Energy Efficient—and Affordable—Appliances

We needed to get all of our appliance specs into Presby this past week so they could plan/build accordingly. Sure, this task seems pretty undemanding at face value. But in reality, we spent weeks contemplating cook tops and dwelling on dryers. And at times the process wasn’t fun—like when we (well, not me) stood in line on Black Friday at 4:00 a.m. for a washer/dryer…

Yep, choosing appliances took weeks of researching the most efficient models, head scratching over where certain appliances would fit and unearthing the best deals to make sure we stayed within our budget.

One common theme you will notice is that all our appliances are electric. We hope to offset a majority, if not all, of our electric use from our own sustainable energy sources (currently solar & hopefully wind in the future).

Without further ado, here is what we purchased:

Cook Top & Wall Oven- Remember the drama that ensued when we realized we’d need a fan to vent our stove? Because we didn’t want to obstruct the view, and due to the lack of downdraft options in slide in ranges, we opted for a separate cook top and wall oven. Our research revealed that convection ovens are more energy efficient than conventional ovens because they house a fan that blows air around inside the unit—meaning shorter cooking times at lower temperatures. We chose a Kenmore Elite 30 in. Convection Wall Oven and GE Profile 30" Downdraft Electric Cooktop. Both were purchased from the Sears outlet. (Photos courtesy Sears & GE)





Washer/Dryer- Because our laundry room is also serving as our pantry, we need as much space as possible to function in the small space. So, we opted for a stackable washer and dryer. My other half stood in line at an insane hour of the morning on Black Friday to buy this washer/dryer combo for MUCH less than it’s worth. (Thank you!) The washer is Energy Star-compliant; however, dryers are not rated under the Energy Star program. The dryer will only see action in the colder months anyway :) (Photos courtesy Sears)




Refrigerator- Because refrigerators are charged with being the biggest energy consumers, we spent a lot of time researching this appliance, and chose the Frigidaire 18.2 Cu. Ft. Top Mount Refrigerator for various reasons:

• It uses 34% LESS energy than what is needed to meet the minimum federal government standard (NAECA);


• It’s estimated yearly operating cost is just $41;


• It has a top-mounted freezer, which uses 10–25% less energy than bottom-mount or side-by-side models;


• It lacks an icemaker and water dispenser on purpose. According to the Department of Energy, while these features are convenient, they will increase energy use;


• It comes in around $500-600. (Photo courtesy Lowes)

Dishwasher- We chose the Frigidaire Gallery Stainless Steel 24 in. Built-In Dishwasher because it was Energy Star compliant, good looking and on sale! (Photo courtesy Sears)

In every appliance we researched and purchased energy consumption was our primary concern. The less kWh we have to use the easier it will be to make our home a zero energy home!

Progress Report: We Have Walls!

Presby Construction continues to make strides on our home and recently sent us this photo. Look at those walls (and view)! Anyone up for a night of sleeping under the stars?


So far, New England has seen a pretty mild winter, likely due to this being an El Nino year. The lack of snow has helped keep the construction of our home on target. Hopefully winter waits a bit to visit the White Mountains—well, at least until we have a roof!

Progress Report: Pouring Foundation

Last week, Presby made giant leaps with our home construction. Say goodbye to our vacant "camping spot" and hello to our future basement walls!

Since our lot is steeply sloped, the week started with building a ramp for the concrete trucks to sit on while they poured the concrete.

On Friday, concrete was poured into the forms that were set earlier in the week.

Below, the Presby crew supervises the concrete as it travels down the trough into the preset forms. The line you see off to the left side of the photo will be the height of our first floor, deck and a majority of windows that will capture the low-hanging winter sun.

In the pictures below, the crew is moving the concrete down the wall in the forms as far as they can.


Once the foundation is poured, the exterior walls will have spray foam applied--the first step to making our home super-insulated.

Groundbreaking!

We received great news over the weekend—Presby Construction broke ground! These photos were taken last Wednesday, the first day they started work, and are courtesy of Presby. Take a look at all the pretty fall colors:



We asked Presby to keep any usable firewood from the property so we can burn it in the wood stove later, and mentioned that any sizable boulders that can be used for landscaping/grading would be great to have as well.

Apparently this was later than Presby wanted to start excavating, as it's been raining a lot. It even snowed last Tuesday already! Nevertheless, I'll keep you up to date on the progress with pictures sent to us and ones I take. We plan on taking a trip to the site within the next few weeks. I can't wait!

Choosing a Builder Who Saw Our Vision

Once final house plans were in hand, we needed to pick a builder to get the project rolling. Initially, we combed the internet for anyone with previous LEED-certified or green building experience. We wrote down the names of the couple (really, just two!) builders we found and asked our realtor for other recommendations. When he came back to us with a list 10-deep, we researched some more, called around, then met in person with four builders and corresponded via phone and e-mail with another three.

Why did we end up speaking with so many people? Believe it or not, we actually had some builders “drop out” once they heard of our green house plans and budget. We’d meet or talk with someone, and then as soon as we mentioned our eco-conscious approach, they had reservations. Never mind that building green is here to stay and demand will continue to rise in the next few years!

This was another frustrating experience for us. It was difficult to convince someone who had built a certain way all their lives that building an out-of-the-ordinary home would put them on the map. Especially when the builder didn’t want the “hassle” of dealing with a third-party certification program if we pursued LEED certification. I was shocked at the lack of desire (of some) to take on a project that was different, yet would certainly help secure future business. As you could have guessed, this also affected us receiving many and varied quotes for the project.

But our experience ends on a positive note! The builder we ultimately chose to do business with sees the future in green too. They’re actually working to build a biodiesel plant (a nontoxic renewable fuel made from natural sources such as vegetable oils) and were eager to tackle our green project. They said they’d go through the LEED process if we wanted to pursue it and appointed a professional to deal specifically with the green aspects of our project.

We’re excited to call Presby Construction our builder—and we haven’t even broken ground yet!