Archive for the ‘Sustainable Living’ Category
“Greening” the MLS
Saturday, June 18th, 2011
With the booming demand for energy efficient, green, sustainable housing; efforts are underway to comprehensively “green the MLS”. Although most professionals and consumers would agree that the MLS is not adequate for buyers who demand such specific features (especially with single family re-sale property) or sellers who wish to differentiate or realize improvement value, the current MLS does maintain many parameters that can focus your search. The example below illustrates a few MLS database fields with specific green parameters highlighted. The entire list is available here, Austin, TX – MLS Green Inputs.
Posted in Agent Editorial, Buyer & Seller Tips, Sustainable Living | No Comments »
Austin #1 of 10 Best Cities For Next Decade
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
We live in challenging times. Unemployment remains high, and the U.S. lead in technology and science is slipping as many foreign countries gain ground. But some U.S. cities, though slowed by the Great Recession, still thrive by lifting good old American innovation to new levels. And that will help put more Americans back to work and keep our international edge.
In Kiplinger’s latest search for top cities, we focused on places that specialize in out-of-the-box thinking. “New ideas generate new businesses,” says Kevin Stolarick, our numbers guru, who this year evaluated U.S. cities for growth and growth potential. Stolarick is research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity. “In the places where innovation works, it really works,” he says.
Posted in In The News, Lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Uncategorized | No Comments »
City Car-Share Plan About To Go Public
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
Those ubiquitous white-and-blue Smart cars in the City of Austin’s nascent car-sharing program have spent a lot more time parked than rolling around Central Austin, based on statistics from the first three months of this year.
general public, officials said Tuesday, soon will get a chance to get behind the wheel of the tiny two-seat cars.
The 125 cars in the stable provided for city employee use by car2go, a Daimler AG subsidiary, have been “leased” about 118 times each weekday since Jan. 1, meaning that on average, each car has been taken out once a day. The average time of usage has been about 71 minutes. The city, under a pilot program that began in November, does not actually pay Daimler when its workers use the cars on municipal business, so the statistics do not reflect what usage might be if there were money involved.
Click Here For More. . . .
Posted in In The News, Lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Transit, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Austin’s Long Center – Recycling Builds “Iconic” Venue
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
Posted in In The News, Sustainable Living | No Comments »
Top 10 Energy Efficiency Myths
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
1 Buying an efficient air conditioner or furnace will automatically reduce my energy bill.
This is true to some extent, but you won’t realize all the possible savings if the equipment is not sized or installed properly. Studies have shown that typical air conditioner and duct systems are improperly installed, wasting 1/3 or more of the energy used by the air conditioner. New and replacement equipment (and ducts) need to be properly designed and installed to realize all the possible savings. The same caveats about proper installation hold true for insulation, windows and many other energy-efficiency upgrades.
2 Duct tape is good for sealing ducts.
Unfortunately, laboratory research has concluded that duct tape has very low durability when used to seal ducts. On new installations, tape may fall off due to poor surface preparation, because ducts are installed in dirty and dusty locations and conditions. On older systems, the tape falls off as it ages and the adhesive dries out and tends to wrinkle.
3 When my appliance is turned off, it is off.
In fact, we’ve found that most devices continue to consume power when they’re switched off, sometimes as much power as when they’re on!
4 Cleaning refrigerator coils saves energy.
While this seems intuitively logical, and very small savings may indeed arise, the few efforts to actually measure this effect have typically come up empty-handed. This is a classic example of a widely held belief based on assumptions rather than measurements.
5 Dimming my incandescent lights by 50% will cut my lighting bill in half.
Actually, the relationship is not linear and savings will be less than expected. As the voltage drops, the filament cools, the wavelength spectrum of the light output shifts further in to the infra-red, and efficacy thus suffers. Interestingly, fluorescent dimming is more linear and the savings for dimming are proportionately higher.
6 Turning up (down) the thermostat will make your home get warm (cool) faster.
It’s tempting to think of a thermostat like a water tap, i.e. the wider you open it the more water (heat/cool) will come out. In reality, it works more like a light switch in that if it’s “on” the same amount of light (heat/cool) will come out.
