Restoring History – Protecting Our Future

“What use is a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?” – Thoreau

by Matt Grocoff, founder Greenovation.TV, contributor to The Environment Report on Public Radio, and the greenovation guru for Old House Web

The full article is available on OLD HOUSE WEB

When my wife Kelly and I bought our 110 year old Folk-Victorian home in Ann Arbor’s Old West Side Historic District, it was a dream come true: drafty old windows, lead paint, zero insulation, a half-century old furnace, asbestos siding, a gas powered mower in the shed and even a few pieces of coal scattered around the back yard. What more could a couple ask for?

From the start we knew that homes use an astonishing 22% of energy consumed in the U.S. In fact, your home uses far more energy than your car. Home energy costs have skyrocketed to an average of $2200 per year. Old homes use even more than their fair share of the energy pie. . . .

But using resources to build big new “green” homes to save resources just seems ironic. There are 130 million existing homes in the U.S.; half were built before 1972.

So, retrofitting America’s old homes is not just about preserving history, it is indeed about protecting our future.

READ MATT’S FULL ARTICLE AT OLD HOUSE WEB

And . . . here’s helpful resources you must explore before starting your Mission Zero:

One Block Off the Grid http://1bog.org/

Joolze.com http://www.joolze.com/

Transcript

Matt: [at front of old Victorian house] Hi, I’m Matt Grocoff, the green renovation expert for Old House Web and host of greenovation.tv and this is my house.  So when my wife Kelly and I first bought this 110 year old folk Victorian house, it was a dream come true: it had lead paint, asbestos siding, zero insulation and even an old gas powered lawn mower out in the shed.  What more can anybody ask for.

Matt: [in living room] So on move in day we brought two things with us:  a crowbar to rip up all the old carpet and a box of compact fluorescent light bulbs.  We replaced every light socket in this house with compact fluorescents and then we added motion sensors to every light switch in the house.  We leave a room, if we forget to turn it off, it turns it off for us.

Matt: [in bathroom] So at the start of our renovation project, this was the only bathroom in the house.  It was fantastic.  It had pink Formica tiles, an old flush toilet that flushed 5 gallons every time.  This is a Caroma Dual Flush Toilet which only uses .8 gallons every flush and unlike our old toilet never clogs.  But not only have we made it look great, but we’ve made it way more energy efficient.

This is a 1-minute a gallon showerhead.  This is going to use a gallon and a half a minute less than an ordinary showerhead.  This will literally save thousands of gallons over its lifetime.

Matt: [backyard drilling for geothermal] I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say “I thought you couldn’t put geothermal into a historic house.”  Well this house proves that wrong.  We were able to put three 150-foot bore holes vertically into the back yard on a very small piece of property.  Not only do we have a heating and cooling system that uses half the energy of our neighbors, we have a house that’s a whole lot more comfortable.

Matt: [in living room] We’re out to prove that old houses can be the Greenest houses. In fact, with all the renovations we’ve done so far, we’ve made this house ultra efficient and we’ve got a ways to go.  We’re going to take this house all the way to Net Zero.  Meaning it’s going to produce more energy than it uses.

Matt: [at the computer] So you eco geeks, get ready to get geeked out because this is our WattVision Google Power Meter.  And this will tell us how much energy we’re consuming at any given moment.  If everyone knew how much energy they were using, they would probably use a lot less.  [I'm coming to get you, I got you, I got you] Before we get the solar panels up on the roof, you can see we’ve got a lot of work to do.

Matt: [pointing to house exterior] We’ve got to paint the house, restore these old windows, then top it off with some really energy efficient storm windows.  My daughter Jane will probably still be alive when this house turns 200 years old.  So restoring America’s old homes is not just about preserving history, it’s about protecting our future.   So for Old House Web, this is Matt Grocoff reminding you that, “The Green Revolution Begins at Home”

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Check out the house’s website at www.MissionZeroHouse.com

America’s oldest Net Zero Energy residential restoration

Michigan’s first Net Zero Energy house

America’s first Net Zero home restoration in a historic district

What is Net-Zero Energy?

A Net-Zero Energy Home (also called Zero Energy Home) is a home that produces as much or more energy than the occupants consume.  This is accomplished by first reducing energy demand, typically by 60% – 70%, then meeting that demand by adding on-site renewable energy.

www.MissionZeroHouse.com

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In home improvement projects, the popular eco-friendly products are not always the best solution.  Lester Graham has the story of a home improvement intervention.

Kevin Leeser was not happy with the floors downstairs in his one-hundred year old house.

[Transcript of Lester's story for the Environment Report on public radio - Watch video above to see Kevin refinish his floors and see the gorgeous results]

CLICK IMAGE TO LISTEN TO RADIO STORY

Kevin Leeser:  Well, weve lived here five years and just over the five years theyve started to get grayer and you can tell that the finish was in the high traffic areas—you could tell where we were walking it looks like we were hamsters walking through this place.

Lester Graham:  This is maple, right?

KL: Pfft.  Yeah, thats what they tell me.

Kevin toyed with the idea of finishing the maple floors but that sounded really involved.

And then the in-laws visited during the holidays.

KL: My mother-in-law was like “Why dont you get new floors.” (laugh)  And I was like “well, yeah”, it would be easier, cause the things I was concerned about were sawdust, and cause I have a newborn, just dirtying up the house and figured just getting some clean stuff, cutting it outside, sticking it down and be done with it.

LG: So, wanting to be eco-friendly, he thought hed put down bamboo flooring.  Bamboo is renewable and it grows fast and its pretty popular these days.

Then his neighbor stopped by.  Matt Grocoff the eco-friendly home improvement guy with www.Greenovation.TV who had some eh—thoughts about Kevin’s plan.

Matt Grocoff: And, I, like, practically smacked him in the face and I said “What are you thinking?”  This is a gorgeous floor.  Go rent yourself a sander or even hire someone for a few hundred bucks to strip the floor and then refinish it.

