Windows and doors.
Insulation.
Roofs (metal and asphalt).
We are going to see a lot of needless work done to our stock of traditionally constructed, pre-war homes in the coming years. This is very disappointing because the systems these new products replace are often superior to the new units. If you account for embodied energy, operational energy, and life-cycle energy most traditional forms of construction come out on top over newer systems. Especially systems that are already in-place. Think twice before jumping on the bandwagon. Remember the words: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Replacing a perfectly good system in the name of reduction in energy isn't really a net reduction. You can't consume your way to sustainability.
Now remember the architectural equivalent of this mantra:
Maintain before repair.
Repair before restore.
Restore before replace.
Replace only as a last resort.
Live it.
2 comments:
Amen. Too bad the stimulus won't reward repair and reuse. There are lots of jobs that could be made in repair and reuse... thing of how many hours it takes to reglaze a window!
I'll be reusing and recycling as much as I can.
I really like your stuff. I stumbled onto your blog when I was researching the box gutters on the 100-year-old, masonry-walled house I just purchased in Pittsburgh.
It seems like it's hard to get straight info about these topics and your writing seems very clear and informative.
I think my box gutters are okay aside from needing some seams resealed. I'm mainly looking into how they affect the structure of the eaves and putting in soffit and ridge vents.
The attic in this place is completely unimproved and it's sweltering hot this month. Shade trees, alas, aren't an option. The good news is that gives us lots of room to improve; ventilation, insulation, and finishing the attic for extra space.
It's sad that the stimulus energy stuff is prone to counter-productive improvements, but it seems every way you turn, these days, you're hearing he said/she said about improvement strategies. It's making my head spin. It'd be great if the home-owning public could get some positive recommendations on what stimulus energy efficiency incentives to actually go after.
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