Energy Retrofit Introduction
Normally, I’d be landscaping this time of year, but this summer I got a house. Flash back to a year ago, when I was talking with a contractor friend, Tim Abrahamson, about my search for a house and about the tremendous amounts of energy they use—about 1/3 of the energy we use in the U.S., we use in houses. Then we got talking about how to build a really tight house that used virtually no energy for climate control, which is where the bulk of the energy in houses is used. Then he started telling me about the work he’s done to make existing houses really efficient. But it has to be done right, or problems with indoor air quality and rot can result. To make a long story short, I got inspired. This July, I bought a foursquare on Lyndale Avenue in South Minneapolis, MN. Since then, Anita and I and various helpers have been busy (very busy) retrofitting the house for energy efficiency. Follow my blog and you’ll meet the various players and come to know our strategies, trials and tribulations as we go forward with our quest for superior energy efficiency…on a budget.
Its like you read my mind! You appear to grasp a lot about this, like you wrote the ebook in it or something. I believe that you just could do with some % to force the message house a little bit, however other than that, that is excellent blog. A fantastic read. I will certainly be back.
Thanks!
Oh, sweet! I’m seriously interested, especially in the on-a-budget part. I’ve been working on my house doing a bunch of remodeling and repair when the big crash of 2008 hit and pretty much cleaned out my savings and beyond. I’m just starting to dig out of that debt and am considering what I can do to make my place more energy efficient and smarter in general.
Hi Rob,
Good luck with your project. I’ll try to give details and resources as I go along with this blog.
Later,
Dave
Hi Dave! I am so excited for you and Anita and Eva! What an adventure it will be to build this house together! I wish I could have seen it when I was in Minneapolis! Good luck!