LG: So, you’re not a big fan of bamboo?

MG: Bamboo is a great product if you have to do something new.  You have to ask a question: do you need that new product or do you have something that works now and just needs to be renewed.

Oh, yeah.  Reduce.  Re-use.  Recycle.  So, Kevin’s wife, Lauren and their baby were away for a few days.  Kevin rented a sander and then started looking for an eco-friendly sealant for his maple floors.  Matt had an idea for that.

MG: Kevin’s using a natural oil from BioShield which is a mixture of tung and linseed oil that is so easy to use.  It’s easier to use than even a low-VOC or zero-VOC polyurethene finish and easier to maintain in the long run.

And in the end renting the sander, buying sanding pads, buying the floor sealant, paint brushes and all that stuff ended up costing Kevin about HALF of what it would have if he put down bamboo.  Not a bad deal.

But the big question what did his wife, Lauren, think of the refinished old floors.

Lauren: It looks absolutely beautiful and we didnt have to get new floors.  Win, win.  We love it.  Beautiful.

Matt Grocoff says he was sure Kevin and Lauren would be happy, because he did the same thing at his house.

MG: The first thing that I did when we finished with our floor is I took a glass of red wine when we were celebrating and I poured half a glass of red wine on the floor and my wife was like “What are you doing?!”  And I was like, “look, were going to spill wine on it eventually, lets see what happens now.”  The wine beaded up on the floor.  We took a little sponge, wiped it clean and its gorgeous, five years later.

LG: That’s Matt Grocoff with Greenovation.TV.  Thanks, Matt.

MG: Lester, this is always so much fun.  Im glad to be doing it.

LG: That’s The Environment Report.  I’m Lester Graham.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

Bioshield Natural Paint & Oil Finishes (In the story Kevin uses Bioshield Hard Oil #9)

Safecoat Paints and Finishes

Home Depot Tool Rental

The U.S. Green Building Council

The EPA’s site on green building techniques

LISTEN TO THE RADIO STORY: The Environment Report

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by Lester Graham (transcript from radio story on The Environment Report)

When you’re planning a home improvement project, you can be overwhelmed with decisions about the right materials, the right quality, and the right design. Trying to keep it eco- friendly on top of everything else just adds to the confusion. Lester Graham reports it can be as simple as finding a label:

Julia Weinert and her boyfriend like the idea of making their place nice, but even something as simple as painting causes concerns.

Look for Forest Stewardship Council for sustainably harvested wood

LG: “Well, you’re in luck. We’re at the local Home Depot and we just happen to have Greenovation.TV’s Matt Grocoff here. Matt, you’ve got some advice for her.”

MG: “And it’s really, really simple. When you’re trying to find a paint that’s healthy for you or another product, you shouldn’t have to be a chemist when you go to the store. There’s a really simple thing you can look for. Just look for the simple GREENGUARD label. GREENGUARD is an independent organization that lets you know with a simple label that that product is safe for you.”

So, none of the really strong paint smells that mean polluting chemicals are being released. GREENGUARD Environmental Institute sets indoor air standards for products and buildings. Julia and I sniffed a can of paint WITH the GREENGUARD label, and then one without.

LG: “I’ll let you sniff first.”

JW: Okay. Oh! Yeah! Oh my gosh! That is ridiculous. I mean, it smells so much stronger than this one. You can’t even smell that one compared to this one.”

A gallon of paint with the GREENGUARD label DOES cost a few dollars more, maybe as much as ten bucks.

Matt then herded us to another part of the store, the plumbing section, where Julia and I were confronted by all kinds of shiny chrome and brass faucets.

Greenguard establishes acceptable product standards for building materials, interior furnishings, cleaners, electronics and children’s products

JW: “There’s a whole wall, a whole aisle of faucets here and I just don’t know which ones to look for.”

LG: “So, Matt. You got any fancy labels here?”

MG: “Absolutely. Again, if you’re looking for that eco-friendly option, a way to save yourself some money and some water, it’s simple. Just look for the WaterSense label. The EPA does EnergyStar labels for appliances. The EPA also does WaterSense label for plumbing fixtures.”

WaterSense means the fixture – whether a faucet, shower head or toilet – will use less water but still works well.

As we wandered over to the lumber section of the store, Matt told us the last label he wanted to show us is the most ignored label – and it might just be the most important one.

MG: “FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council. And what that means is they’ve made a commitment that they’re not going to be tearing down forest and clear-cutting them in order for you to build some bookshelves in your home. This is one of the biggest causes of greenhouse gases is that we don’t have these forests capturing this carbon any more. Instead of having to have a PhD in forest management, you can just simply look for a piece of wood that has an FSC label on it.”

So, labels. Julia says, works for her.

JW: “It’s going to be great, taking my boyfriend around the store and showing him all these cool things I can get to make our home improvements a little more cheap and environmentally-friendly.”

LG: “Alright remind me, go over this again. What am I supposed to be looking for?”

MG: “It’s very simple. If you’re looking for paint, look for GREENGUARD. For plumbing, WaterSense. For lumber, FSC, Forest Stewardship Council certified.”

LG: “That’s Matt Grocoff, Greenovation.TV. Thanks again, Matt.

MG: “Lester, it’s always a pleasure. Thank you.”

For The Environemnt Report, I’m Lester Graham.

TRUST THESE LABELS:

Energy Star – means it’s energy efficient

WaterSense – means it’s water efficient

FSC Forest Stewardship Council – means you can trust that it didn’t come from a forest that was clear cut

Greenguard / Green Seal / for healthy indoor air quality (read the warning labels and compare)

Cradle to Cradle – means it uses environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material reutilization, such as recycling or composting; the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency; efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production; and instituting strategies for social responsibility.

