering” set-up allows the electric meter to run backwards when Jan and Ralph’s rooftop panels produce excess energy, above and beyond what they’re using. The excess goes into the utility-owned power lines to power other homes. The utility’s purchase of their excess energy appears as a credit on their energy bill which they receive only once a year! “We had a good time that first year keeping track of our energy usage and watching our meter spin backwards (except when the spa was on!)” Jan remembers. Although she claims, “We’re not nearly so obsessed now,” she is quick to announce that even with the spa kept hot most of the time, their electric bill for one full year was $178.00! This bill will be on display at the Open House! Still to do:
Jan and Ralph hope to see you all there, so don’t hesitate, call right now to register for the event, as we will be limiting attendance to 150 people and that includes our membership and TreePeople’s as well. So don’t get left out! Call Peter Morgan at (818) 623-4873 now to register! Raffle Dogs Directions: Thomas Guide pg. 535 J-5 To take public transit, call the MTA at 1(800) 266-6883 and give them your starting point, the address of your destination and the time you want to arrive. It's also a good idea to estimate how long you'll be staying and get the bus schedule for the return trip, too. Sunday schedules are often less frequent than weekdays. Resources Linoleum City (323) 469-0063 Water-Based floor finishes Basic Coatings, Inc. (515) 288-0231 Aglaia Natural Paints WeatherBos (800) 664-3978 Recycled Plastic/Wood Lumber Alternative Energy |
