Green building tip of the day: shades

The Green building training I just finished taught me some discouraging things. I learned about geothermal heating; it pays back slowly and doesn’t work well in New England’s winters. Solar power pays back well, but requires good exposure. Also better solar technologies are on the way; so waiting is not a bad idea. There are technologies out there that are painfully slow in getting to the consumers, like solar cells that look like roof shingle and solar systems that are on thin sheets. Wind power in Massachusetts? Well, I think you know.

Upton Sinclair’s expression, "It's hard to get someone to understand something when his salary depends on him not understanding it" seems to hold true when is comes to Green building. Or is it more like Bill Clinton’s, “It’s the economy, stupid!”

As a pledge to not be part of the herd of brokers and builders who charge toward the expensive answers to your energy needs, I want to start a conversation about the simple (and cheaper) stuff you can do before the winter kicks in.

Tip of the day = shades

Insulated window shades and curtains are very effective in lowering heating (and cooling) costs. I saw a modern high-tech building designed with timers to open and close shades for energy efficiency. You can use the low-tech tool -- your hands -- to do the same. Open the shades when it is sunny; close them at night. In the summer, do the opposite. Simple, effective, not very expensive.