RefrigeratorAs it happens, your refrigerator is one of the three largest consumers of electricity in a small home. A new refrigerator that is Energy Star rating compliant will require roughly 400 kwh/year. At regional rates, that might range between $50 and $100 per year on your electric bill. A 20 year old refrigerator could consume twice the power. Might be time to upgrade.
It is more energy efficient with the freezer on top or below. Icemakers use more power, do you really need one? Automatic defrosters are a good invention, but it doubles the energy consumption. What’s it worth to you?
When you are shopping for a chest freezer to store a bulk of frozen goods, note again that the auto defroster will double consumption, but the lift-up doors tend not to let warm air in, because warm air rises. So they are more efficient than your refrigerator that is opened and closed sideways all day. If a refrigerator gets dirty, it will burn more electricity, and won’t work as well either. Also, an empty refrigerator will consume more power than a full one. If yours is half empty, fill the rest with juice containers of clear water. They will store the cold and assist.
Washer Dryer ComboThis is electric, but runs at 55 watts. It is a washer and dryer combination that holds up to 11 pounds of laundry. I tried weighing 11 pounds of laundry. Its surprisingly large. This unit will save space, which saves a lot of money in itself. I believe it will keep up with the laundry for a 3 person family just fine. The best part is, you put the wash in once, and when you come back, its done.
Honda Backup GeneratorA Honda generator can run on 3 different fuels; gasoline, natural gas, and LP (propane) gas. If you have a propane o natural gas heating system, it would be very convenient to tie your backup generator to your standard gas fuel which is delivered to your house dependably by you gas supplier. You don’t have to wonder if the tank is full in the generator when the power goes down.
Philips LED Light BulbA lamp that sheds enough light to make it comfortable to read a book should offer 700 to 800 lumens of light. A well designed LED light bulb will need 10 to 12 watts of electricity to produce 700 to 800 lumens. But that’s all, just 10 watts. 300 to 400 lumens is plenty for hallway lighting or just to get around in a room, and that usually requires 6 to 8 watts. LED light bulbs can last up to 25,000 hours. Right now, you will pay from $5 to $10 for a bulb. If you use the light bulb for 2 hours per day, it would last at least 34 years. There is no mercury in an LED bulb and they are usually recyclable as metal and plastic.
For a solar powered house, LED lighting is indespensible. For a household using power from the local power company, LED lighting will bring your energy cost down substantially if you tend to keep a lot of lights on for long periods. If you start now, you start saving energy now. If you wait 5 years, the price of LED bulbs goes down, but the price of power goes up. Why wait?
LED lighting WILL dominate the market and become the standard. You may as well get to know them now. Makers are claiming that within 5 years, most of these prices will come down to $10 per bulb. The industry is aggressive and growing fast. According to Haitz’s Law, the LED equivalent of Moore’s Law, the cost per lumen falls by a factor of 10 every decade while the amount of light generated by an LED increases by a factor of 20. So expect very cheap bulbs that provide good lighting and need barely any electricity in the near future. Amazing! Yes?
R 30 Exterior WallFor economy and ease of contruction, this is my prefered procedure for raising the insulation value of a residential exterior wall to R=35. Some use a double stud wall. Some use 8 inch studs. Both have their purposes in some circumstances, but are usually substantially more expensive. Basically, to conventional stick frame walls, add 2 inches of rigid foam to the exterior, extension jambs on the windows, and strapping on the outside for fastening the finish siding, and you have brought the wall up to the new standard for a Maine climate. Watch this video to see how it is done.
$150-$200 PSFAre you planning to build a house in which to retire, perhaps in Maine? I bet you have a tight budget. The average new house in the USA at this moment has about 2,200 square feet of finished floor area. Without going crazy purchasing luxurious, high end materials, this will still probably cost roughly $400,000 for a general contractor to build it professionally and hand it to you complete. Do you really want to spend that much money on your retirement home? Ouch! That would be a substantial burden.
The good news is that you don’t have to have 2,200 square feet to be happy and comfortable. I’m not saying that is excessive. But it is not necessary to achieve your goals. You might be very surprised at how wonderful a home can be with only 1,500 square feet or less. Here’s the challenge: It takes a lot of imagination to fit a 2,200 square foot lifestyle into 1,500 square feet of house.
So what would you need to pay for a 1,500 square foot home? You can have a nice one for under $270,000, and that includes solar panels for your electricity with a propane backup.
Now, you still need an architect because every parcel of land is different. You front door might need to be on the north or the south. You may prefer the sunrise on your bedroom or your kitchen. You might want a porch on the north or the east. There are a lot of personal desires I can include in your design once you tell me what they are. There are also quite a challenging number of details to include in your plans…components that need to be planned ahead of time into a compact space, or you won’t find room for them later and wish you had.
Keep in mind that if you decide to include very high end materials and lots of custom built interior elements, this price will rise. But if you are frugal, use reliable but modestly priced materials, this price range is fairly up to date. I can currently help you work within this budget range.
Marvin WindowsTo see what a well engineered window looks like, study the architectural details at the Marvin Window website. I always feel safe recommending Marvin.
There are many other window companies with different prices and styles. You need to browse through and find what you like and what fits your budget. Ask local suppliers for prices on individual windows. You or your architect can bargain for a discount when you order many windows at once.
Here are the qualities of a good window. 1. No air leaks. 2. Exterior surface will endure in heavy sun and rain. 3. Interior finish fits my taste. 4. The hardware is durable and firm. 5. The window opens up firmly but smoothly. 6. There is no visible caulking, but clean corners. 7. The glass is thermopane, double or triple. 8. The company is going to be around for a while to offer replacement sashes and backup the longevity claims.
