The Texas Solar Energy Society’s Cool House Tour is this weekend:

The 14th Annual Austin Cool House Tour

June 6, 2010 10:00am-6:00pm

Photo: Patrick Wong

Full details here: http://www.txses.org/solar/content/cool-house-tour

Update:

Google Map of homes here: Cool Homes Tour 2010 Google Map

Happy to post for the UT Student Engineers Council:
Saturday, April 17, 9am – 3pm
Location: Lot 39, LBJ Library (http://tinyurl.com/ewasteLot39)
Goal: Help the environment by collecting and recycling electronic waste

The University of Texas Student Engineering Council (SEC) and Goodwill are hosting an electronics waste collection and recycling event.
If you have electronics that you don’t use (broken or working, but not UT property) and/or if you would like to help the event, check out the info below.

Examples of Accepted items: Computers, DVD/VCR Players, Cables and Wires, Fax Machines, MP3 Players, Cell Phones, Phones, Answering Machines, Scanners, Printers, Copiers, and Televisions

NOT accepted: Non-computer plastics, Hazardous materials, University property, Ferrous materials, Paper or wood, Refrigerators, and Household appliances

For more information, go to http://sec.engr.utexas.edu/index.cfm/activities/ewaste/

I’ve discussed Energy Monitoring in previous posts:

• Home Energy Monitoring
• Home Energy Monitoring – Update 

I have now purchased and installed my own TED Model 1001 energy monitor so I thought I’d share my thoughts.

Energy Detective Details

The Energy Detective (TED) is a fairly simple device – a measurement unit installed in my electrical panel transmits real-time power consumption data to a LCD display.  The display unit tracks peak levels and can display power in kilowatts (kW) or dollars as well as the line voltage.  Here’s what came in the box:

You’ll notice the USB port on the LCD unit – I paid an extra $40 for the TED Footprints software so I can log and view data on my PC.  More on this in a moment.

Installation was fairly straightforward, as long as you don’t mind mucking around in your electrical panel.  I won’t go into detail – you can read the instructions and muck around at your own risk .  If you’d rather avoid the hassle an electrician could easily install this in less than an hour.

Next there are a few setup steps on the Display Unit – you can enter electrical rate details which allows TED to display in dollars (and $/hr).  It works well with the Austin Energy 2 tiered rate model and seasonal rate change. 

Living with The Energy Detective – My Review

I’m not going to say that TED changed my life, but I certainly enjoy having it.  I’m kind of a data addict and TED allows me to measure and track my power consumption.  The first hour or so after I installed it were spent turning on all of our lights and appliances and monitoring the change in kWh.  Kind of nerdy, but an enlightening experience.

For anyone considering the TED, I would highly recommend the Footprints software.  It allows me to connect the TED display to my PC and log the data.  This has been very useful for tracking the performance of our HVAC system as well as monitoring our use-patterns.

All of the above information has helped me to live more efficiently and consider the costs of leaving a light on, or even baking brownies…

Baking with TED

Last weekend I baked a small pan of brownies in our electric oven.  Brownie ingredients are pretty cheap (chocolate, eggs, butter, etc.), but I was curious as to the cost of the ‘embodied energy’ (at least my oven’s contribution).  So I pulled up the TED data for the afternoon, here is a snapshot:

Here is a PDF of the full-size chart: TED-Baking.pdf

This graph shows a lot of good data.  The TED takes a measurement every second, so the x-axis shows the time I spent baking.  The blue plot is the power consumption (in kW) – this is what we’re after.  The red plot is the voltage (RMS) of the power lines – interesting mainly to see the power quality from Austin Energy and to see it drop as I draw more current.

First – Wow!  My oven takes some power!  The plot jumps up about 5 kW when the oven started pre-heating.  I checked my owner’s manual and it turns out I have a 5 kW heating element – this supports the measurement data.  It’s also interesting to see how the heating element turns on and off to maintain the 350 degree temperature.  This is basically the same control algorithm used by your average thermostat – simple but effective.

Also notice the two ~ 2 kW spikes around 2:40 pm – this was when I used the microwave to melt the butter/chocolate mix.  Here’s a closer look at this section of the plot (oven pre-heat and microwave):

With the TED power measurement for each second, I can calculate the total power consumption for baking the brownies.  This is the area under the blue plot in kilowatt-hours.  To be fair I’ll remove the ~0.6 kW base level as this is due to the lights, computer, fridge, etc. in the house. 

So there you have it – Thanks to TED I know that baking brownies required 1.67 kWh of power, which cost me about 12 cents.