SCS / Scientific Certification Systems

Consumer Reports on Eco-Labels: http://www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels

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Greenovation Remodel Project Lead by Dr. Anna Marie, Health Specialist for The Weather Channel, Features State-of-the-Art Solar Metal Roofing

“Besides qualifying for energy rebates, there are many benefits to using painted aluminum roofing,” said Michael Smith, vice president of sales and marketing for OneSource Coil Coaters.

Dr. Anna Marie, Health Specialist for the Weather Channel and host of the nationally syndicated better living show Your Life with Dr. Anna Marie, is transforming her energy-sucking 1970’s Florida-style ranch home into an eco-friendly, energy and water efficient, and ultimately healthy home. The Greenovation of Terra Verde is showcasing the latest technological advances in solar metal roofing with the help of OneSource Coil Coaters, ASI Building Products and Kelly Roofing and Energy Savings Solutions.

Solar metal roofing on barn at Terra Verde

OneSource Coil Coaters is providing Terra Verde with Regal White painted aluminum that is Energy Star® Rated and features a reflective rating of .68 for the barn and the house. The combination of the reflectivity number and a high emissivity rating of .88 means the Regal White paint will not heat up over 100 degrees even on those days when it is 95 degrees under a hot Florida sun. The Regal White painted aluminum roof doesn’t allow heat in the attic, thus keeping the attic and the rest of the home cool.

As a result of the Stimulus Package signed in February of 2009, homeowners who make energy efficient updates to their home – the installation of a painted or coated Energy Star® labeled metal roof included – between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010 may be eligible for a tax credit worth 30 percent of the installation costs (materials only) up to $1,500 per home over the two-year period.

“Besides qualifying for energy rebates, there are many benefits to using painted aluminum roofing,” said Michael Smith, vice president of sales and marketing for OneSource Coil Coaters. “It is light weight, durable, corrosion resistant, energy efficient, aesthetically appealing, and infinitely recyclable. Nearly 75 percent of aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in use today, and 95 percent of aluminum used in buildings is recycled. An aluminum roof can easily give 50 years and even upward to 100 years, of service before replacement needs considered.”

OneSource Coil Coaters worked with ASI Building Products, both Florida-based businesses, to provide the new aluminum roofing with a thin-film PV that absorbs energy from the sun. Power generated from the thin-film PV surface goes directly to meeting the home’s energy needs.

“ASI Building Products offers an affordable standing seam roofing system that harvests clean renewable solar energy,” said Cookie Brickman, vice president of ASI Building Products. “A thin-film solar laminate is fused to the surface of the metal roofing panel, eliminating the unsightly solar panels and any penetrations into the roof, which means no leaks.”

Kelly Roofing and Energy Savings Solutions in Naples, Florida, installed the new metal roofing on Terra Verde. Ken Kelly, president of Kelly Roofing and Energy Savings Solutions, estimates that 50 percent of his business in 2009 was metal roofing, up from just 9 percent in 2008. Kelly attributes this to:

•Asphalt shingle prices, historically the least expensive roofing product available, have experienced 16 price increases in a row to the point where they are now very close to the price of metal. Since metal is a far superior system customers are replacing their roofs with metal. Metal lasts more than twice as long as shingles with a minimal difference in price. Shingles are asphaltic, an oil refinement byproduct, and as the price of oil rises so does the price of shingles.

•The $1,500 tax credit granted through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 is another motivator. Now certain metal roof systems are actually less expensive than asphalt shingles with the tax credit.

•More metal being installed makes metal more acceptable. Metal used to be viewed as an architectural or industrial system. Not anymore. With over fifty profiles to chose from and countless colors, metal is applicable to any building design.

•Storm protection. After the 2004/2005 record setting hurricane seasons Florida residents discovered what we knew all along. Metal was, by far, the best roof system for protection. With virtually zero metal roof failures across the state, insurance companies and roofing contractors started recommending the system more.

Terra Verde (Green Acres) sits on 23 beautiful acres adjacent to the Ocala National Forest. From the original single pane metal framed windows to the heating oil tank buried in the front yard, this energy inefficient home has been untouched since the first concrete block was laid almost forty years ago. For more information and to follow the progress on the Greenovation of Terra Verde can be followed on www.terraverdetv.com.

Dr. Anna Marie has been a broadcast television correspondent for over a decade. By combining her medical training, broadcast experience and interest in helping people live full and healthy lives; Dr. Anna Marie has become a popular source of medical information on television today. Since 2003, Dr. Anna Marie has partnered with The Weather Channel to provide millions of viewers with health living information to help keep the effects of weather from impacting their everyday life.

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More and more communities are looking for better ways to manage their urban forests. Whether that means seeking more eco-friendly options, or supporting more local initiatives, or both, developing a program to reclaim community wood will assist in reaching those goals.

Urbanwood isn’t really much different from traditional wood. It’s durable, beautiful and renewable. The only difference is that it doesn’t come from typical forests or lumber yards. Rather, it grows in backyards, parks, and neighborhoods.

John "Sawmill John" Haling is an urban sawyer in Michigan. Photo by Peter Hoffman.

Unfortunately, trees removed from our cities are often seen as waste, and generally end up in a chipper. Urbanwood programs seek to end this cycle, by working to save logs. This creates a wide variety of green products, conserves resources, and supports local jobs.

Turning an urban tree into a finished product is labor-intensive, but well worth the effort. Hazardous trees are removed due to death, disease, or development. Quality logs are handpicked and set aside. Local mills process the logs one at a time to preserve each one’s unique character. The lumber from this “waste” wood becomes beautiful furniture or flooring for your home.

Furniture made from urban wood by designer Paul Hickman

The U.S. Commerce Department found that 73,000 American furniture jobs were eliminated between 2000 and 2002. During the same period, U.S. sales of Chinese-made furniture exploded from $405 million to $5.82 billion.

