I'm not at work today. I had a slight run in with a saw and my fingers. No worries they are still attached. So while at home I am watching "Planet Green" and an episode of Build it Bigger. In this episode "Build it Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg" we see some innovative construction from the architecture students from University of Kansas.
It is an interesting show in that even with it's "green" slant is worth the watch. I've always been interested in architecture and really like some if the energy/cost saving construction techniques. The "green" construction is something I support not for the "green" aspect but because it cut's energy cost and (in some cases) off the grid sustainable living. I am not a huge fan of central power for the simple fact it is not robust. Don't get me wrong, my local utility does great at responding to outages, but during a crises people may have a perfectly good house but with out the ability keep it warm during the winter, it becomes less helpful.
During the 2007 winter, part of western Kansas was without power for several days to weeks. If the homes had some way to effectively generate power locally (wind or solar) many would have at least had energy for heating and cooking. If the homes were more effective with heating then they would have held their heat longer. Instead many people had to leave their homes and go to shelters. That winter could have been bad but not crippling if homes were better built with a more sustainable construction. However as it is now many homes are simply crap. I looked at several homes before settling on the one I bought. Some of the construction was on shoddy foundations, and others just had really bad construction quality. My current house is not to bad but I'd like to replace the windows and I'd like to change out the water heater. Unfortunately solar panels are still not cost effective. I wish they were but I think Kansas City is still to far north to make energy production acceptable during the winter. Wind however would be nice. The effecency of wind generators keeps increasing and hopefully they will have something for individual homes.
Well here is hoping for the future and that Obama doesn't bullucks the country before it becomes viable for homes.
It is an interesting show in that even with it's "green" slant is worth the watch. I've always been interested in architecture and really like some if the energy/cost saving construction techniques. The "green" construction is something I support not for the "green" aspect but because it cut's energy cost and (in some cases) off the grid sustainable living. I am not a huge fan of central power for the simple fact it is not robust. Don't get me wrong, my local utility does great at responding to outages, but during a crises people may have a perfectly good house but with out the ability keep it warm during the winter, it becomes less helpful.
During the 2007 winter, part of western Kansas was without power for several days to weeks. If the homes had some way to effectively generate power locally (wind or solar) many would have at least had energy for heating and cooking. If the homes were more effective with heating then they would have held their heat longer. Instead many people had to leave their homes and go to shelters. That winter could have been bad but not crippling if homes were better built with a more sustainable construction. However as it is now many homes are simply crap. I looked at several homes before settling on the one I bought. Some of the construction was on shoddy foundations, and others just had really bad construction quality. My current house is not to bad but I'd like to replace the windows and I'd like to change out the water heater. Unfortunately solar panels are still not cost effective. I wish they were but I think Kansas City is still to far north to make energy production acceptable during the winter. Wind however would be nice. The effecency of wind generators keeps increasing and hopefully they will have something for individual homes.
Well here is hoping for the future and that Obama doesn't bullucks the country before it becomes viable for homes.
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