Conclusion

You get the idea – The Energy Detective is a neat way to learn more about how you consume electricity, which should help you to be more efficient in your consumption.  I think installing TED is a great idea for builders – costing less than $200 it’s very affordable feature and it can immediately measure/demonstrate the effectiveness of the home and its systems.  Of course TED can eventually pay for itself by helping to reduce wasted energy. 

What do you think?  Is the TED providing worthwhile data or is this too much information?  Share your questions or comments below.

This is the fifth post about my modern remodel in Austin, Texas. Click here for all ‘My Remodel’ posts.

Note – I’m way behind on ‘My Remodel’ posting.  Bear with me as I catch up.  If you have a specific question or interest feel free to send me a note – ryan at inspiredaustin.com.

Also – I’m going to gloss over the financing and permitting aspects of the process.  While these are critical and can take a lot of time, I don’t think it makes for exciting reading.  My general advice in this area – work with architects/lenders who are very familiar with the process.

Phase 1: Free/Paid Demolition via Craigslist

Prior to construction, we lived in our house for over a year.  While it wasn’t it great shape, we knew there were many items that could be reused.  Craigslist to the rescue.  We quickly sold our appliances and several light fixtures along with some of our furniture.  Great!  But we still had several items that could be reused and would be expensive to demo – like concrete pavers, wire fence panels, and our old garage:

The answer – list them on Craigslist for free.  But be warned – this will result in an onslaught of calls and emails.  We got rid of the pavers and fence within a few hours of the posting.  People were happy to dig them out and take them away.  Several people came by to look at the garage but found that the trees on our lot would prevent extraction.  In any case – materials removed free of charge that won’t end up in a landfill.

Phase 2: Selective Demolition and Extraction

Next we started true, messy demolition.  While we considered going with Habitat for Humanity’s DeConstruction service, our builder had a strong relationship with another contractor who’s price couldn’t be beat.  He also sorted and recycled materials so it was an easy choice.  The crew first went through the house and removed all materials that could be re-used.  These ended up at habitat for humanity mostly – some I think the men may have detoured to a local flea market.  In any case – not a landfill:

If anyone is interested in the mustard-swirl colored cultured marble countertop with inset shell sink it may still be available at the Re-Store.

We were also able to sell our 50 yr old wood windows on Craigslist to a man restoring a similar home in East Austin – he was pretty excited so I probably didn’t charge enough for them.  I was just glad to find them a new home:

Phase 3: Structural Demolition

And then the walls came down.  It was neat to see them sort the lumber they had removed – some of it we reused on site (50 yr old lumber is stronger and straighter than today’s 2×4, or so I’m told), and smaller pieces are taken to be re-used as concrete form stakes.

The rest of the materials were taken away in dumpsters – which you can sort for recycling as well.  They can even recycle busted up concrete.  Finally we were left with the shell of our home, ready for a new addition.  Here are some photos:

Stay tuned for another exciting post on ‘My Remodel’ – A New Foundation.

There are a couple of interesting housing-related articles in the Statesman today.  First, an article about how green features are being used to help sell homes in a tough market.  Here is a snippet:

Hybrid homes become a selling tool

First came the push for fuel-efficient cars. Are fuel-efficient houses next?

As builders look for ways to move homes in a lousy market, they’re increasingly taking their cue from carmakers and turning toward energy efficiency as a selling tool…

Several Austin projects are mentioned (in addition to other areas).  A referenced study suggests that builders feel that ‘green’ homes are easier to market.  I’ve talked to a few Austin builders who agree with this sentiment.  The bottom line – the market is driving builders to implement energy efficient features.  See the full article here: Austin American Statesman – Hybrid homes become a selling tool

The other article (from the Wall Street Journal) talks about the growing popularity of “Design-Build” firms.  Rather than hiring Architect A for design and Builder B for construction – more firms are offering both services.  Here is a snippet:

When the architect is also the contractor

… This architect-as-contractor model, called design-build, had already been gaining new traction at the highest echelons of the housing market, as clients seek ways to execute cutting-edge designs without the headaches often associated with such construction. Membership in the American Institute of Architects’ design-build community has nearly tripled over the past five years, and teachers at several architecture programs across the Midwest report that enrollment in design-build classes has doubled…

Here is a link to the full text – definitely worth a read: Austin American Statesman – When the architect is also the contractor.  The article does a great job of covering the benefits to the client and the firm – as well as several examples.  I had no idea the AIA banned this practice until 1979!  As far as this trend – Austin has our share of great design-build firms like Cottam-Hargrave, KRDB, Clayton-Levy-Little have built amazing projects around town.