Well, spring is almost here, and we at Better Green Building company are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. While we are still focused on our core competencies of general contracting and custom home building, we are branching off in a new direction with our comprehensive residential and commercial energy services division. We are proud to now offer our clients energy assessments, energy upgrades, and renewable energy. We want to become a leader in Northern Nevada when it comes to building things right and building things green.

Stay tuned for more updates as we further our roll out of new products and services. We will be offering free site assessments for energy upgrades, solar electricity, solar hot water, and ground source heating. We are extremely proud of our company and our brand; and we are be proud to be your Better Green Building Company.

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Many homeowners here in Northern Nevada don’t understand how expensive it is to heat water with propane. Since natural gas is not an option for propane customers, and heating water with electricity is just as expensive, it’s time to explore the economics of solar thermal. Hopefully, we can show potential clients how easy it is to justify solar hot water systems to offset those high propane bills.

Firstoff, heating water with propane is usually only about 60% efficient. This means that for every $10 of propane you feed your water heater, you only get $6 back in hot water…not very good. On-demand, or instantaneous, hot water units are much higher efficiency, but consume just as much energy as a storage system if the demand for hot water is high. On-demand units usually have a higher BTU/hr rating than a comparable storage unit, so if your family is using lot’s of hot water, your high-efficiency unit is consuming lot’s of energy.

So let’s figure out how much it costs to run a propane-fired water heater in Reno, NV. Let’s assume that we have a family of 4, who will consume about 120 gallons of hot water per day (30 Ga per person is typical). Assuming that we need to heat the water from 55 degrees to 130 Farenheit, this will require about 75,000 BTU’s, or roughly 1.37 gallons of propane per day. This means 500 gallons of propane per year – just for hot water! At $3.50/Ga, that’s $1750 per year, literally going down the drain!

Now let’s look at a residential solar hot water system in Reno, NV. Let’s assume we install (2) 4×10′ flat plate, glazed solar collectors with a 120-gallon storage tank. Annually, this system (SRCC OG-300 system rating) will produce 178 Therms of hot water. This is enough to offset 325 gallons of propane per year, providing an annual return of $1,137. Assuming that the system is installed for $10,000, and the homeowner receives the 30% federal tax credit ($3,000 in this case), that’s a simple payback of just over 6 years! And this doesn’t even take into account the rising cost of fossil fuels!

Add in the environmental benefits and this should be a no-brainer to anyone who is currently using propane to heat domestic hot water. So, if you are reading this and you are near Reno, NV, you should call Better Green Building to get a quote for a solar hot water system!

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Home Performance Contracting (HPC) is different from other approaches to home improvement. The main difference is in the measured result, as opposed to the hoped-for benefits of many other investments. Test-in measurements and quantitative information allow the homeowner to understand the issues and make an informed energy investment. Home energy retrofits demand a comprehensive understanding of building science with respect to heat and air movement, as well as the design principles, installation, measurement, and verification procedures of residential HVAC systems.

The building as a whole – working as an integrated system – is what provides increased comfort, safety, and indoor air quality. These projects are not small in scope, but annual savings of 40-60% are quite typical. In some cases, the savings can be enough to make the project self-funding. In other words, the homeowner’s monthly energy expense will be lower, even with the cost of a loan that may be required to finance the project.

After a complete and thorough assessment of the entire building, all the energy features of the home are designed and installed to work as an integrated whole, rather than in pieces by separate organizations. The resulting home is not only carefully engineered; it’s also measured in its critical aspects as it’s installed.

What is the Process?

Phase 1 – Consumer Education and base-load electrical reduction

• Low-cost consumer education
• Lighting replacement with CFL/LED fixtures
• Replace power strips with “smart strips” which automatically turn off accessories when computers or the TV is switched off
• Replace major electrical appliances with energy efficient models

Phase 2 – Enclosure and HVAC (Health, Safety, and Comfort)

• Crawlspace and drainage remediation
• Any necessary siding and roof repair
• Air sealing (crawl space, plus the assembly which separates the house from the attic)
• HVAC equipment and water heater replacement or remediation, plus air distribution system replacement or remediation
• Insulation (attic, crawl space and duct work)
• Window replacement

Phase 3 – Active Renewable Energy Systems

• Solar photovoltaic generation
• Solar hot water
• Ground-Source Heating

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