Municipalities and urban areas can reach their environmental and think-local-first goals with an urbanwood program in more than one way. The most important aspect is to promote the highest and best use of a community’s wood resources. Secondly, by capturing the lumber value contained in trees and utilizing it within the communities it came from, jobs are created and dollars are kept right in the neighborhoods.

According to Jessica Simons, a project coordinator for the Southeast Michigan Resource Conservation and Development Council’s Urbanwood program, “Southeastern Michigan’s dead urban trees could produce enough lumber to build 362 average-sized homes each year.”

Urbanwood is a natural choice for green building projects, because it conserves resources by keeping good wood from going to waste. Since all harvesting, processing, and sales happen locally, urbanwood products create fewer transportation emissions than other eco-friendly options.

In addition to the environmental and economic benefits, programs are rewarded through building connections between producers and end users. Urbanwood programs also increase the opportunity to enhance public understanding of sustainable working forests and landscapes.

Kitchen cabinets made from dead urban ash trees

To learn more about urbanwood programs that are currently in operation all over the country, visit the following Web sites:

Southeastern Michigan (http://urbanwood.org),

Mid-Atlantic region (http://www.urbanwoodexchange.org),

Los Angeles (http://www.urbanwoods.net),

Chicago (http://illinoisurbanwood.org)

Seattle and San Francisco (http://www.urbanhardwoods.com).

Jennifer Eschelbach is a GreenovationTV Contributing Writer and in charge of outreach for the The Environmental House Energy & Green Building Resource Center (EnHouse) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The EnHouse is a comprehensive resource and touring facility dedicated to furthering the causes of green building, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Jennifer is currently working on her second bachelors degree from Eastern Michigan University in Urban and Regional Planning.  She loves the smell of energy efficiency in the morning.
Music featured in video by Josh Woodward (Creative Commons)

Photos courtesy Paul Hickman and Peter Hoffman

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Listen to Matt’s story on The Environment Report syndicated on NPR stations nationwide.

We know that a hardware store sells hardware.  So, what in the world does a ReStore sell? . . . . It sells any kind of RE you can imagine: REducing, REusing, REcycling .

Habitat ReStores are retail outlets which help you restore your house for a fraction of the cost while helping out a great cause.  In addition to

Bathroom made with reused material from reuse centers: mirror, clawfoot tub, sink, marble floor, picture frame, moldings, plumbing parts, cabinets, antique doors and paint Photo by Dave Lewinski

raising funds for Habitat for Humanity, ReStores help the environment by keeping quality, usable materials out of landfills and putting them back into good use.

Materials sold by Habitat ReStores are usually donated from building supply stores, contractors, demolition crews or from individuals who want to support Habitat for Humanity and keep stuff out of landfills.

When our very own Dr. Anna Marie renovated her home in Florida, she donated all of the old cabinets and appliances to her local Habitat ReStore (watch the video).  When Kelly and I needed reclaimed brick for our patio, salvaged lumber for our moldings, antique doors and a claw foot tub for the new bathroom, an outdoor fireplace, plumbing supplies, and even tools, we found it all (and more) at the ReStore and saved tons of money.

Reuse centers like the ReStore can be found in virtually every community in North America (see below to find a store near you).  They are a green remodeler’s dream come true and a perfect way to reach the goal of zero waste.

You can literally build an entire house from materials from a reuse center.

You’ll typically save 50% – 90% by skipping the big box stores and finding what you need at a ReStore.  So, use fewer natural resources, keep good stuff out of landfills, help a charity and save a little money . . . You can’t beat that.

Check out The Story of Stuff if you’re not already convinced about reuse.  You’ll definitely want to check out all the cool stuff over at the great new website www.AltUse.com if you’re looking for alternative uses for stuff you’ve got laying around the house but can’t bring yourself to drop by the ReStore.

by Matt Grocoff

Related Links:

Habitat ReStore Directory – United States

Habitat ReStore Directory – Canada

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Click Here to listen to our shower head segment on The Environment Report syndicated on public radio stations nationwide

POP QUIZ:

Which of These Household Items Wastes the Most Energy? HINT: It’s the one without the plug

a. Refrigerator

b. Dishwasher

c. Plasma Screen with Surround Sound

d. Showerhead

Wasting Shower Water Wastes Energy

We Americans really love our showers.  We shower more often and longer than any other culture on the planet (see below for useless facts about shower habits). To enjoy our drenching showers, the average household annually spends $400-600 on water-heating, which doesn’t include the additional $300 spent on water bills.

By 2013, 36 states are expected to experience catastrophic water shortages.  But, if don’t care that 900 million people globally don’t have access to clean drinking water, maybe you’ll have some compassion for that $100 bill in your wallet.

It’s easy to forget that saving water in the shower is actually saving energy.  After your heat and a/c, your showerhead and sink faucets are the second biggest energy hogs in your home.

The good news is there is a really simple solution, even if you can’t afford to upgrade your water heater.  Replacing your current showerhead with a state-of-the-art low flow will save you between 40% – 70%. [Translation: $100 to $220 per year]

State-of-the-Art Low Flow Showerheads Really Satisfy

Let’s be honest.  The original low flow showerheads really sucked.  There’s a Seinfeld episode where Kramer is forced to go to the black-market to find a shower head made for circus elephants, just to avoid the lame performance of the poorly designed low-flow installed by his landlord.

But, the latest generation of high-efficiency shower heads are engineered to feel the same or better than your old-school energy hog of a showerhead.  They are also stylish.  In fact, high-end hotels like Paris Las Vegas and Ceasar’s Palace are using Bricor shower heads which use as little as 1.25 gallons per minute.  If it’s good enough for the suite as Ceasar’s, it’s good enough for your shower at home.

Check out the list below of what some of the manufacturers are offering in high-performance low-flow showerheads.

