Recent Green Living Posts
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By Steve Rypka on August 25th, 2011
I found a great book and I’m recommending it to anyone who would like to know more about just what a high-performance home can be. It’s called “Recreating the American Home: The Passive House Approach” by Mary James. The publisher is Low Carbon Productions.
Ms. James has put together an extraordinary and diverse collection of profiles describing homes built using the Passive House approach. The small but very informative book is easy on the …(more)
Continue reading Recreating the American Home – The Passive House Approach
By Steve Rypka on July 14th, 2011
 Green living happens when we apply conscious thought to everyday life; when vision coupled with planning intersect at appropriate times. Setting yourself up for success is the key.
Since summer is here, let’s use an appropriate example. Most of us would not care to live in Southern Nevada without modern air-conditioning systems. We depend on them to get us comfortably through months of extremely hot temperatures. Like all equipment, they require regular maintenance, periodic repair and eventual replacement. We know this. It’s a fact.
If your vision includes an energy-efficient, comfortable home then having an air-conditioning equipment strategy makes sense. Since these systems can be expensive, the first big hurdle is almost always money. Make regular savings a part of your plan. Living without a few frivolous do-dads or daily lattes can eventually add up to a substantial “green fund” to use when the time is right, whether for an AC upgrade or a hybrid car. I look at it like making payments in advance, avoiding interest while gaining flexibility and peace of mind.
Continue reading Cool and Green.
By Steve Rypka on March 10th, 2011
 This column often explores the exciting transformation taking place in the building industry. Green building programs have grown and multiplied at an amazing rate in recent years. We’ve looked at Energy Star, LEED and even the Living Building Challenge. These programs are important because they raise the bar and provide real-world examples of what is possible, not just what is permissible. They drive innovation and change.
Each program has its own unique approach but they all share a common goal of creating a better world by improving the built environment. Energy efficiency is a key to every meaningful green building program but one program in particular takes it to an entirely new level of performance. I’m talking about Passive House, where energy use reductions of 90% are not uncommon. The term applies to many types of buildings, not just homes.
Continue reading Passive House – Ultra Efficiency.
By Steve Rypka on November 4th, 2010
 When we have a choice to make, taking the high road means choosing the honorable or ethical course over some lesser alternative. In terms of housing efficiency, Nevada has a choice to promote an ethical path toward increased home energy efficiency and savings, or to maintain the dismal and expensive status quo.
I’m referring to legislation passed in 2007 to require a professional home energy audit whenever an older home is sold in Nevada. The requirement could be waived if both seller and buyer agreed to do so. To allow time for the industry to prepare, the activation date was set for January of 2011. I won’t bore you with the torturous details, but the bottom line is that due to opposition from industry trade groups, primarily the Nevada Association of Realtors, it may not happen. This would be a tragic outcome for the citizens of Nevada.
Continue reading Energy Audits are the High Road.
By Steve Rypka on April 8th, 2010
 Every cloud has a green lining. They say that every cloud has a silver lining. That might be even more appropriate here in the Silver State, since the clouds caused by the housing market have caused more than a passing shadow. However, the sun is beginning to peek through, and it’s shining a bright light on some activities in the housing market that not only have a silver lining, but perhaps even gold or platinum.
I’m talking about two projects, one quite old (by Las Vegas standards) and the other brand new. Both are equally exciting and represent a new wave of housing development that is just getting underway in Southern Nevada.
Continue reading Housing’s Silver Lining.
By Steve Rypka on January 14th, 2010
 They say the dream of the older generation was to pay off a mortgage, while the dream of today’s young families is to get one. In this economy, that’s no joke. That dream is now taking on new dimensions that include managing the ever-rising cost of energy and water.
In today’s home market, a lot of variables go into determining the price of a home, but some of the most common “features” are often only cosmetic: granite countertops come to mind as an example. Typical real estate listings are so homogenized that each one looks nearly the same as the next. That’s understandable when most home builders use a formula designed to deliver a product that looks good, meets code and has all the basics that most buyers expect.
Continue reading Appraising Green Homes.
By Steve Rypka on April 9th, 2009
Back in the 60s, Bob Dylan sang “The answer my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. The answer is blowin’ in the wind.” At the time, I don’t think he had renewable energy on his mind, but wind energy is certainly a large part of the answer to today’s energy puzzle.
All across America, homeowners are working to save energy and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. There’s been a lot of talk about …(more)
Continue reading Blowing in the Wind
By Steve Rypka on January 15th, 2009
The left side of the street faces south. The north-facing side is in shade. A few days after the snow fell, it's clear which side is warmest.
I love winters in Southern Nevada! In fact, just about anytime from October to June is fine by me, but deep winter is special. I suppose it’s a stretch to call our relatively mild and brief period of cool weather “deep winter” but hey, it’s all …(more)
Continue reading Let the Sun Shine In
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