House: 100 years old 1800 square feet Household size: 2 adults System Description: Radiant heating was installed under the kitchen and back hall floor to replace an old radiator in the cabinet under the sink. For more information about radiant
Green Homes Tour: Sustainable Yard
Saving energy and reducing the carbon footprint in your sustainable yard 1. Plant trees strategically to use less energy to heat or cool your house. Evergreen trees on the northeast side of a house buffer cold winter winds. Deciduous trees
Green Homes Tour: Solar Photovoltaic
House: Built in 2004; 2,992 square feet System Description: 30-panel photovoltaic array producing electricity (not hot water) of about 8,500 kWh per year. It is a grid-connected system, meaning that the unused electricity is fed into the electrical grid, making
Green Homes Tour: Residential Geothermal Heating and Cooling
House: 90 years old System Description: In a closed loop piping system, water is pumped 300 feet underground, where it takes on the 55 degree underground temperature. It is pumped back into the basement to a heat pump unit with
Green Homes Tour: Electricity/Heat Co-generation
House: Built in 1950’s, remodeled multiple times most recent addition 2008. 2800 square feet System Description: The co-generation system produces electricity and heat at the same time. When the heat is turned on, a small generator (MCHP — micro combined
Green Homes Tour: Sustainable Gardening and Low-Impact House
Garden Philosophy – Create a small, beautiful and bountiful, local eco-system using as little input from outside as possible. This includes feeding the soil, watering and our choice of plants. We have a large flowerbed and grow about $500 of
66 Needham Realtors Take Green Needham’s 10% Energy Challenge
Realtor groups in Needham have enthusiastically responded to Green Needham’s challenge to reduce their home energy use. A total of 66 individuals from Condon Realty, Coldwell Banker, Century 21 and Prudential Advantage have completed Green Needham’s 10% Energy Challenge. One
It’s All Local – Energy Efficiency and Home Energy Audits
An energy audit is the first step to saving energy and money at home, and you are eligible for a free energy audit yearly. Michael Greis of Green Needham joined Gabe Shapiro of Next Step Living on The Needham Channel’s
What Works – Driving Demand for Home Energy Improvements
How do you motivate homeowners to invest in comprehensive home upgrades that eliminate energy waste, avoid high energy bills and spur the economy? The Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) just published a study of lessons learned from
Lexington three-part speaker series focused on Home Energy Efficiency
Starting in November, the Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition (LexGWAC) will host a three-part speaker series focused on Home Energy Efficiency. The series is designed to assist residents in reviewing the ways they use energy in their homes and to