The Math of Showerheads

Click here to calculate how much you can save

Non-conserving showerheads (pre-1992) use 5 to 8 gpm, consuming up to 64 gallons of water for a single 8-minute shower. That’s more than an entire tank of hot water.   If your showerhead is old enough to vote . . . it’s time to replace it.

Here’s the math:

Average U.S. household shower use (based on assumption of three 10-minute showers per day)

SAVINGS PER HOUSEHOLD USING A 1.5 Gallon Per Minute showerhead

Useless Facts About Showering Habits

Peeing in the shower once a day can save 1,000 gallons of water per year

63% of Americans shower at least once a day

11% shower more than once a day

1% less than once per week

Men tend to shower more often than women

Favorite way to save water: Showering together

Sixty percent of Americans share a shower area with a spouse or significant other

25 percent share space with children, and 17 percent allow guests to use their shower

GTV recommends these high efficiency showerheads which use 1.75 gallons or less:

Bricor – 1/2 gallon to 1.5 gallons per minute options  A Greenovation favorite (but tough to find retail)

Available at Natural Abode

Price: $109

Hansgrohe – 1.6 gpm A Greenovation Best Buy

Available at NeedPlumbingSupplies.com

Price: $27.55

American Standard Flowise – 1.5 – 2.0 adjustable

Available at Home Depot

Price: $48.75

High Sierra Showerhead 1.5 gpm

Price: $24.95 – $29.95

Kohler – Forte’ 1.75 gpm

Available at Home Depot

Price: $63.71

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Photos Courtesy of Dave Askins

If you want to save some energy, one of the first appliances to target is your washing machine.  You could buy yourself a high efficiency front loading washer and really save some energy and water.  Or, if you’re as committed as Dave Askins, you could build your own washer out of some reused parts and power the washer with your own calories.

Dave's Amish Handcranked Washer

This is not some proof of concept or some demonstration project.  This is actually how Dave does his laundry.  On his website, HomelessDave.com Dave has tracked every bicycle powered load of laundry he’s done since July 2007 (149 and counting).

To be fair, Dave doesn’t use his bicycle to power his entire wash, spin and rinse cycles.  He gets a little help from the Amish.  For the wash cycle he uses an Amish-style “James Handwasher.”  It washes clothes, not hands.

The bicycle helps Dave spin the clothes dry without using a labor-intensive, and inferior, hand-cranked wringer.

Once he realized his system worked, Dave added an electric power generator so that he could watch TV or DVDs while he does his laundry. 

For answers to all your questions about building your own pedal-powered washer visit Dave’s website . Dave Askins is the publisher of the Ann Arbor Chronicle.

How Dave Did It . . .

From www.HomelessDave.com

Additional documentation is organized based on these three elements. [Click here for details on electric power generation.  This is how Dave can watch "J.J. The Jet Plane" while he does his laundry]

Modifying the Washer (unbolting stuff)

(1) Remove the white metal shell from the washing machine.

(2) Remove the electric motor from the washing machine frame.

(3) Remove the pulley from the motor shaft.

(4) Detach the drain hose that leads from the tub to the pump.

(5) Remove ‘brakes’.

(6) Save the belt from the pulley.

Discussion:

Tension Roller

(1) Notes (Remove the white metal shell from the washing machine): Just unscrew every nut/screw you can find. Most of them are pretty accessible. Be prepared to cut some electrical wires. What you want is the part you see pictured above. Or something like it.

(2) Notes (Remove the electric motor from the washing machine frame): This will require navigating a wrench into very tight spaces. It pays to have a very small socket driver. When you’re tearing out the motor, preserve the tension roller arm [cf. picture]. This is important for keeping the drive belt on the pulley under high rpms.

(3) Notes (Remove the pulley from the motor shaft) The motor I dealt with was attached to the shaft with a tension pin. I knocked it out with a nail set. There may be two pulleys on the same motor shaft, one driving the washer and one driving the pump. The one you want is the one driving the washer.

(4) Notes (Detach the drain hose that leads from the tub to the pump) The automatic washer is set up to feed the draining water to a pump, which is then typically pumped up into one of those large laundry sinks. You’re not going to be pumping anything, so you want the water to run straight out of the tub into the bucket you will eventually set up, something like this:

Drain Detail

(5) Notes (Remove ‘brakes’): Mounted under the tub, there may be little wedges designed to ‘brake’ the tub in the event things get out of control. Get rid of these and anything else that obviously interferes with the free rotation of the tub. The washer I modified had little brake pads housed as indicated in the photo:

Brake Detail

Modifying the Trainer (drilling stuff)

(1) Get some tension pins.

(2) Get a drill bit to match.

(3) Drill three evenly spaced holes through the pulley.

(4) Position the drilled pulley onto the flywheel so that it’s perfectly centered.

(5) Drill through the flywheel.

(6) Hammer in the tension pins

Discussion:

(1-6) Notes: Take the pulley you’re going to drill to your local hardware store (in Ann Arbor, my choice is always Stadium Hardware) and say something like: “I’m going to drill through this three times and I need to put tension pins in there.” You will leave with a drill bit and three matching tension pins. Buy four pins if you plan to drop one where you can’t find it. There’s probably some quick and dirty way to lay out three evenly spaced holes on the pulley using some trick from middle-school geometry that I don’t know. I used Photoshop and printed it out. The pulley might have a flat side and a curved side. Because the flywheel to the bike trainer resistance unit is likely flat, use the rule: flat goes against flat. CRUCIAL: the holes can’t go through the ‘flangey’ part of the pulley … that’d put pins in the way of the belt. As you can see from the detail shot below, you might break off a drill bit, if you’re not careful (look at the right side). It’s important that these holes be ‘straight’, that is to say at a 90 degrees angle to the surface of the pulley. I used a drill guide attachment to my hand-drill for this. A drill press would be better. Probably the best strategy is to drill the holes through the pulley first, then go for the holes through the flywheel, using the pulley as a template.

