| Greenbuilding Archive for April 2001 |
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| 307 messages, last added Tue Nov 26 17:25:17 2002 |
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RE: [GBlist] Zero Energy House on Washington Mall (fwd)
Title: RE: [GBlist] Zero Energy House on Washington Mall (fwd)
Ok, I'll bite. Why isn't your device offered? Price? Installation Cost? Value? It would be great to hear from the builders on this one.
-----Original Message-----
From: Dr. Carmine F. Vasile [mailto:gfx-ch@email.msn.com]
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2001 12:21 PM
To: Del Deletetsky
Cc: Lisa Barnett; Mike Buckwald; John Lebo; Donald R. Clem; Constructive
Individuals; Greenbuilding; Rolf Butters
Subject: Re: [GBlist] Zero Energy House on Washington Mall (fwd)
Hello Dell: Thank you for reminding me of America's favorite
"Energy-Shell-Game" for new construction.
Are you aware that the biggest use of energy in some Bigelow homes is
for hot water, yet they tout a "$200" guarantee limited to space heating?
Sadly, this sales-pitch precludes energy-efficient Combi's from Bigelow
homes because hot water usage can range from 3,000 to 10,500 kWh/yr for
families with 2 to 7 members, according to a 1994 E-Tech heat pump water
heater publication: "Questions and Honest Answers".
Bigelow is able to make a "$200" sales pitch, independent of family
size, by touting "tight" construction & ignoring the worth of hot water
energy wasted down "loose" drains --- perhaps 80% x 6618 = 5294 kWh/yr for
some heavy users, according to the AD Little report summarized @
www.oikos.com/gfx/bundles.html.
To see this, pick any common, tank-type water heater used in more than
1.5-million new homes built each year to value: 3000 to 10,500 kWh = 10 to
36 million Btu = 100 to 360 Therm ---
a) $255 to $892 @ 8.5-cents/kWh, 100% conversion (electric);
b) $231 to $808 @ $1.72/Gallon, 55% conversion (oil);
c) $167 to $586 @ $1.25/Therm 8.5-cents/kWh, 76% conversion (gas).
Therefore, many more energy-dollars go down some Bigelow drains than
into the air outside Bigelow homes, yet how many of their customers are told
this?
We were also attracted by the green-image portrayed by Bigelow, only to
become extremely frustrated after Don Clem, Sr., Architect @ Steven Winter
Associates, had designed our DHR system (GFX) into Ryan's award-winning home
and a "tight" SIPS house for Habitat for Humanity. (See
www.bobvila.com/yonkers/gfx_ny.htm)
The Ryan house won a green-building award, yet DHR is absent from
thousands of other homes they build each year. Although GFX was featured on
a Bob Vila TV series about aYonkers Habitat Blitz-Build, it's absent from
thousands of homes Habitat builds each year. Similarly, Bigelow refused to
offer DHR to their customers. To Bigelow & Ryan & Habitat add other major
builders of some 1.5 million new homes per year without DHR &
energy-efficient, tankless-Combi's like that illustrated @
www.oikos.com/gfx/combi.html.
Carmine
=====================================================
WaterFilm Energy Inc.; P.O. Box 128; Medford, NY 11763
Voice: 631-758-6271 [Fax: 631-758-0438]
Email: gfx-ch@msn.com Web: http://oikos.com/gfx/
=====================================================
----- Original Message -----
From: "Del Deletetsky" <rpdeletetsky@ucdavis.edu>
To: "Constructive Individuals" <constructive@cwcom.net>;
<greenbuilding@crest.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2001 7:01 PM
Subject: Re: [GBlist] Zero Energy House on Washington Mall (fwd)
> Just wanted to mention that some of the best energy efficient houses for
> mass consumption are Bigelow Houses in Chicago. They credit their success
> with good insulation/very well sealed joints that make the house very
tight.
> Bigelow was offering guarantee that total space heating needs would not
> exceed $200 for the entire winter in Chicago, one of the nation's coldest
> winter climates.
>
> Del Deletetsky/Community Development Graduate Group
> University of California
> 2333 Hart Hall
> Davis, CA 95616-8523
> Phone (916) 488-0194
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Constructive Individuals <constructive@cwcom.net>
> To: <greenbuilding@crest.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2001 2:39 PM
> Subject: RE: [GBlist] Zero Energy House on Washington Mall (fwd)
>
>
> >
> >
> > "Don Bradley, President of Solar Strategies, Inc., a home builder for
> > solar homes for nearly 15 years has partnered with manufactured housing
> > companies to offer low-energy homes whose energy bills do not exceed
$600
> > per year. This $100,000 two-story home will then be shipped to
Virginia."
> >
> > ..HOW MUCH??!!
> >
> > We're doing low-cost low energy 3-bedroom houses in the northern UK with
> > annual projected energy bills of less than ?150 (about $220 I think) and
I
> > can't imagine our energy prices are high in comparison... why are costs
so
> > high over there?
> >
> > Phil Bixby
> > Constructive Individuals
> > www.constructive.mcmail.com
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