7 Installing foam gaskets in electrical outlets will significantly reduce air leakage.
Measurements have shown that less than 1% of a home’s air leakage is due to outlets.
8 Leaving lights, computers, and other appliances on uses less energy than turning them off and makes them last longer.
The small surge of power created when some devices are turned on is vastly smaller than the energy used by running the device when it’s not needed. While it used to be the case that cycling appliances and lighting on and off drastically reduced their useful lifetimes, these problems have been largely overcome through better design.
9 Fluorescent lighting is unhealthy.
Fluorescent lighting has changed dramatically in the last few years. Today’s fluorescents have greatly improved color quality. And the annoying flicker and hum have been eliminated from fluorescents that use electronic ballasts. Because they require less electricity, fluorescents generate less power plant pollution, emissions which have many known health effects. Fluorescent lights also contain small amounts of mercury and should be disposed of properly. However, additional mercury releases are avoided thanks to reduced use of mercury-containing fossil fuels used to generate electricity. If it’s been a while since you tried fluorescent lights, you might give them another chance.
10 Electric heating is more efficient than fuel-based heating.
It’s true that all, or almost all, of the electricity that goes into an electric heater is transformed to useful heat in your home. However, making electricity is an inefficient process, with as much as two-thirds of the input energy (coal, natural gas, etc.) being lost in the process. This is why electricity is so much more expensive for the consumer than direct fuels.
Tags: efficiency, Energy
Posted in Agent Editorial, Buyer & Seller Tips, Sustainable Living, Uncategorized | No Comments »
3 Beds, 2 Baths and a Walk Score of 70+?
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Have you ever driven past a for sale sign and spent too much time trying to circle around the prospective property to locate what grocery stores, dry cleaners, coffee shops and restaurants might be within walking distance or at least very close proximity? Worse yet, you fall in love on the internet with photos of the home’s exterior, counter tops and huge windows only to arrive and realize you are buried in an area with no access to the places you like to frequent?
Of course bedrooms, bathrooms and square feet will remain core to property search but the value driving factor that is gaining ground like no other is “walkability”. Walking proximity to a nice mix of local businesses is just what buyers are looking for these days to reduce time wasted and stress on the road ways not to mention achieve improved quality of life, a lower carbon footprint and increased relative property values.
On the national level, a new report, “Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Housing Values in U.S. Cities” by Joseph Cortright, John looked at just under 100,000 transactions within major markets and found that in 13 of the 15 markets, higher levels of walkability, as measured by Walk Score, were directly linked to higher home values.
“Walking the Walk’ shows definitively what we have always believed – that homes in walkable neighborhoods continue to be a good investment, and are one of the simplest and most effective solutions to fight climate change, improve our health, and strengthen our communities,” said Walk Score founder Mike Mathieu. “Our vision is for every property listing to include a Walk Score: Beds: 3 Baths: 2 Walk Score: 84.”
Walk Score (www.walkscore.com) is the leader in this space. The site works by calculating the closest amenities – restaurants, coffee shops, schools, parks, stores, libraries, etc. – to any U.S. address. The algorithm then assigns a “Walk Score” from 0-100, with 100 being the most walkable and 0 being totally car-dependent. Walk Scores of 70+ indicate neighborhoods where it’s possible to get by without a car. I’ve placed a Walk Score tile on every page on our site other than the home page. Try it out but I warn you. . it’s addicting and you’ll never look at a house purchase the same again!
Tags: Walk Score, walkability
Posted in Agent Editorial, Buyer & Seller Tips, Lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Uncategorized | No Comments »
New Solar Program Could Front Costs For Homeowners
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
The City of Austin is working on a new plan to make going green much easier on your wallet.
Solar power is a hot item in Central Texas.
This is a 4 kilowatt system. . . . .The total cost to the homeowner to install this system is right around $20,000. With all the rebates that are in place, the price tag works out to be less than half. Still, city leaders say that’s too much for many people. So Tuesday, they announced a new program where the homeowner wouldn’t have any upfront costs.
Tags: Green Home, solar, subsidization
Posted in Buyer & Seller Tips, In The News, Sustainable Living, Uncategorized | No Comments »
New Urbanism = Old Urbanism
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
Heard of New Urbanism? Although this movement has been cast as futuristic and politically progressive, the simple truth is that everything old is new again. New Urbanism is a development philosophy that very much mirrors the pre mid-century “traditional” childhood neighbhorhoods of our parents and grandparents.