Tension Pin Detail

How do you position the pulley on the flywheel so that it’s perfectly centered? Long story short, I eyeballed it. I helped myself out by spinning the flywheel and using a Sharpie permanent marker to scribe several concentric circles onto the flywheel for additional visual reference points. I also gently rotated the flywheel (after turning the flywheel on its side) with the pulley resting where I thought it looked centered, and evaluated if it seemed centered under slow rotation. I epoxied the pulley in place, so that I didn’t have to worry about slippage during drilling of the flywheel.

Preparing the Interface (positioning stuff)

(1) Position the bicycle training-stand and the washer in a configuration you estimate will work.

(2) Take a piece of string as an ersatz belt to get an estimate of how long your belt will need to be.

(3) Take the old belt and your measurement (or just the string) to your hardware store and ask for one just like it but longer.

Drill Plywood

(4) Place the two back feet on predrilled plywood pads.

(5) Drill spaces for the washer feet and place big plywood under the washer.

(6) Install the belt with the training stand resting on the big plywood.

(7) Test out the configuration a bit.

(8) Drill holes for the training stand feet.

Discussion (1-8):

The belt drive requires a fixed distance between the two pulleys. The idea here is to engineer a plywood base to keep the bicycle training stand and the washer at a fixed distance. The washer feet furthest away from the training stand need not be a part of the rigid mechanism, but they need to be padded so that the washer isn’t off balance. The rotation of an automatic washer’s spin cycle is, as best I can tell, directional. Figure out which direction it’s supposed to go. Put the twist in the belt (necessary to convert vertical spin into horizontal spin) accordingly.

The Dirty Laundry (the downside of this project)

I initially used this configuration for about 10 loads of laundry over the course of two weeks (that’s 30 spin cycles, as I spin the clothes out between each of two rinses in the hand-cranked washer). I was quite enthusiastic about the results and I still am. I imagine I’ll keep doing the majority of our household laundry with this method long into the future. Before embarking on a similar DIY project, I advise others to consider:

(1) It takes above-average strength and conditioning to pedal the original configuration of gears I set up. Over the course of about a minute, I was able to accelerate to 50 rpms, and then sustain it for 3-4 minutes. The bicycle gearing was roughly 2:1. The ratio of the circumference of the roller contacted by the bicycle tire to the tire itself is roughly 1:25. The ratio of the drive pulley’s circumference to the working pulley is around 1:4. So the rough aritmetic for the laundry tub is (50 x 2 x 25) / 4 = 625 rpms. I don’t know what the original rating for this particular model was (I don’t know what model is was, for one thing), but when I called GE’s customer service phone line, the representative looked up a few different motor ratings for me (and by the way, that customer service rep really impressed) and from that I concluded that the range of spin-cycle rpms is something like 450-650 rpms. So this configuration spins on the high side of average. Ideally, you’d want to be spinning the pedals closer to 90 rpms, so that it’s an aerobic effort, stressing the joints less, etc. With the gearing on the original configuration, spinning the tub at a normal spin cycle speed required slow grinding of the pedals. [Update: swapping the double-ring crankset with a triple ring sporting a very small inner ring, allowed a gear ratio of close to 1:1, resulting in a pedaling rpm of close to 90.]

(2) The rider of this configuration needs to try for a super-smooth pedal stroke. Violent accelerations within the pedal stroke lead to slippage between the bicycle tire and the resistance roller. Cycling shoes that clip to the pedals (you pull up as well as push down) help to smooth this out. Still, extra concentration is required.

(3) The resistance unit itself, even on its lowest setting (if it’s a magnetic unit) will sap energy from your pedaling that could go into spinning laundry. At least the resistance on a magnetic unit (which mine was) is typically adjustable. A fluid-resistance unit would typically offer no such adjustment. [Update: I completely removed the magnetic resistance unit and replaced it with an additional drive pulley to power an electric generator.]

(4) The resistance unit will pretty much be ruined for regular indoor bicycle training even if you leave it in place. This comes from the fact that the pulley mounted to the flywheel is likely going to be off-center enough that under the higher rpms typical of an indoor training session, it will cause the unit to emit an unholy noise. Mine did, anyway.

April-Fresh Goodness: (the upside of this project)

(1) Gray water recycle-ability: I empty that bucket from the spun laundry into a toilet tank.

(2) Zero electricity for entire laundry load if you dry on a rack.

(3) Drying puts moisture into the indoor air (good in winter).

(4) Exertion on the cycle is a good workout.

(5) Exertion on the cycle throws off heat into the indoor environment (good in winter, not great in summer.)

Bear in mind for future adaptation of indoor training resistance units:

(1) Precise centering of pulley.

(2) Elimination of resistance unit resistance.

(3) Use bicycle with a granny gear to increase pedaling rpms.

Ideas:

(1) Manufacturers of resistance trainers: build V-belt groove into flyweel.

(2) Mount pulley on the bicycle wheel on the opposite side of the gear cluster.

(3) Pedal-powered laundrette in student dormitories.

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Vice President Biden Unveils Report Focused on Expanding Green Jobs And Energy Savings For Middle Class Families

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Vice President Biden unveiled Recovery Through Retrofit, a report that builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job opportunities and boost energy savings by making homes more energy efficient.  Joining the Vice President today were Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy; Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor; Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and Karen Mills, Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

At a Middle Class Task Force meeting earlier this year, the Vice President asked the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to develop a proposal for Federal action to lay the groundwork for a self-sustaining home energy efficiency retrofit industry. In response, CEQ facilitated a broad interagency process with the Office of the Vice President, eleven Departments and Agencies and six White House Offices to develop recommendations for how to use existing authority and funding to accomplish this goal.  These recommendations are described in detail in the Recovery Through Retrofit Report.

