If alternative energy is in your plans it will probably require different
housing designs ?

At present we have gotten into a McMansion style of home building. Large homes
with poor insulation, lack of passive solar features, water wasting and
electricity wasting appliances and excess-excess-excess.

If you want to continue living that way you can probably expect to pay much
higher energy costs in the future. It will also make switching to solar/wind or
other alternative energy much more expensive and less desirable.

If you are considering downsizing or building a new home consider going smaller.
Smaller homes cost less to build, less to heat, less to cool, less property
taxes, and less effort to keep clean.

They will also likely increase faster in resale value than large homes as more
people are looking for affordable efficient homes.

Also consider adding passive solar features, a solarium, southern exposed
windows, solar water heating.

These can be included in the house cost and spread over payments. The benefit is
a more efficient home and smaller utility bills.

If you can switch to solar/wind electric it is worth the expense and will make
your home more valuable if resold. The current expense for new homes without
utility conections in Utah is $7000 per pole plus $2000-$3000 for connection and
you still have a monthly power bill.

That money would buy you a decent size solar/wind system and give you
independence from the power company. Spend the extra money to super-insulate
your home and consider some of the new methods using SIPS or foam insulation.
Like to be different consider straw bale construction.

Most people get stuck with whatever appliances the builder got a deal on but
consider switching to energy star appliances and low watt fluorescent lights
when building your own. The savings is a lot.

For off-grid or on grid look at propane for appliances or NG if available. This
will reduce your solar electric needs. NG and propane are widely available and
cost is coming down in most areas. They burn clean and can be used for almost
all large appliances.

Place your house so it gets direct southern exposure for solar panels and
passive solar. So many homes built are just placed wrong so that solar won't be
of much benefit.

Instead of a regular architect get someone with solar/wind experience to design
your home. It wont cost more and you will get financial benefit.

Look at passive in floor water heating, solar air heaters and geothermal units
for even bigger savings on heat.

LaMar
www.simplesolarhomesteading.com