| IEH Featured Design |
 Modern Beach HouseTruro, Massachusetts
- 7,000 Square feet
- 7 Bedrooms
- Zero Energy
- Radiant Floors
- Panoramic Ocean Views
- Home Gym
- Home Theater
- Chef's Kitchen
An IEH client wanted to build a vacation home on one of Cape Cod's beautiful beaches in Truro, Massachusetts. The client needed the home to accommodate a large family and many friends while simultaneously achieving environmental responsibility. IEH responded with a sleek, modern design that compliments the natural features of the land and reduces the environmental impact of the structure's existence.
Dramatic floor to ceiling windows and a vast deck allow the homeowners to take advantage of the beach location. Horizontal cedar cladding, muted material tones, and rear and side profiles that echo the shape of the dunes help the home blend into its surroundings. A simple and low maintenance zero-scape complements the structure with an array of native, drought tolerant plantings.
Energy efficiency is achieved with a tight building envelope, a geothermal heating system, tank-less water heaters, compact fluorescent lighting, and Energy Star appliances. A heat recovery ventilation system improves indoor air quality, while a completely fossil fuel free back-up system provides power in the case of any outages. The home also features many green materials such as bamboo flooring, blue-jean insulation, and natural stone.
IEH's reduction of the residence's energy requirements and installation of renewable energy systems creates a modern zero energy beach house which produces as much energy as it uses over the course of each year.
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| To Be or Not To Be... On or Off-Grid That Is |
 Part of building a home with renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, is deciding whether or not it should be connected to the electrical grid. There are numerous considerations -- namely practical, economic, and environmental -- involved in making your decision.
However, this choice can be difficult without a good understanding of what the terms grid-tied and off-grid actually mean. A grid-tied home is connected to power lines which transmit electricity to the home, mainly from power plants, yet can also produce power on-site using renewable energy systems. An off-grid home is not connected to power lines and, therefore, it relies solely on renewable energy systems to produce electricity and storage systems such as batteries to mediate the supply.
As we examine the practical implementation, cost, and environmental impact of each, we'll see how being connected to the electrical grid is typically more beneficial than being completely detached from the predictable source of electricity and storage it provides.
Practical Implementation
A good starting point when deciding to be on- or off-grid is whether or not it is practical for your specific situation. If you are planning to build in a remote area, it may not be practical to be grid-tied given that costs for running power lines increase the farther away your home is from the electrical grid. If this is the case, and there is no constant source of electricity available to you, the only power available would be the amount of energy your home's renewable energy systems produce. A battery system can store any energy that is not being immediately used, but the off-grid home remains limited by the amount of power it produces.
Being on the grid eliminates the need for a battery system and is a typical installation matter for most electricians. Being grid-tied can help you manage unforeseen energy needs more easily than in off-grid homes, and therefore it allows for a more lenient approach to energy use. It is similar to having overdraft protection at a bank. If you choose to, you can "pay back" energy to the grid at your convenience.
System Cost
Cost is another important factor in deciding whether to be grid-tied or off-grid. The initial cost of the battery system and its associated wiring and components to store your energy can be thousands of dollars. Batteries also have a far shorter lifespan than solar panels and will need to be replaced over time.
In comparison, being grid-tied is relatively inexpensive. In most states, grid-tying enables you to net meter, in which your meter spins backwards (crediting you) for the energy you produce, and forwards (debiting you) for the energy you draw. On the very sunny days when you are producing the most power, you keep all the credits you produce, whereas with an off-grid, battery system, the battery's capacity caps the "credits" you could accumulate. There are no maintenance fees associated with grid connection, just a small minimum charge of around $10 each month from the power company to maintain the connection.
Environmental Impact
Finally, choosing whether or not to be connected to the grid has an impact on the environment and should be a part of your decision. The choice details can be complicated, however there are a few basic points to consider.
 The materials used in the construction of most batteries are highly toxic and not particularly easy to dispose of or recycle; however, the recycling process continues to improve slowly as new research brings discoveries into the mainstream. Using the grid, which traditionally generates power from fossil fuels , can have very little net environmental impact if you produce the same amount of energy that you use.
Conclusion
Being grid-connected is standard for most homes built today. If you are planning to build a home that uses renewable energy systems, being grid-tied is still the most common and probably the best choice due to the security of constant grid energy, smaller up front costs, and minimal environmental impact.
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Grid-Tied Home |
Off-Grid Home |
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Practical Implementation |
§ Most homes can be easily connected to the grid
§ Unlimited energy supply if needed
§ No maintenance required |
§ A solution when the grid is not easily accessible and running power lines is expensive
§ Must rely on the storage capacity of batteries only
§ Some batteries require regular maintenance |
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Costs |
§ Initial cost to connect to grid is generally inexpensive
§ Net-metering can result in credit for the surplus energy your home produces each month to be drawn upon later |
§ The initial cost of the batteries and their associated systems can be thousands of dollars
§ Batteries need to be replaced more often than solar panels |
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Environment |
§ Little environmental impact when your home produces as much energy as you use |
§ Battery materials are generally toxic |
Layou, DOMINICA
The location of this zero energy eco-lodge in Layou, Dominica is a substantial distance from the island's highly unreliable electrical grid, making the off-grid systems the logical choice. Photovoltaic panels connected to a battery system provide the lodge's energy needs.
