SEE (SUPER ENERGY EFFICIENT) HOUSING for Existing & New Homes

Information

Learn and share what SEE housing is all about, and how it goes far beyond most “energy efficient housing” being built in the U.S. today. Importantly, the concepts behind SEE housing can be easily applied to existing/older as well as new homes.

Location: Windham, Maine
Members: 83
Latest Activity: Sep 14

SEE (SUPER ENERGY EFFICIENT) HOUSING

The purpose of this group is to introduce and explain the concept of SEE (Super Energy Efficient) housing. Such homes go way beyond the National Building Code recommended insulation standards (that vary for different zones in the U.S.) They are also at the extreme end of energy efficiency, as supported by the Energy Star Housing Program. SEE standards can easily be adapted for new construction as well as for renovating older existing homes. Virtually every home in the U.S. can become an SEE home. Just imagine, that if a new SEE home uses 75+% less energy for space heating than a new commonly built energy efficient home today, how much improvement can be achieved for an older less energy efficient home. Our homes and offices use 40% of the total energy consumed in the U.S. Adopting this single concept alone, can conservatively cut total U.S. energy use by more than 20% - - TWENTY PERCENT. This is ten times more than the limited potential of any new Alaskan oil fields and can begin producing energy savings within a matter of months - - energy savings that will never run out over time.

SEE housing has many compelling reasons why it will not be a choice, but a requirement for all housing - - both new & existing. They are also a good investment for one’s personal economic future. Find out about SEE housing and you will be sold on its concept & value. Then, find ways to help us promote the idea to friends and beyond!

The advantages of SEE housing are broad and will benefit everyone in some fashion. Individual buyers/owners of SEE homes & buildings will find they have a lower cost of ownership (principal/interest/taxes - - plus energy costs) than if they had the same home as a non-SEE structure - - ever more so as energy prices rise. Also, the value of their housing will surely rise faster than non-SEE housing.

The rest of us will all benefit from 1) less pollution, 2) lower energy costs, as less energy use will mean lower prices, and 3) a much sounder U.S. economy - - in the short-term as well as long-term. In fact, converting older housing to SEE standards will begin a whole new industry in the U.S. - - SEE remodeling. As such, it will get our housing industry back on line and build up our manufacturing base - - an area of the U.S. economy that has constantly been exported. Converting to SEE housing will add well-paying “non-exportable“ jobs to the construction, distribution, and manufacturing sectors. These jobs will be spread evenly throughout the U.S., wherever there are homes and businesses. This will bolster the U.S. economy, as the effect of every dollar added to the U.S. economy is multiplied by a factor of 10. Also, people not spending money on energy will mean they can buy in other areas of our economy - - saving/adding jobs. The result of all this will add to Federal Income Tax revenues - - again benefiting us all.

The next question of any doubters is who will pay for the conversion to SEE housing? Well, the “smart” home or building owner of course! They will initially pay a higher mortgage payment on their SEE home, but they will be more than reimbursed for those costs by their energy savings plus mortgage tax advantages. Bottom line, money not spent on energy will pay for SEE housing, while also improving our environment andkeeping energy costs down, and have a dramatic effect on improving our short-term & long-term economic outlook.

I am proposing SEE as a MAJOR, YET SIMPLE SOLUTION to many of the problems now facing our country. What now needs to happen is to get this information out to those within our society that can really help to get this concept going. We need to get politicians on board (from the Federal to the State level), add the concept of SEE to organizational efforts like the Picken’s Plan, and get each and everyone of us to understand and convince others of the value of SEE housing. All I ask of each and every one of you, that understand what I have proposed, is please help in any way that you can to promote SEE for all of our sakes?

I will periodically add to this site much more detailed support for all that I have briefly touched upon here. WELCOME ABOARD THIS INFORMATION TRAIN !

Discussion Forum

TOOLS, MATERIALS, RESOURCES, LINKS, DEFINITIONS, ETC. 19 Replies

Started by Monte Smith. Last reply by Anachronism Sep 12.

Mocking Up the ideal home 27 Replies

Started by Monte Smith. Last reply by Anachronism Sep 12.

Proven Passive Solar Heating And Cooling--25 years of use in Washington, Heat your home free! 1 Reply

Started by Anachronism. Last reply by Anachronism Sep 4.

SEE (SUPER ENERGY EFFICIENT) HOUSING - Chapter One 8 Replies

Started by Thomas Peterson. Last reply by Anachronism Aug 20.

WHOLE-HOUSE ENERGY CHECKLIST - 50 Steps to Energy Efficiency in the Home 2 Replies

Started by Mark J Warren. Last reply by James Everitt Aug 16.

