Home Energy Efficiency & Water Conservation
If you missed it, you can listen to Tom’s presentation here:
On February 10, 2019, through our adult religious education forum series, we facilitated discussions about home energy conservation, water conservation, and incentives to assist in paying for qualified upgrades. The intent of this forum was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of energy consumed, and to conserve water in our drought-prone area by reducing the amount of household water consumed. In addition, the measures will have the bonus of reducing the monthly utility costs to the homeowners.
The forum discussion incorporated incremental no/low cost, moderate cost and major investment measures that a homeowner can take to reduce their energy and water consumption. Leading the discussion was Thomas Piette, a licensed architect, a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional, and former supervisor of the Sustainability Unit at the State of California, Department of General Services. Included were financial incentives and rebates available to home owners who upgrade key home components.
The home energy efficiency topics covered were: sources of greenhouse gas emissions, cool roofs & paint, lighting, high efficiency HVAC systems, shading and passive solar techniques, high performance windows and doors, insulation techniques, Energy Star appliances and cutting-edge zero net-energy homes.
The water conservation portion of the forum covered high efficiency plumbing fixtures, tankless water heaters, low water usage appliances, modifying family habits and water recycling tactics. We also covered drought tolerant plant species, irrigation efficiency, rainwater collection and conversion of lawns to xeriscaping.
Green Team leader for this project: Tom Piette
Here are some links about home energy efficiency in California:
Here are some links about water conservation in California: