Summer 2009

Greetings!

Welcome to my new quarterly email newsletter.

My goals for Home Innovations are to inform you about:

• Ways to save money
• Green building ideas
• What I am up to

There are a lot of very interesting new ideas and resources out there, and I hope to provide you a quick way to keep up with some of the best of them.

Also, I have an all new website with additional helpful articles for homeowners. It's at the same place as always— www.dougcoe.com.

Doug Coe

Are solar panels right for your home?
Additions: cost-effective strategies
Save on PG&E bill w/ your next refrigerator
New website at www.dougcoe.com
Custom home completed

With solar panels you can generate your own electricity and reduce your annual electrical bill to zero. Blackouts couldn't touch you, and it is a cleaner way to produce energy. Have you ever thought—"If only they didn't cost so much it might be worth doing"?

Well, the time might be right to put solar PV (photovoltaic) panels on your roof. Combining rebates from PG&E with government incentive programs, and looking at the payback period, you could pay less per month with a PV system than without one.

Solar panels make more sense if enough of your roof faces south. Also, how much electricity your family uses is part of the equation of whether PV panels are right for your home. You can research it on the web, but a qualified solar installer is the best person to measure your roof, discuss your needs, and help you determine what would work best for you. Call or email me and I will help you find a good solar company.

There are three basic places to add onto your current home. On top, on the bottom, and on the side. How do these approaches differ, and what is the financial ramification of each?

Often the first place someone thinks of adding to their home is on top—that is, adding a second story. This approach takes up none of your yard, and gives you multiple levels so you can get some distance between you and the kids, or guests, or each other for a while. However the new stair to go up does take space away from what is there now. And a whole new roof and roof structure has to be built. The foundation will likely need to be beefed up and, surprisingly, the main-floor walls might need to be too. All of this makes this approach, adding on top of your current house, the most expensive way to do an addition.

The second place to add on is the bottom of your home. If you have a tall crawlspace you may be able to dig down a little ways, put reinforce the foundation, put in a concrete slab, finish the exterior walls, and divide the space into new rooms. This is usually less expensive than adding on top, but it's still fairly costly due to all of the foundation work required. If you are lucky enough to have a full-height crawlspace or basement finishing it would be the least expensive approach of all.

Finally, adding onto the side, or back or front, is the least expensive approach to adding new space to your home. Although it does require a new foundation, new walls, and a new roof it does not affect the older parts of your home. And the builder has room to work much more efficiently which is reflected in the cost he or she quotes you for the addition. An architect can research zoning regulations and work within them to design you a wonderful addition to your home.

You may be surprised to learn your refrigerator uses more energy than any other appliance in your home, about a sixth of all the electricity used in your home. Bottom-freezer models are the most efficient, closely followed by top-freezer models. Side-by-side refrigerators are the least energy efficient.

Energy Star qualified refrigerators use 20% less than the current federal standard. Better yet, they use 40% less energy than conventional models sold before 2001. Some examples of efficient models are:

• Frigidaire (FRT18HP7J)—33% above Energy Star standards
• Miele (KF1801 or KF1811)—also 33% better than Energy Star requirements
• Sun-Frost RF16—36% better
• Sun-Frost RF12—a whopping 51% beyond Energy Star's standard!
• Vestfrost ConServ (sometimes called the Equator Conserv)—sleek Danish design in a compact unit, maybe the lowest energy user of all, but not tested by Energy Star

The next time you or a friend or family member needs a new refrigerator think about buying a super-efficient model and do the planet some good while saving money on your PG&E bill.

In February I launched an entirely new website at www.dougcoe. It has a new logo (seen also in this newsletter), a new look, and improved and expanded content. My goal is to provide you with valuable information and make the website easy to use.

Take a look and see what's new at www.dougcoe.com.

In December 2008 a couple with two teenage daughters moved into the new home I designed for them. It features wraparound porches, an open stair with an airy lounge/library area at the top, and a large informal kitchen and dining room. See more on the project page on my website.

Doug Coe Architect
Berkeley, CA
510-540-5029
arch@dougcoe.com
www.dougcoe.com

Certified Green Building Professional

Doug Coe helps homeowners create their dream home. He brings his experience in carpentry, training in green building, and creative architectural talents to fulfill your vision for your home.