National Clean Energy Project: Building the New Economy 3 Replies

Started by James Everitt. Last reply by James Everitt Feb 28.

How would you handle this? 1 Reply

Started by Thomas Peterson. Last reply by Allen R. Gale Feb 24.

A catalog of alternatives 5 Replies

Started by Jerome S. Dodge. Last reply by Jerome S. Dodge Feb 21.

SEE (SUPER ENERGY EFFICIENT) HOUSING - Author Biography 1 Reply

Started by Thomas Peterson. Last reply by Chris Lewis Feb 13.

Mandating SEE Building Standards For All New Construction 12 Replies

Started by Fred Mars. Last reply by Earl the Energy Explorer Feb 7.

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Comment by Robert Schultz on August 3, 2009 at 1:03pm: Take the Energy Star Pledge
By Alison Rogers - Mother Earth News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is teaming up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and parent-teacher organizations to train the next generation of eco-conscious citizens. Through the EPA’s Change the World, Start with Energy Star campaign, the groups will focus on teaching kids about global warming.

As part of the program, kids and their families will learn how to save energy by taking the Energy Star pledge, which includes switching to energy-efficient lighting, fully insulating homes, replacing energy hogs with more energy-efficient appliances and other home energy saving tips. Already, more than 2 million Americans have taken the pledge. According to Energy Star, if every American household followed suit, we would save $18 billion in annual energy costs.

Continue reading about the campaign at Energy Star's Change the World webpage.

"Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" is a national campaign encouraging all Americans to join with millions of others and take small, individual steps that make a big difference in the fight against global warming.

Take the ENERGY STAR Pledge

Comment by Kevin Espeseth on July 16, 2009 at 6:03pm: Ya, well try turning a home from a "record player"; that you have to keep buying "records" for (from the utility companies, the insurance company, the mortgage company) -each month-, to a machine that can MAKE money for the family, instead, and see how far you get.

Comment by Robert Schultz on July 15, 2009 at 3:58pm: States awash in stimulus money to weatherize homes
By PHILLIP RAWLS, Associated Press Writer Phillip Rawls, Associated Press July 15,2009

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Ready or not, states are getting a tenfold boost in federal money to weatherize drafty homes, an increase so huge it has raised fears of waste and fraud and set off a scramble to find workers and houses for them to repair.

An obscure program that installs insulation in homes and makes them more energy-efficient is distributing $4.7 billion in stimulus funds — dwarfing the $447 million originally planned by Congress this year and the $227 million spent in 2008.

That is enough to weatherize 1 million homes, instead of the 140,000 normally done each year.

President Barack Obama said pouring money into the program would lower utility bills for cash-strapped families, provide jobs for construction workers idled by the housing slump, and make the nation more energy-efficient.

"You're getting a three-fer," Obama said. "That's exactly the kind of program we should be funding."

But some worry states won't be able to keep track of the money.

Leslie Paige, spokeswoman for the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, said the program is open to fraud because of the way oversight is divided. The federal government passes the money to states, then states pass it to community action agencies, and the agencies pass it to contractors who work with customers.

"It's such a Rube Goldberg operation it should be setting off alarm bells," she said.

Energy Department spokeswoman Christina Kielich defended the program, saying the federal government monitors state operations and does a thorough review at least every two years of the local organizations. In addition, states are getting their money in increments and must demonstrate quality control to get more.

The program helps low-income families take steps to reduce their home energy expenses, from caulking leaky windows to replacing heating and cooling systems. The Energy Department says 6.2 million households have benefited since it began in 1976, saving the average household about $350 a year on energy bills.

In addition to receiving an infusion of stimulus money, the program was expanded to cover families making up to twice the federal poverty level, or $44,100 for a family of four. Also, the average amount that can be spent per house was more than doubled to $6,500.

The funding for New York is going up from $20.1 million last year to $395 million. California's share is soaring from $6.3 million to $185.8 million. Virginia's is going up 23 1/2 times, from $4 million annually to $94.1 million.

"I was stunned," said Shea Hollifield, Virginia's deputy director of housing. "Spending that much money will be a challenge."

In Texas, the state's share is increasing nearly 60 times, from $5.6 million to $327 million. To spend the money efficiently and on time, state officials decided to go beyond the community organizations that normally distribute it and route $100 million to large cities.

"They have experience in administering large, complicated programs," said Gordon Anderson, spokesman for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

States are hurrying to find qualified weatherization workers and caulk-ready homes.

Wisconsin set up weatherization "boot camps" to train workers. West Virginia used to give new workers on-the-job training but is now looking to move to classrooms and online.

