5 green home trends

Pre-fab homes
For his green remodel of a 1915 Craftsman-style home, Gottfried is planning to add two stand-alone structures in his backyard to use as office space. He says he is looking at the K3 structure from kitHaus. At 117 square feet, it is exempt from building permits, can be erected in a matter of days and can be customized to have solar cells put on the roof. “I’ve been courting a few firms in that field,” he says. “I just believe that taking one to two years to do a custom home is not as efficient as someone in a plant doing thousands of these.” He gives kitHaus and its kin kudos for using green building materials. More information at www.kithaus.com

Solar energy
“Certainly, I’m excited about solar and the fact that the cost is coming down and that the payback periods are under 10 years now,” he says. “It’s becoming competitive with the cost of fuel.”

Highly efficient windows
As building insulation improves, Gottfried says low Rvalue windows are a chink in green building’s armor. “When walls are 17 and the windows are 4, that’s a problem,” Gottfried points out. “Some folks are looking at R-15 windows. I’m depressed that I can’t get my hands on them for the remodel.”

Waterhog
This rainwater-capture system was designed by an Australian architect. The tank’s footprint is minimal so that it can be used in dense, urban settings. The tanks can be mounted vertically or horizontally, depending on space, and can even be placed under floors. Another application, the Groundhog, gets raves for providing thermal mass, as well: “You can put these things vertical in your wall and it becomes passive solar,” Gottfried said. More information at www.waterhog.com.au

Phoenix Solar Hot Water Heater Gottfried says he plans to install this system in his own home to supply hot water for domestic applications, as well as to feed hydronic heaters in each room of the house. “This is neat,” Gottfried says. “It’s one tank with two applications. That’s elegant.” More information at www.htproducts.com/phoenixsolar.html

Read more about David Gottffried's green home remodel in our Q&A.