27 Nov THANKFUL Served Green Building Style

As this week began, I was in quite a foul mood over my lack of employment. Today, as we prepare for the traditional consumption of organic, free-range fowl, I take on an attitude of gratitude. I hope this post will put all readers in a thankful frame of mind!

T is for tanks – I’m grateful for the two tanks in my garage that provide solar-heated water to my house. A 100-gal tank of water is warmed by heat exchange with distilled water from a 15-gal tank that runs through panels on the roof. And there’s still six months left to win a 1,000-gal rainwater collection tank and system from Innovative Water solutions!

H is for heat pumps – Air-source heat pumps can be used for space conditioning and water heating. The high-efficiency heat pump that cools/heats my house is great! Ground-source heat pumps (a.k.a. geothermal) are even more efficient.

A is for all-electric appliances and automobiles – Electric stoves/ovens and clothes dryers allow independence from fossil fuels and make net zero energy buildings possible. On the electric vehicle front it’s exciting to see the options growing quickly beyond Tesla and Nissan.

N is for net zero energy – It was really cool to discover last week that there is a Net Zero Energy Coalition. This organization aims to serve as the hub for the NZE movement and offer a central online resource for the latest in research, innovative projects, industry news, etc.

K is for Krypton – I’m grateful for all the super men and women (who just might be from Krypton) whose heroic efforts make green building, renewable energy and electric vehicles reality in the world.

F is for Fronius inverters – The inverters for our solar PV panels system on my house haven’t gone down yet this year (knock on wood).

U sounds like the word you – I’m thankful for all of you who read these blogs, share them and put what you learn into practice in your life.

L is for love – I’m mostly thankful for the love of family, friends, neighbors, church parishioners and the green communities I’ve had the privilege of being part of, particularly CleanTX Foundation, Austin Green Business Leaders, Solar Austin, Design-Build-Live and Austin EcoNetwork, of course!