Alabama plans to train home builders in how to bid for weatherization contracts. Russell Davis, vice president of the Alabama Home Builders Association, said builders who once had no interest in weatherization contracts now see them as a way to keep their crews busy.

In many states, qualified homeowners are already on waiting lists. But some states don't have enough recipients signed up.

"We are out of clients. We need clients bad," said Cade Gunnells, weatherization coordinator for three counties in central Alabama.

To help find them, states are updating Web sites about the expanded program and working with nonprofit groups, churches and the news media to get the word out. Charles Uptain, a 73-year-old retiree, had his Montgomery home repaired in the weatherized program last year. His utility bills went down by about $60 a month after workers fixed leaky windows, replaced cracked panes, re-taped air-conditioning ducts and blew in new insulation. Uptain's house required 2 1/2 days of work and slightly more than $3,000.

"This wasn't wasteful spending. This was well-spent money," Uptain said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090715/ap_on_re_us/us_stimulus_weatherizing_homes

Comment by Mark Hedtke on July 15, 2009 at 7:41am: Tom,
Here is a energy efficiency home tour that might be of interest at this link:
http://www.onlinetes.com/enews.cfm?id=1188
Your Friend,
Mark

Comment by Mike Anthony Fernald Sr. on May 13, 2009 at 2:00am: Hi ya Cheryl

Its good to see you, Hope all is well with you and Family. Have you fully recoved from your accident. I hope so :O}

Thanks for signing in and all yo do .

Mike

Comment by Cheryl Shuman on May 12, 2009 at 3:13pm: Thank you so much for inviting me to join your group! I'm looking forward to making a difference and getting to know all of you.

Kindest Personal Regards,
Cheryl Shuman
Beverly Hills, CA

Comment by Aaron on March 20, 2009 at 7:42pm: There's a great new site on the ning network for green building professionals and students...check it out: LEEDLoop.com

Comment by Kevin Espeseth on March 20, 2009 at 12:07pm: Sounds like a quick road to slavery / Big Brother to me "jimmy". "Don't worry, somebody else will wipe your a** for you. You have no reason to construct any responsibility for your actions, God will do that for you. -Use the force Luke!-

Comment by Mike Anthony Fernald Sr. on March 20, 2009 at 10:50am: You da Man James :o}

Comment by James Everitt on March 20, 2009 at 10:33am: In God We Trust - More Than A Motto?

In God We Trust: The Motto
One of the first found references of the motto “In God We Trust” is heard in the U.S. National Anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. The song was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 and later adopted as the national anthem. In the last stanza Key writes a variation of the phrase: “...And this be our motto: In God is our trust. And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” The words were shortened to In God We Trust and first applied to U.S. coins in 1864.

In God We Trust: The History
The U. S. Department of Treasury states “the motto, IN GOD WE TRUST, was placed on United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase received many appeals from devout persons throughout the country, urging that the United States recognize the Deity on United States coins.

From Treasury Department records, it appears that the first such appeal came in a letter dated November 13, 1861. It was written to Secretary Chase by Rev. M. R. Watkinson, Minister of the Gospel from Ridleyville, Pennsylvania. As a result, Secretary Chase instructed James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to prepare a motto, in a letter dated November 20, 1861:

Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition. It was found that the Act of Congress dated January 18, 1837, prescribed the mottoes and devices that should be placed upon the coins of the United States.”

Pollock suggested "Our Trust Is In God," "Our God And Our Country," "God And Our Country," and "God Our Trust." Chase picked "In God We Trust" to be used on some of the government's coins. The first time "In God We Trust" appeared on our coins was in 1864 on the new two cent coin, and by 1909 it was included on most the other coins. During the height of the cold war, on July 11, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Public Law 140 making it mandatory that all coinage and paper currency display the motto.

In God We Trust: The Foundation
American history demonstrates repeatedly that the nation was founded on Christian principles and its founding fathers wished to acknowledge that fact all over Washington D.C. buildings, in official documents, and historical speeches. Less than a hundred years after its Declaration of Independence, In God We Trust was proclaimed on its coins. America is a free nation, and freedom of religion is still guaranteed in the Constitution’s First Amendment.

President Thomas Jefferson wrote, "The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time" and asked ‘Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are of God?’"

The Bible says:

"It is better to trust the LORD than to put confidence in man" (Psalm 118:8).
"He has put a new song in my mouth, praise unto our God; many shall see it, and fear and will trust in the LORD" (Psalm 40:3, NKJV).

"It is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works" (Psalm 73:28 NKJV).

"The fear of man brings a snare: but whoever puts his trust in the LORD shall be safe" (Proverbs 29:25 NKJV).

Learn More!