Consider the characteristics of Old West Austin or Clarksville and compare those with Austin’s newest large scale urban infill development, Mueller. Both include all of the same traditional elements (walkability, variety of dwellings, shops and workspace, sense of community, etc.). The measurable differences lie with the promotion and use of non toxic building materials and optimal energy efficiency.
The quality of life improvements have been recognized as these neighborhoods of yesterday and today have remained in high demand throughout even this latest soft market.
Tags: infill, mixed-use development, New Urbanism, urban, walkability
Posted in Agent Editorial, Lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Elements Of A Sustainable Living Space
Friday, August 7th, 2009
The majority of homes in Austin are currently not certified green or sustainable, however the demand for these features is increasing at a blistering pace. Given the finite supply of land in the center of our community, most of the core urban market will have to identify potential in non certified or non rated structures of all decades and design. Home Buyers will look for hidden value and Sellers will look to unlock value by adding sustainable elements to aged structures. Remember, refurbishment might be the most sustainable choice we can make.
Location
Overall “walkability” is key which includes close access to parks, schools and stores. Access to a variety of transportation other than your car is also healthier for you, your wallet, and the environment.
Size
Choose a size that optimally suits you and your loved ones lifestyle needs. Larger homes require more heating, cooling and lighting.
Design
These homes are generally oriented on the site to bring natural daylight and ideally take advantage of any prevailing breezes. The exterior has shading devices particularly on the southern and western facades and over windows and doors.
Materials
Materials and finishings are healthy or non-toxic like low or zero-VOC paints and sealants. Wood-based features come from rapidly renewable sources such as bamboo (note: weigh the renewable aspects of the material with less renewable options that might also be local). Many of these homes use significant reclaimed and recycled materials. The roof should be a light-colored, heat-reflecting, or a landscaped roof, to reduce heat absorption. A non-toxic insulation, derived from materials like soybean or cotton, with a high R (heat resistance) factor in a home’s walls and roof will help prevent cool air leakage in the summer and warm air leakage in the winter.
Energy Efficiency
Windows and exterior doors should have ENERGY STAR® ratings, and they should seal their openings tightly to avoid heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. Select energy-efficient lighting, heating, cooling and water-heating systems. Appliances should have ENERGY STAR® ratings.
Renewable Energy
Technologies like photovoltaic systems (Solar Panels) can be used to generate energy.
Water Efficiency
Incorporate water-conserving irrigation systems and water-efficient kitchen and bathroom fixtures.
Indoor Air Quality
Natural daylight should reach the majority of the home’s interior. Natural ventilation brings fresh air inside the house. The HVAC system should filter all incoming air and vent stale air outside. The garage should not have any air handling equipment or return ducts, and it should have an exhaust fan.
Landscaping
Large canopy trees and other landscaping should shade exterior walls, the driveway and patios to minimize heat islands. Yards should be landscaped with native drought-tolerant plants rather than water-guzzling plants and grass.
Tags: Sustainable Living
Posted in Agent Editorial, Buyer & Seller Tips, Lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Mueller Parade Of Homes
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
Just three miles north of downtown Austin in the new Mueller master planned community, the HBA is currently hosting it’s first ever Parade of 5 Star Green homes. This development is the realization of sustainable & transit oriented living in our urban core. The five magnificent homes showcased are essentially the flagships for the new development. These homes boast everything from the aesthetically pleasing zen indoor/outdoor spaces to the practical energy efficient materials and systems and even sustainable features such as optimizing site specific attributes and using reclaimed materials.
Although these homes are out of many of our price ranges (~$1.2million+), a tour not only will dazzle but also stimulate your mind to find applicable projects for your own sustainable living space and lifestyle.
Details:
- May 23, 2009 – June 7, 2009
- 10:00am – 8:00pm, Thursday through Tuesday (closed Wednesdays)
- Ticket price: $15; $12 for seniors and kids 5-17; kids under 5 are free
Tags: Green Home, Mueller, Parade Of Homes
Posted in Events, Lifestyle, Sustainable Living | No Comments »