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: Dec 1

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

WHOLE-HOUSE ENERGY CHECKLIST - 50 Steps to Energy Efficiency in the Home 3 Replies

Started by Mark J Warren. Last reply by Anachronism Dec 1.

SEE (SUPER ENERGY EFFICIENT) HOUSING - Chapter One 9 Replies

Started by Thomas Peterson. Last reply by Anachronism Dec 1.

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.

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.

Comment Wall

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Comment by Mike Anthony Fernald Sr. on January 17, 2009 at 5:24am: Tom

Do you have a plan or program in place for SEE we can work from or do we need to create one.

How would a person qualify for the SEE program
What are the standrads for the SEE program
What are the government incentives
Is there funding available and how do we access it

Im already incorporated and in good standings with the state and my Bank, Just need a good business plan.
Are you good at writing a good business Plan
Im willing to work with you on this if your willing to have me.

The Best way to Promote SEE is by Action

We can do this :o}

Mike Anthony
Mike Anthony Renovation.s Inc.
229-8240

Comment by Mark J Warren on January 17, 2009 at 5:19am: Tom

It's not the number of friends you have, it's the quality of the ones you are blessed with.

Mark

Comment by Mike Anthony Fernald Sr. on January 17, 2009 at 4:23am: Hi Tom

This is a great idea lets get together and go over a plan of Action.

Mike

Comment by Thomas Peterson on January 16, 2009 at 9:21pm: Art,

Thanks for becoming a member and your compliment & comment.

In 1979, I built my first home in my town in Maine to be built with 2x6 studs (allowing 6" fiberglass). The building inspector showed up frequently not for inspections but to show my house off to others. I believe that it was the late 80's early 90's when it became a state building code requirement (loosely enforced in some small towns where some still do 2x4 construction).

Since 1980, I have been researching, designing, building, and promoting SEE housing. Which by the way was originally conceived of in Canada. About half of the people I built for in the 80's opted for me to build them an SEE home. By the end of the 90's, everyone that I built for had me build an SEE home. I believe in selling SEE to everyone, but it is easier to sell to individuals rather than changing codes to require SEE.

However, given the state of the world and U.S. economic conditions, SEE needs to be promoted in every way possible. Yes, we need to have codes changed, but I am not waiting for that to happen before I build as many SEE homes as I can. What will eventually sell SEE is "word-of-mouth", when owners brag about their low heating bills to their friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Codes will never require existing homes to be remodeled to SEE standards, economics will and "word-of-mouth"will make that happen faster than anything.

That being said , do everything that you possibly can to have those codes changed for more energy efficiency - - just don't let that be the only way you promote SEE.

Comment by ArtByLetters™®© on January 16, 2009 at 7:25pm: You will see in my pictures the only person wearing nail bags on my page is me of course I built 1000's of residences to approved standards by local inspectors and am frightfully worried knowing not applications were perfect , my question is how do we get past the red tape faster to implement new and better standards

Comment by ArtByLetters™®© on January 16, 2009 at 7:18pm: well done

Comment by Thomas Peterson on January 16, 2009 at 5:56pm: Monte,

It is nice having you on board. You really get SEE housing and how well it fits into the PP. Hopefully, the SEE concept will gain some ground here at PP.

I look forward to much future contact with you here and elsewhere.

Thank you Monte,
Thomas

Comment by Monte Smith on January 16, 2009 at 4:36pm: This is excellent Tom!

While wind farms and NG may currently be beyond the "hands-on" experience for many on this site a house is not. I do suppose that we all live in some sort of physical shelter that we call "home." If we go to work on converting our homes to being SEE and insisting that all new home construction be to SEE standards then we will be having tremendous impact toward the reduction of energy consumption in this country. We will make a huge difference! In fact Boone himself brought this up in an email that he sent out not all that long ago. Remember that? I saved it. Here it is:

T. Boone Pickens

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:23 AM

Owens Corning partners with the Pickens Plan

"We use more energy to heat, cool and light our homes and offices than we do to power our factories or even to drive our cars and trucks. Our country can save over 1 million barrels a day just by making our homes and offices more efficient. That's 1 million barrels we won't have to import from overseas. That's a big step in the right direction."

-Boone

The housing movement is a movement that we can run simultaneously with the PP. They do dovetail.

Thanks Tom.

Monte

Comment by Mark J Warren on January 15, 2009 at 6:09pm: I see what a nag can get you to do.

Well Done !

SEADOG8278
GO PP GO

Comment by Thomas Peterson on January 15, 2009 at 1:58pm: I personally want to welcome you to this group. My intent here is to explain and promote the advantages of SEE housing and how it can cut total U.S. energy use by more than twenty percent , while also helping to save 1) our environment, 2) the U.S. economy - - in both the short-term and long-term, and 3) our personal finances. This may all sound unbelievable, but as the discussion here evolves, you will see that this is all easily achievable.

Over time I will be explaining all of the many advantages of SEE housing in great detail. Stay tuned.

Sincerely,
Thomas