Eco-experts weigh in on how area homeowners can save energy, water

You can bike to work, bring reusable bags to the grocery store and recycle until the cows come home, but if your house leaks energy and wastes water, you’re not as green as you could be.

Real estate website Zillow recently reported on seven nationwide trends in planet-friendly home improvement. Local eco-experts are weighing in on which ones are right for (and legal in) our area.

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You already know that you should toss your incandescent light bulbs, but what should you use in their place? “CFLs are a low-cost option for energy efficiency, but LEDs are the future,” said Scott Rodwin, president of Rodwin Architecture in Boulder. LEDs offer better light quality, plus they’re more energy efficient, and a single bulb can last more than 20 years.

But the main advantage of choosing LEDs over CFLs is that LEDs don’t contain mercury. “The mercury in one CFL bulb would only cover the tip of a ball-point pen,” explained Karta Elise Hassler, education and outreach coordinator for the City of Boulder’s Local Environmental Action Division. “But LEDs are a better choice in terms of being mercury-free, and they’re even more efficient.” However, Hassler noted that if budget is a concern, CFLs still are a cost-efficient, eco-friendly option.

EnergyStar appliances

Thomas Doeer, owner of Doeer Architecture in Boulder, called EnergyStar appliances “a no-brainer” for homeowners. Ron Flax, an associate and project manager at Rodwin Architecture and a member of the board of directors for the Boulder Green Building Guild, agreed: “Energy Star appliances can make a big difference in the home, especially appliances that use both electricity and hot water, such as washing machines and dishwashers.”

But an EnergyStar certification is just a jumping off point. For those who want to go beyond the minimum requirements, Russ Sands, water conservation program manager for the City of Boulder, recommended seeking out Consortium for Energy Efficiency-rated appliances, which he said typically save more water and energy than do those with the EnergyStar standard alone. Either certification will likely make you eligible for a rebate through the city’s EnergySmart program.

Reuse rainwater

Because of Colorado’s water laws, which outlaw collecting rainwater in rain barrels, rainwater harvesting is a tricky subject. Homeowners can legally harness the power of rainwater, however. “We can do a lot of things with rainwater – we just can’t collect it in a container,” said Alison Peck, owner of landscape design company Matrix Gardens. For instance, Peck suggested positioning downspouts so that runoff flows onto the yard where it can permeate the soil, rather than onto a driveway where it will end up in the city’s storm-water system. Homeowners can also grade their yards so rainwater flows onto planted areas instead of toward the street.

Get Geothermal

Although expensive (they can cost more than $30,000 to install), ground-source heat pumps may be a viable option for homeowners who lack access to natural gas and have to use expensive propane, or for those who simply want to create the most energy-efficient home possible. However, Rodwin warned that the compressors use a lot of energy, “so if you get your electricity from a coal-fired power plant, the carbon footprint isn’t great.” Ground-source heat pumps are most efficient when coupled with photovoltaic panels that feed power back into the grid, bringing the net energy use back down to zero.

Geothermal energy may see a boost in popularity because of climate change, Flax said, because the longer, hotter summers drive people to run their air-conditioning units more often. “Ground-source heat pumps that can warm in the winter and cool in the summer are beginning to make more sense,” he said.

Solar panels

“We have one of the best locations for photovoltaic panels in the country,” said Flax, referring to Colorado’s abundance of sunshine. In fact, Boulder has one of the nation’s highest per-capita installed solar capacities, according to Jonathan Koehn, the city’s regional sustainability coordinator. Doeer said most of his clients ask for the panels, and that even for those who don’t, he designs their houses to accommodate future installations.

“It’s something people use locally to meet the city’s aggressive energy codes,” said Flax, “and it’s a good investment for homeowners.” Although the up-front costs can be high, there are numerous rebate programs and financial incentives available from the federal government, state, city and Xcel Energy that can help homeowners offset the costs.

Reuse graywater

Graywater systems filter water from sinks and showers to be reused for flushing the toilet, and can save up to 12,000 gallons of water per year. Rodwin Architecture installed the first legally permitted residential graywater system for a client in Boulder four years ago, but aside from that – and a small pilot program at the University of Colorado – the practice is not generally allowed by the city because of health and water-rights concerns, said Sands. And since water is cheap, the systems, which can cost around $4,500 to install, may not be worth the cost and bureaucratic hassle to most homeowners. “But there may come a day when water is expensive and this makes sense,” Rodwin said. “I think we’ll see dramatically more municipalities allow graywater over time, especially as our water resources become increasingly strained.”

In the meantime, Flax suggested that homeowners look into low-flow toilets as an efficient, cost-saving, and legal alternative, since they require less water for flushing, negating some of the potential savings of graywater reuse.

Composting toilets

All toilets within Boulder’s city limits must be connected to the sewer system, meaning that composting toilets aren’t a legal option for many residents, said Hassler. Outside the city, Rodwin said, a number of clients have asked about composting toilets — but he’s only installed one.

“You have to be pretty committed to proper maintenance in order for them to work properly,” he said. “Most people ultimately decide they prefer the convenience of a conventional system.” As with graywater recycling, water is currently too inexpensive to make composting toilets a practical financial decision.