Searching for Green Homes

In the fight for greater energy efficiency, much of the attention has been focused on making automobiles more economical. The importance of the developments made by that concentration cannot be understated, as fuel-sipping cars such as the Prius and Volt begin to flex their muscles on the market, but undue negligence has been paid to another major source of carbon emissions: the American home. Until just recently, this contributor to climate change was left blissfully unaltered in the move to a more carbon conscious society. However, thanks to advancements in technology, increased emphasis and additional government backing, Americans are finally beginning to “clean up” their homes.
A tremendous amount of the energy consumed by homes and other building goes toward the control of its private climate—the heating or cooling of the interior rooms. According to Energy Star, a joint program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, up to fifty percent of energy consumed is used in this manner. Energy Star also recommends several ways in which the efficiency of the home can be improved, ranging from scheduling regular HVAC tune-ups and sealing heating/cooling ducts to installing advanced thermostats that allow the homeowner to adjust settings remotely. Taking any combination of these steps, or even just one, will help the homeowner not only save money, but likewise reduce their carbon footprint.
Whereas Energy Star helps the average American find practicable ways in which to minimize his emissions, the EPA provides more accessible data on the relationship between homes and the environment. In an attempt to force Americans to think macroscopically, they include the important connection between the home and the larger power grid, stating in their piece about the dangers of unfettered electricity consumption, “different power plants use different types of fuel, and a power plant that runs on coal emits more greenhouse gases per unit of electricity than a power plant that uses natural gas.” Thus it is important to turn out unused lights not just to reduce personal pollution, but also that involved in the production of electricity. Another source of household-based emissions most likely don’t consider are the wastes of the home; but we should all think twice about the garbage we generate, as the average American contributes 1,060 pounds of CO2 equivalent gasses from trash creation and destruction alone.
In tough economics times such as those from which the United States is just now emerging, paying for the technology to make their homes more efficient is not a realistic proposition. However, the Obama administration has made this a top priority, and worked with Congress to create several tax incentives for people to go green. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act encouraged Americans to make “improvements such as adding insulation, energy efficient exterior windows and energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems.” Similar credits were created for the purchase of electric plug-in vehicles and the conversion kits required to prepare homes for such cars. The Act also had language providing like benefits for the installation of private solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps and wind turbines.
The biggest problem of the last decade was the sole emphasis by the ecological community on improving the efficiency of vehicles. While this does much to reduce one’s carbon footprint, much more could be done if each person were likewise tasked with making their home more eco-friendly. With the government now behind such projects full bore, thanks in large part to the efforts of the Obama administration, there is new cause for hope. If due attention is paid to the work being done by Energy Star, the EPA and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, perhaps homes of the future will all be “green”.

Works Cited:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_home.html

http://bit.ly/GOb3Uk