Can you live entirely off the grid? It’s possible with a house designed specifically for zero net energy use. Local architects Scott Specht and Louise Harpman are developing just that: ZeroHouse, a house designed to operate with no connections to external sources of power or water. [Link]

“The off-grid model has the most challenges, so that’s the test case we designed for,” Specht said. “We think that the value is in the complete self-sufficiency, the absolutely minimal environmental and site impact, and the fact that this would be a model for what can be done — a ‘first adapter’ demonstration of the ultimate in green living.”

The architects consider Austin the best place to bring the ZeroHouse into the residential real estate market, becauise “Austin is the center of the new green economy.”

Texas is using $23 million in federal stimulus money to finance rebates for replacing older appliances with newer ones that are energy-efficient. According to the Austin Statesman, “rebates will range from $45 for room air conditioners to $1,600 for some heat pumps. Consumers can also get a $75 rebate for recycling the older appliances.” More information here.

Joe Biden is helping promote green jobs that stay at home, literally, through a proposal for a new program to boost energy savings for homeowners and help our environment, too.  The White House estimates greenhouse gas emissions could be lowered by up to 160 million metric tons by 2020.  Find more info in the Recovery Through Retrofit report.   The proposals here promote better information for consumers  with wider dissemination re energy cost savings & benefits, access to better financing options, and a training and certification program to enhance consumer confidence and promote job growth here at home. Read more about the report here.

As they graze, they eat lots of Omeaga 3. In the winter most eat corn or soy, but at Stoneyfield Farm they get flax, alfalfa, and other grasses that have cut their belches 13%. That’s 13% less of the 2% cows in general contribute to global warming in the form of methane gas. Plus their hair’s prettier! Maybe we should all eat a little bit more flax and a little less corn… [Link]

I’ve added a link under “Tools” to “Calculate a Property’s Walk Score.” The link is to Walk Score, a site where you can enter a property address and calculate its “walkability.” From the site’s “how it works” page:

Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking.

The Walk Score calculator produces a Google map while it’s creating the score, and that map’s mashed up with businesses, services, schools etc. in the area. In the example below, you can see that the White House is in a very walkable neighborhood:

Cars and trucks will soon be getting 10 mpg better mileage largely due to new technology coming online such as direct fuel injection and computer controlled transmissions. There will be more hybrids and lighter weight vehicles in more compact versions, costing an average of $1300 more. They claim it will only take three years to recoup the cost in gas savings. Think there will be a tax credit or incentive here?

Let’s see – I’m glad to see the changes at last, but how will my daughter and her family of 5 big kids ever be able to go anywhere in one vehicle? Oh, they are going to take away cargo space for more seating! So I guess they will have to get a trailer for everybody’s stuff if they can still afford to go on a vacation. I guess around town they will save gas, but when they travel, it will be much more. Will it even out? Hope so!

I attended the March 25th Texas Green Network meeting, where candidates for Austin City Council and Mayoral races discussed their green positions. Brief interviews with most of the candidates have been posted at the Austin Clean Energy blog. Please view these before you vote!

Lauren Maples of Green Life Eco-Consulting and Katie Sternberg of Green Edge Consulting have teamed up to offer the Living for a Healthy Planet seminar, which “gives each participant a clear understanding of which home and lifestyle changes make the biggest impact on our ecological footprint, while improving our bottom line. Additionally, participants will be empowered to think strategically about their own use of resources, and start a personal action plan for steps that can be taken now and in the future.” Reduce your carbon footprint and save money, as well! Register here.

AMD’s Lone Star campus in Austin got a LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. This is the second highest LEED rating. LEED, or “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,” is “a benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. For this certification, site selection, energy and water efficiency, the use of local materials, and landscaping were all considered.

Two Austin buildings, Dell Children’s Medical Center and Ronald McDonald House, both in the Mueller area, have the higher platinum rating.

The Lone Star campus, which is home to AMD’s business operations and the Austin design engineering center, was designed and constructed by a diverse team of internationally recognized architects, engineers, ecologists and sustainability experts. The site development plan for the 58-acre, 870,000 square foot campus was based on three key tenets: limit site impact, protect water quality, and use innovative sustainable design. Some of the sustainable design elements include:

• Energy Use: Powered 100% by Austin Energy’s GreenChoice^® electricity, which comes from clean, renewable energy sources such as wind power
• Rainwater collection: Designed with a 1.2 million gallon capacity rainwater collection system, which is designed to provide water for the buildings’ cooling towers and irrigation
• Construction materials: Incorporated more than 20% of construction materials based on recycled content, and with more than 20% of locally sourced construction materials
• 100% Native Landscaping: AMD partnered with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to salvage the native trees, shrubs and grasses within the footprint of the campus, and replant them following construction.

[Link]

An article in the Austin American-Statesman talks about the increasing demand for “hybrid” homes (the term hybrid relating to an analogy with fuel-efficient automobiles). In a slow housing market, energy features can add value,especially in Austin, where

custom homebuilders like Ray Tonjes are adding energy-saving features like thicker insulation, sealed attics and ductwork, and dual-speed air conditioner compressors to meet customer demand for more energy-efficient houses. Some companies do nothing but green-built homes. And the city has the nation’s pioneering green building certification and education program, as well as an aggressive incentive program for energy-efficient appliances.

The article goes on to say that “a household can reduce energy expenditures by 50 percent just by using equipment such as more efficient heaters, air conditioners, water heaters, appliances and electronics and by using compact fluorescent lighting,” and mentions a BASF Corp. concept home that’s 80 percent more efficient. This is especially compelling given the potential for energy costs to increase in coming years.

How important is energy efficiency to you, as a home buyer? Or if you’re a seller, what energy features might you add to make your home more attractive in today’s market?