Truro, MASSACHUSETTS
This modern, zero energy home on Cape Cod is connected to the electrical grid. Through the use of photovoltaic panels and a geothermal heating system, the home will produce as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year.
Clcik here to see more
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| The Grey Area In Green |
 "Green" can be a confusing term these days. It can be applied to something that actively helps the environment, as well as to something that harms the environment, but less so than a similar product or system would.
The wide breadth of the currently accepted definition in a way forces everyone to choose which end of the spectrum they accept as their personal "green" standard. Discovering which aspects of "green" most resonate with you will help you define the word for yourself, based on your values, and assist you in making decisions that best fit you ideals.
Below, we've described four major categories of criteria which can be helpful to keep these in mind when evaluating a "green" product:
· Toxicity
· Efficiency and Conservation
· Durability, Recyclable, Renewable
· Impact
Toxicity
 Toxic substances are those that are poisonous or harmful. Generally we think of these in regards to human health. However, when we put these toxins into our environment, the environment in turn becomes toxic and can make us sick. Therefore it is important to use products that have low volatile organic compounds so that fewer toxins are released into the atmosphere, ground, and water. For example, that "new car smell" is a result of materials off-gassing numerous chemicals in the car. Avoiding chemicals such as these is part of a health-based focus of environmental quality.
Efficiency and Conservation
Efficiency is essentially machine-level conservation. According to Energy Star, simply choosing a highly efficient HVAC system,for instance, exerts less energy than an older, inefficient one, and can reduce your heating and cooling bill by 10-30%. Also, whether you use gas, oil, or coal (which powers most electric plants in the US), their combustion releases air pollutants. Energy efficiency gets its "green" because the less energy a product uses to operate, the less pollution it causes.
Water conservation can be a green measure, especially where water is scarce. Practices such as xeriscaping utilize drought-resistant plants to reduce water used for landscape maintenance. Another example of water-conservation is using low-flow plumbing fixtures, which can greatly reduce your water consumption without compromising comfort or sanitation.
Durable, Recyclable, Renewable
Solid waste is a growing environmental problem in the United States, but there are certain types of products to look for that create less net solid waste. Durable products can stand up to harsh weather, pests, and general wear, so they are not discarded as often as less durable products.
Products made from recycled materials, in many cases, require vastly less energy during their lifecycle of production than products made from virgin materials. For example, creating an aluminum can from recycled material uses 96% less energy than producing one from aluminum ore. They also greatly reduce waste by being incorporated into new products.
Reclaimed materials such as timber, cabinets, countertops, and bathroom fixtures from demolished or remodeled homes can be used instead of newly-manufactured items. The direct recycling of these materials lowers homes' eco-footprints because no energy is used to create new products, and again they are removed from the waste stream.
Renewable resources can be reproduced or regenerated, usually within a relatively short amount of time. Bamboo, for instance, grows so fast that stands can be replaced shortly after a harvest. Solar energy is another type of renewable resource because the sun continuously emits it. Many renewable energy sources have shown themselves to do less damage to the environment than non-renewable sources of energy, like fossil fuels.
Impact
The impact of a product or material is basically its footprint: how much material, energy, and waste are involved in its production. "Low-impact" means that before merchandise reaches the consumer, its negative impact has been reduced relative to similar products. Inputs of manufacturing coalesce to create a final product, but if these inputs or practices are harmful, they can negate the "greenness" of the end product.
Manufacturing new materials often results in the release of toxic chemicals and waste, which are both detrimental to the environment. When manufacturing practices are less harmful or wasteful, then the final good has a lower impact. One way you can actively help mitigate the impact of your purchases is to buy local products (within 500 miles), thereby reducing the energy used in transportation. Local materials for your home can include native stone, local lumber, or products from nearby factories.
Conclusion
When a practice or material is considered "green," it has probably been evaluated using criteria that belong to someone else, similar to what we've done above. Your own values however, not a third party's, should determine whether or not you agree with this label. It's worthwhile to look past the initial claims, to evaluate on your own terms, and to decide for yourself whether or not a product is aligned with your values of what it means to be green.
To read the US Federal Trade Commission's guide on environmental advertising, click here. |
| We're Moving! |
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IEH is expanding to new offices in Charlestown.
With the growth of our company comes the need for additional space and
offices that match our level of professionalism.
At the end of August, 2007 we will be relocating approximately 2.1 miles from
our current Canal Street location in Boston, to our new Medford Street
location in Charlestown, Massachusetts, near the historical Schraft's
Building.
We will have nearly twice the space, with more design area, additional
offices, and plenty of parking where we had none before!
Our new physical and mailing address is:
Independence Energy Homes
348 Medford Street
Charlestown, MA 02129
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