A Restless Mind

This week we’re having insulation installed beneath our floors and in our attic/roof area (we have no inside access to this area.  It’s really just the space between the ceiling and rafters.)  I chose a recycled cotton batting for the area under our floor.  It’s low VOC and recycled which according to the manufacturer’s claims (which I take with a heaping dose of salt) reduces the energy needed to produce it.  Unfortunately, I could not find an effective cost efficient (for us)green solution for the attic space so I’m going with traditional fiberglass.  From the research I’ve done I found recycled paper loose fill which could have been used.  However, it settles faster and that means that it loses its insulating quality faster than fiberglass.  Sadly, it also costs about 30% more.  Since I require more attic than floor insulation, this made green too expensive for the attic.  However, the overall effect should be to lower our heating and cooling costs which are BY FAR the biggest component of our carbon footprint.  I’d like to point out here that this brings up two pertinent issues in ‘’going green.” 

Balance and Consumption

I think we get a lot consumer pressure to try and buy going green.  But remember, the recycle triangle is REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE.   Ask yourself if you’re really reducing your consumption by buying more stuff.  “But, it’s energy efficient!”  cry the advertisers.  I did the math on this one.  Our refrigerator originally belonged to my great-grandparents.  It is as old or older than me (that’s over 31 years).  It’s a classic example of what the marketers tell us is an energy-guzzling monster appliance.  We’ve been using it for 6 years and it has given us no problems.  I bought a Kill a Watt two years ago and plugged in the fridge.  I don’t remember the exact numbers but in electrical savings, it would have taken 15 years to recoup the cost of a new fridge that was the same size.  I don’t call that a huge improvement in energy efficiency.   

Then there is the whole “how green is green enough aka as the Hummer vs the Prius debate”  In a nutshell, the story is that over the lifetime of the vehicle (from creation to disposal) a Hummer requires less energy than a Prius.  But of course, a Prius also burns less fuel creating fewer emissions so does that balance it out?  I got sucked into this is trying to find green insulation.  It was ridiculous.  I felt guilty for a while for not going with the green product even though the real objective was to lower our energy consumption and the fiberglass does that.  It’s not the ideal solution but it’s a greener solution than no insulation.   All in all, I’d have to say that much like dieting, the key to going green is to make changes that you can stick to, that work with your lifestyle.  

I love old houses.  It's true they don't build 'em like they used too.  And while, my house is super sturdy (80 years old and no structural issues), was custom built (read-my neighbors house is not just my floor plan reversed), and wastes not one square foot of space, there are a few things that new houses do better--

like bathrooms (our one bathroom gives new meaning to the phrase "water closet"),

closets (we have 2 tiny, tiny closets)

electrical outlets (originally, 1 per room.  Who needs more?)

and insulation (what's that?)

We've been making upgrading as things break or the bank account allows, and we've come to a point where we're looking into the cost of insulation.  The challenge will be finding something that can be installed without gutting the house to the studs (I just don't think I'm up for that kind of demolition) that is reasonably eco-friendly.  We've had our trusty builder, Phillip Graham, out to work up an estimate.  Then we'll see which pieces of it we can afford!