“Recovery Through Retrofit is a blueprint that will create good green jobs – jobs that can’t be outsourced, and jobs that will be the cornerstones of a 21st-Century economy,” said Vice President Biden. “And, thanks to the Recovery Act’s unprecedented investments in energy efficiency, we are making it easier for American families to retrofit their homes – helping them save money while reducing carbon emissions and creating a healthier environment for our families.”

“This report builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job and business opportunities for the middle class while ensuring that the energy efficiency market will thrive for years to come,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “An aggressive program to retrofit American homes and businesses will create more work, more savings, and better health for middle class Americans.”

Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent per home and lower total associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually.  Retrofitting existing homes also has the potential to cut home energy bills by $21 billion annually.  Yet, despite the real energy cost savings and environmental benefits associated with improving home energy efficiency, a series of barriers have prevented a self-sustaining retrofit market from forming.  These barriers include a lack of access to information, financing and skilled workers.

The recommendations and actions in this Report have been carefully designed to help overcome these barriers and to leverage Recovery Act funding to help ensure that the energy efficiency market will thrive long after the Recovery Act money is fully spent.

Some recommendations in the report include:

• Provide American Homeowners with Straightforward and Reliable Home Energy Retrofit Information: Consumers need consistent, accessible, and trusted information that provides a reliable benchmark of energy efficiency and sound estimates of the costs and benefits of home energy retrofits.
• Reduce High Upfront Costs, Making Energy Retrofits More Accessible: Access to retrofit financing should be more transparent, more accessible, repayable over a longer time period, and more consumer-friendly.
• Establish National Workforce Certifications and Training Standards: A uniform set of national standards to qualify energy efficiency and retrofit workers and industry training providers will establish the foundation of consumer confidence that work will be completed correctly and produce the expected energy savings and benefits.  Such standards should incorporate healthy and environmentally friendly housing principles, as outlined in the report titled, the Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Promote Healthy Homes (2009).  Proper certification and training standards will ensure that retrofitted homes are healthy homes.  Consistent high-level national standards will spur the utilization of qualified training providers that offer career-track programs for people of all skill levels, promote and expand green jobs opportunities and facilitate the mobilization of a national home retrofit workforce.

To read the full report and recommendations, please go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Recovery_Through_Retrofit_Final_Report.pdf

“As Secretary of Labor I’m working to help build the clean energy economy of tomorrow by investing in our workers today,” said Secretary Solis “Training for green jobs can empower workers to climb the career ladder, sustain a family and provide a secure retirement. Through Recovery through Retrofit, we’re committing to meet the needs of workers, employers and homeowners, so we can shape our clean energy future into one that supports working families and is inclusive of the diversity of our nation.”

“I am proud to join my colleagues today in announcing Recovery through Retrofit,” said Secretary Donovan. “It will allow us to work closely together to remove barriers to creating more energy efficient homes for American families.  This initiative will not only lead to cost savings for homeowners and reduce negative environmental impact, but will also be a powerful vehicle for economic recovery by creating quality middle class jobs and lasting neighborhood benefits. This is another demonstration of HUD’s commitment to creating jobs for the new economy in high growth industries by encouraging and investing in “green” building and energy retrofits.”

“This initiative will not only result in considerable cost savings for homeowners on their energy bills, but also put resources in the hands of green sector small businesses who will in turn create good-paying jobs in communities across the country,” said SBA Administrator Mills.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, who was unable to attend this event due to travel added, “This is the Recovery Act at work.  Communities will benefit from good jobs, families will benefit from lower energy bills, and we will all benefit from reduced air pollution and a growing green economy. Our Energy Star program can help families cut up to 30% off their energy bills — saving the average household more than $700 a year through efficiency investments.  EPA is proud to be working with all of our partners to help people save money when they need it the most, and build a new foundation for prosperity through a growing green economy.”

The Department of Energy today also announced $454 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for energy efficiency efforts nationwide.
The Department is now accepting applications for a new $390 million “Retrofit Ramp-Up” program that will deploy innovative approaches to energy efficiency building retrofits. These Recovery Act funds will help create new partnerships to deliver energy bill savings to entire neighborhoods and towns.  Bringing energy retrofits to whole neighborhoods at a time will simplify the process for homeowners and significantly reduce costs. When applied on a national scale, the program could save billions of dollars annually in utility bills for households and businesses and create thousands of jobs across the country. In addition, the Energy Department announced $64 million in energy efficiency funding for cities, counties, and Indian tribes.

“The Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative is designed to slice through the barriers identified in this report – inconvenience, lack of information, and lack of financing – and to make energy efficiency easy and accessible to all,” said Secretary Chu.  “We want to make our communities more energy efficient, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood — eventually expanding to entire cities and states.  We can literally bring energy efficiency to the doorsteps of the American people.”

Separately, the Department of Energy will accept state proposals to use State Energy Grant or Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant funds for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) pilots.  This is an innovative model which allows communities to provide financing to homeowners to install renewable energy systems and retrofit buildings that can be paid off over time on their property tax bills.  Today, the White House is announcing a “Policy Framework for PACE Financing Programs” developed through an interagency process to ensure that effective homeowner and lender safeguards are included in PACE programs.

To read the framework, please go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/PACE_Principles.pdf

To ensure implementation of the Recovery Through Retrofit Report’s recommendations, CEQ will continue to convene an interagency Energy Retrofit Working Group which will be co-chaired by the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Agriculture.

The group will track the progress of the Report’s recommendations, develop additional strategies to support expansion of the retrofit market, including recommendations for rental housing, and operate as the single point of contact for the implementation of this effort.   Within thirty days, the group will submit an implementation plan to the Vice President.  Moreover, the group will report to the Vice President regularly on its progress toward implementing each of the recommendations identified in the Report.

