Comments for Net Zero Energy Vermont http://www.netzeroenergyvt.net Opinions & ideas on energy use, climate change, and the economy in Vermont Thu, 23 Dec 2010 23:53:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Comment on Building Energy Statistics – Do they make sense? by NZEB Nut http://www.netzeroenergyvt.net/2010/11/building-energy-statistics-do-they-make-sense/comment-page-1/#comment-50 NZEB Nut Thu, 23 Dec 2010 23:53:45 +0000 http://www.netzeroenergyvt.net/?p=481#comment-50 Clearly when talking about a buildings energy use, square footage matters, at the same time usage makes a difference. A warehouse and a data center will have vastly different energy usage for the same square footage. What I like about NZEB is that much of these distinctions do not really matter. I advise my clients to focus on the cost per watt of installed renewable energy and use it to evaluate the value of the proposed energy use. Is the hot tub worth the cost of the solar PV needed to power it over the year? Are all these windows worth the added cost of the PV? Only the owner and occupants are able to provide valid answers these types of questions. One does not have to eliminate comfort or change a life style to have a NZEB. A natural balance is achieved when one is forced to make a capital investment at the beginning for all of the energy that will be used in the foreseeable future. The capital cost of NZEB focuses the attention on value. Clearly when talking about a buildings energy use, square footage matters, at the same time usage makes a difference. A warehouse and a data center will have vastly different energy usage for the same square footage.
What I like about NZEB is that much of these distinctions do not really matter. I advise my clients to focus on the cost per watt of installed renewable energy and use it to evaluate the value of the proposed energy use. Is the hot tub worth the cost of the solar PV needed to power it over the year? Are all these windows worth the added cost of the PV? Only the owner and occupants are able to provide valid answers these types of questions. One does not have to eliminate comfort or change a life style to have a NZEB. A natural balance is achieved when one is forced to make a capital investment at the beginning for all of the energy that will be used in the foreseeable future. The capital cost of NZEB focuses the attention on value.

]]> Comment on Net Zero Energy and Innovation by Net-Zero Energy Buildings: Semantic Antics http://www.netzeroenergyvt.net/2010/09/net-zero-energy-and-innovation/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Net-Zero Energy Buildings: Semantic Antics Sun, 31 Oct 2010 02:47:12 +0000 http://www.netzeroenergyvt.net/?p=421#comment-46 [...] have written before about my aversion to thinking of net zero energy as a single end point. I tend to think of net zero energy as a mindset rather than a single end point. True, there are [...] [...] have written before about my aversion to thinking of net zero energy as a single end point. I tend to think of net zero energy as a mindset rather than a single end point. True, there are [...]

]]> Comment on Bill Gates TED discussion on Energy and Zero carbon footprint by Bill Gates and Zero, A Second Take http://www.netzeroenergyvt.net/2010/02/bill-gates-ted-discussion-on-energy-and-zero-carbon-footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Bill Gates and Zero, A Second Take Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:12:02 +0000 http://www.netzeroenergyvt.net/2010/02/bill-gates-ted-discussion-on-energy-and-zero-carbon-footprint/#comment-10 [...] Bill Gates’ presentation on the importance of Zero, I quickly tweeted and posted a link to the Gates’  2010 TED conference video share my dismay and so others could watch for themselves. As excited as I was by Gates’ [...] [...] Bill Gates’ presentation on the importance of Zero, I quickly tweeted and posted a link to the Gates’  2010 TED conference video share my dismay and so others could watch for themselves. As excited as I was by Gates’ [...]

]]> Comment on Building Energy Metrics by Pat Heffernan http://www.netzeroenergyvt.net/2010/03/building-energy-metrics/comment-page-1/#comment-7 Pat Heffernan Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:39:02 +0000 http://www.netzeroenergyvt.net/?p=253#comment-7 What would it take to take an inventory and develop an Energy Utilization Index (EUI) for the existing buildings in the state of Vermont? In the UK they are working on setting an aggressive goal to become net zero within 10 years, and the government is supporting the goal with hard-cash incentives for homeowners. (Zero-carbon building in the UK http://bit.ly/cg0m6u) What would be the first step toward doing the same thing here in Vermont? What would it take to take an inventory and develop an Energy Utilization Index (EUI) for the existing buildings in the state of Vermont?

In the UK they are working on setting an aggressive goal to become net zero within 10 years, and the government is supporting the goal with hard-cash incentives for homeowners. (Zero-carbon building in the UK http://bit.ly/cg0m6u) What would be the first step toward doing the same thing here in Vermont?

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