Climate Change and Real Estate

What climate change got to do with real estate? It all started out at homes. The electricity generated by buildings sector contributes one-third of the greenhouse gas emissions. According to Pew Center for Climate Change, buildings sector accounts for 43% of total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions [chart below].

image: Pew Center on Global Climate Change

As you can see from the chart above and breaking it down further, the real estate industry that includes commercial and residential accounted for a total of 38% of total CO2 emissions in 2002. Residential sector produces 21% of CO2. To put it in context, in total electricity spew about 38 % of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere -- mostly come from electricity generated in homes, offices and industrial buildings -- that power everything from heating and cooling, fixtures, lighting, appliances, computers, and cell phones. That is one-third of the total U.S. CO2 emissions! Hello?

Okay, here is the thing Realtors don't build homes, they sell. Builders, are supposedly in the forefront of this carbon footprint because they build homes. How many energy-efficient homes being built in this area? Very, very few...if any. Knowing what we know about how greenhouse gas emissions causing the average global temperatures to rise, why haven't more low-energy (smart) homes being built? I found it intriguing to see why builders haven't done more beyond installing energy-efficient appliances? Costs? Yes, there's that. But the difference won't be much. Then, the marketing side of it.

When you think about it, it is much easier to start from scratch in building low-energy homes (or even zero energy homes) than to retrofit later.

Now we know that there is virtually no limit on how high energy prices can climb. We saw crude oil price passing the 'psychological' mark of $100 yesterday. That got every one on the econ pundit lists talking about the possibility of recession. In real life, how is it going to impact you? It will have an impact on 1) your 'disposable income', and 2) because of that, you now have to 'seriously' take a hard look at how well you manage your finances.

image: Energy Information Administration

When it hits our pocketbook badly, we have no choice - but, to react. Control spending (now?)... er, reduce expenses. At home, that means, spending less money on energy bills. The common dollars and cents approach to be energy-efficient.

It's only a matter of time before we see the interest into home energy conservation techniques - to spike up. Energy efficiency (inside the home) first before even thinking about going solar.

The good news. When we apply energy conservation at home, it reduces the strain on the grid. The move is not only help to cut our energy bills, but also reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. And, it helps save the environment we live in.

UPDATE: If you haven't read it yet. Dominion Power receives the blessing from Virginia environmental regulators and U.S. Forest Service the tentative okay (whatever that means) to build a clean coal plant in Wise County. Clean coal? I don't buy that. Guess what? Plant construction is to meet the demand in Northern Virginia. [source: Bristol Herald]

image: MSNBC

Technorati Tags: energy-efficient,climate change,al gore,global warming,NAHB,zero energy home,environment,pew center global climate,carbon dioxide,CO2 emissions,GHG,smart energy homes,new homes,retrofit,solar homes,renewable energy,NAR

Comments

[Mark D. Tyrol]

How To Reduce Your Heating Bills This Winter / Energy Conservation Begins at Home

Imagine leaving a window open all winter long -- the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan or AC Return, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.

These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause heat to pour out and the cold outside air to rush in -- costing you higher heating bills.

Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. Most homeowners are well aware of the benefits caulk and weatherstripping provide to minimize heat loss and cold drafts.

But what can you do about the four largest “holes” in your home -- the folding attic stair, the whole house fan or AC return, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.

Attic Stairs

When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square feet) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only a thin, unsealed, sheet of plywood.

Your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors. In the winter, the attic space can be very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And what is separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned attic? That thin sheet of plywood.

Often a gap can be observed around the perimeter of the door. Try this yourself: at night, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door -- do you see any light coming through? These are gaps add up to a large opening where your heated/cooled air leaks out 24 hours a day. This is like leaving a window open all year round.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling.

Whole House Fans and AC Returns

Much like attic stairs above, when whole house fans are installed, a large hole (up to 16 square feet or larger) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only leaky ceiling shutter between the house and the outdoors.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a whole house fan cover. Installed from the attic side, the whole house fan cover is invisible. Cover the fan to reduce heating and air-conditioning loss, remove it when use of the fan is desired.

If attic access is inconvenient, or for AC returns, a ceiling shutter cover is another option for reducing heat loss through the ceiling shutter and AC return. Made from R-8, textured, thin, white flexible insulation, and installed from the house side over the ceiling shutter with Velcro, a whole house fan shutter cover is easily installed and removed.

Fireplaces

Sixty-five percent, or approximately 100 million homes, in North America are constructed with wood or gas burning fireplaces. Unfortunately there are negative side effects that the fireplace brings to a home especially during the winter home-heating season. Fireplaces are energy losers.

Researchers have studied this to determine the amount of heat loss through a fireplace, and the results are amazing. One research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall heating-energy consumption by 30 percent.

A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter due to the air leakage and wasted energy caused by fireplaces.

Why does a home with a fireplace have higher heating bills? Hot air rises. Your heated air leaks out any exit it can find, and when warm heated air is drawn out of your home, cold outside air is drawn in to make up for it. The fireplace is like a giant straw sucking the heated air from your house.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a fireplace draftstopper. Available from Battic Door, a company known for their energy conservation products, a fireplace draftstopper is an inflatable pillow that seals the damper, eliminating any air leaks. The pillow is removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after.

Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts

In many homes, the room with the clothes dryer is the coldest room in the house. Your clothes dryer is connected to an exhaust duct that is open to the outdoors. In the winter, cold air leaks in through the duct, through your dryer and into your house.

Dryer vents use a sheet-metal flapper to try to reduce this air leakage. This is very primitive technology that does not provide a positive seal to stop the air leakage. Compounding the problem is that over time, lint clogs the flapper valve causing it to stay open.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal. This will reduce unwanted air infiltration, and keep out pests, bees and rodents as well. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint and moisture to escape.

If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan, an AC return, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, you can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.

Mark D. Tyrol is a Professional Engineer specializing in cause and origin of construction defects. He developed several residential energy conservation products including an attic stair cover, an attic access door, and is the U.S. distributor of the fireplace draftstopper. To learn more visit www.batticdoor.com

[KELLINewman]

I strictly recommend not to hold off until you get enough amount of cash to order all you need! You should take the credit loans or student loan and feel yourself fine

[Jordan Hydro]

Floods, droughts, pollution and climate change have created even more problems. It is important that China play an increasingly prominent role on climate change. right??

[Dubai Property]

Well, it's a totally new information for me and I wasn't aware of that before and now I have understood that why cities with tall buildings are so hotter than villages.

[solar attic fan]

Temperatures now a days are reaching its extremes. The main reason is Global Warming. When temperature increases the power consumption towards electricity increases. With this effect glad to hear that smart inventions innovated a panel that supplies energy without the use of power electricity instead the direct heat from the sun's rays was converted to energy.

[Jason Anders]

With the installation of Hot Air Generators in our workplace, we actually reduced our energy bills.
http://suiden.com/en/products/hot_air_dryers....

[Atlanta Gutters]

We can't avoid that there are things to consider in making everything neutral despite the fact that it still exists. Climates certainly changes from day to days. Sometimes business depends on the climate of the day.