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by Jennifer Eschelbach, EnHouse – GreenovationTV Contributing Writer

When it comes to improving the efficiency of your windows, replacement is helpful but is not always the most cost effective solution.  Replacement windows can cost between $500 per window for cheap (and worthless) vinyl to $1,000 per window for high end (and far more efficient) Pella or Anderson brands.

Several simple remedies can help improve the efficiency and comfort level in your home. Windows were originally designed to look good while letting in the light and the view. But old windows are lousy at keeping your home cozy. Please don’t fret . . . there are easy ways to improve the efficiency of your existing windows.

If you’ve got really old windows with sash weights, watch this video from This Old House to learn how to use a “spring balance” to replace that sash weight and leave room to add insulation in your window cavity.

In the meantime, check out these ridiculously easy and cheap solutions to make your windows a little more friendly this winter.

Solution #1: Window Treatments:  Cost $0 (if you use your existing shades)

Window treatments are one of the cheapest ways to modestly improve efficiency.  Keeping shades open can reduce the need for artificial lighting.  But window dressings can also be used to reduce heat loss in the winter (at night), and heat gain in the summer (during the day).

Common energy-saving window treatments include interior blinds, draperies and shades. Interior blinds, either either horizontal or vertical, are a good choice because the slats can be used to control light and ventilation. However, this option is most effective in the summer months for reducing heat gain.

Draperies are effective during heating and cooling seasons, though their effectiveness is dependent on color and fabric. During the summer months, drapes should remain closed during the day to prevent heat gain. In the winter months, close all of your drapes at night.  During the day, close any drapes that don’t receive any daylight to reduce heat loss. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, closing drapes during cold months can reduce heat loss in a room by up to 10%.

Shades are another valuable tool to combat both heat loss and heat gain. In the summer, lower shades on sunlit windows to reduce heat gain, and in the winter raise shades on the south side of the house during the day and lower them all at night. Dual shades which have one highly reflective side and one absorbing side, are extremely effective, because they can be reversed with the seasons. The reflective side should always face the warmest side, out during the summer and in during the winter. Utilizing window treatments is a good first step toward maximizing the efficiency of your windows.

Solution #2: Caulk: Cost $5

Products such as caulk, rope caulk and window insulation kits may also improve efficiency. Use caulk and rope caulk to seal air leaks in and around windows. Caulk is a lasting solution for sealing cracks and gaps that are about one-quarter-inch wide.

For a more flexible remedy, rope caulk can be applied in the winter and easily removed in the summer. Rope caulk can be used to seal airflow in window tracks, seals and any other drafty spots.

You can easily add some insulation to old windows that have sash weights.  Check out this video from This Old House to find out how.

Solution #3: Insulation Kits: Cost $11.99

Finally, you can add a second layer of glazing to the inside of your windows with a plastic window insulation kit. By adding a buffer against drafts and extra sill air space you can cut down on heat loss and boost your home’s ability to hold heat. If installed and removed carefully, window insulation kits can be reused for several years.

Windows add to the character and appeal of a space. Replacing them can be costly and unnecessary. Before deciding to invest in replacement windows, try these tips to improve efficiency. Consider what the payback might be for replacing windows, and make an informed decision.

WHERE TO BUY:

Insulating shades:

Rope Caulk:

Window Insulation Kits:

Jennifer Eschelbach is a GreenovationTV Contributing Writer and in charge of outreach for the The Environmental House Energy & Green Building Resource Center (EnHouse) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The EnHouse is a comprehensive resource and touring facility dedicated to furthering the causes of green building, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Jennifer is currently working on her second bachelors degree from Eastern Michigan University in Urban and Regional Planning.  She loves the smell of energy efficiency in the morning.

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So you’ve adjusted your thermostat, you put in the compact fluorescent bulbs . . . you even composted a plastic potato fiber fork from the local burrito joint.  But, how can you stay comfortable, reduce your energy use and lower your bills this winter . . . without breaking the bank?

3 Energy Savers for Under $100:

1.  Use your head:
High efficiency shower heads
$25 – $85 – Pays for itself in 3 – 7 months

No longer do you need to drain your hot water tank in order to get the shampoo out of your hair.  While delivering the same high-performance and comfort you expect, the new generation low flow shower heads use a full gallon per minute (gpm) less than a traditional shower head and up to 3.5 gallons per minute less than models from the 1980s.  That means that a family of three can save over 11,000 gallons of hot water per year just by installing a 1.5 gpm shower head.

If you decide to keep your old shower head, it will cost you an extra 300 kilowatt hours annually, enough electricity to power your television for about a year.  That’s enough to pay for your new shower head.

Hansgrohe EcoAir 1.5 gpm

American Standard FloWise 1.5 gpm

Kohler Forte’ 1.75 gpm

2.  Kill the vampire:
Smart power strips
$30 – $100 – Pays for itself in 7 – 14 months

When you’re not watching TV . . . it sucks.  No kidding.  Even in the “off” mode your television still draws electricity from the socket.  With new smart power strips, when you turn off your computer or television all of your peripherals shut down as well – killing that vampire power.  Just click your remote and viola’ . . . the smart power strip shuts down your Wii, your surround sound and all those other gadgets which are useless when your TV is off.

3.  Hire a light fairy
Vacancy sensor light switches
$20 – $40 each – Pays for itself in

“Who left the @$#&!! lights on again?!!  I’m not your light fairy!!”  Enough screaming at the kids to turn out the lights.  About 60% of lighting costs goes toward lighting empty rooms.  So, it’s time to get yourself some high quality vacancy sensors.

The sensors detect when a space becomes vacant and turn lighting off automatically after a preset time delay elapses. Users manually turn lights on or off at any time by operating the ON/OFF button.  California now requires smart lighting switches like these in all new homes.

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Like the “SAVE WATER . . . . Shower Together” t-shirt on the homepage?  You can buy it at Zazzle.com

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