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Home builder stresses efficiency
With electric rates expected to climb next year, homebuilders are advising consumers to look at energy-saving innovations. Residential rates will go up 15 percent in January 2009, said Todd Myers, director of external communications for Allegheny Energy. There will most likely be an additional 15 percent increase in 2009. Beyond 2010, Myers said, hikes would depend on the electric generation market. Mark Lancaster of Lancaster Craftsman Builders gave a presentation Wednesday night on some ways to save energy and money in construction. Lancaster said he has built more than 200 custom homes in the past 30 years. At the time of construction, he used what was then the latest in energy-saving technology, such as additional insulation and heat pumps. Today, however, innovations make those homes behind the times when it comes to saving energy. "I'm a Republican, not an environmentalist. I thought they just wore sandals and straw hats," Lancaster told an audience of 50 guests at Dutch's Daughter Restaurant. "But I attended conferences with builders from around the country and they showed me how they were using energy-saving products. These were people from California and places where they were paying 20 cents a kilowatt hour; we are paying 7 cents a kilowatt hour here now." Builders from other parts of the country faced less-restrictive building rules than those in Frederick County, he said. While there are many innovations in the field, Lancaster warned the audience to make sure the technology is proven and worth the money to install. He also said consumers need to be sure the builder they work with has experience in the move to save energy. Lancaster has put in eight geothermal systems for houses in the past couple of years. In the almost 30 years prior to that, he only put in one geothermal system. The system uses the earth's natural temperature underground to provide heat and air conditioning for the home. He advised fitting the house to the best advantage, and not letting topography rule the position of the home. Energy-saving appliances and heating and cooling systems are a must for new homes, or even remodeling of an existing house, he said. Retrofitting an existing home could create more work and expense. He put a geothermal system in the vintage house where his business is located in Middletown. One way Lancaster is saving landfill space is the use of a large grinder that takes wood, drywall and even masonry from a house being torn down and turns it into tiny pieces that can be used as the basis for a driveway. Metal from nails and hooks are separated and sold as scrap. Lancaster calls it on-site recycling. The use of solar and wind power are good ideas, he said, but face challenges. Many homeowner associations and other restrictions don't allow solar panels on homes. Ironically, making a home "tighter" to keep heating and cooling in and weather out has created a problem with indoor air quality. "You can cook spaghetti and smell it for the next two weeks because there is no fresh air coming in and no inside air going out," he said. That creates the need for an air-to-air transfer system that clears the indoor atmosphere, while keeping the house insulated. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/business/display.htm?StoryID=80765 |
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