Passive Solar Beats Energy Star Home Design

John Kosmer “built a new traditional style 4,000 square foot, passive solar home for $125.00/sq. ft. It “heats for just $2.50 a day or $900-1,200 a year - even “in the cold upstate New York region.”

Get this! “This home cost about the same as a comparably sized new ENERGY STAR qualified home … but it uses less than 70% of the energy. “

John wrote, “When I owned my previous home, I was unaware that trying to save energy in an existing home was just playing in the margins of energy conservation. It became clear to me that existing 20th century homes are obsolete energy sieves that will take Herculean measures to bring up to speed in the 21st century. This passive solar home can become the model for 21 century home building and rekindle a housing boom in our collapsed building market into the foreseeable future.” (Thanks Eco Women for this tip.)

Now Renters in Portland May Find a Green Place to Live

Now environmentally-minded, Oregon renters like eco-minded homeowners, can look for a green and healthy place to live thanks to a Portland, Oregon-based GreenRenter. The start-up launched in April. In this early stage, GreenRenter asks for minimal features to have your rental place listed, acknowledges co-founder Pam Pickens. GreenRenter provides online listings of apartments, homes, and office space with energy-efficient, good indoor air quality (vital for many people) and other green features.

As long as the building has a green benefit in any of seven areas (energy, water, building materials, operations, building surroundings, certifications and awards, other innovative green features), the building is eligible for listing, according to co-founder, Lev Tsypin.

Renters can look for efforts as small as compact fluorescent light bulbs to more valuable benefits such as a whole home air cleaner, nearby mass transit, solar panel or Energy Star-certified appliances.

Soon, GreenRenter will launch a "GreenScore" for every property listing making it easier for users to find buildings with the most green attributes. The service is free. Profits will come from ad revenue and partnerships.

In related news-you-can-use, the state of Oregon is requiring that recycling be provided to all renters. (GreenRenter is mentioned as a resource.) How can that practical practice spread to other states?