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Zero energy ready homes are coming

energy.gov

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Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#411

Post by rcme »

stouset wrote: post #285
rcme wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do people prefer to dump sewage in creeks? The GP said people live as close to their ideal as they can within their means. Generally, people with the means to afford sewers or septic tanks choose to use them.

Generally, we've enacted laws that prohibit people from dumping their waste into the surrounding area. GP is suggesting that we start to perceive extremely damaging low-utilization, ponzi-style suburban development in a similar manner.

Aren’t laws passed democratically, or are we being subjugated by a sewer-preferential minority?

The point is that the premise of the counter-example is flawed. People do prefer to have their waste carried away cleanly when they can afford it.

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#414

Post by rr888 »

vineyardmike wrote: post #339
rr888 wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> economically uncompetitive How can you say that? Usually nice suburbs pay huge amount in taxes that subsidize urban cores.

> that subsidize urban cores Subsidized by urban cores. Who do you think is paying for those $50M highway exits and overpasses so everyone can quickly get to their strip malls? Its not the local residents.

Well in my state generally the wealthiest people live in suburbs and pay all the taxes. The poorest areas are in cities and get the subsidies. So the suburbs are subsidising the cities. And that was before everyone started WFH so downtowns are now really empty.

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#415

Post by tonyarkles »

vkou wrote: post #404
nunodonato wrote: post #399

Earlier quoted context omitted.

source?

Don't need a source, it's simple math. For a plant to absorb 1KG of CO2, it needs to increase in weight by at least ~1Kg. An average human exhales ~1KG of CO2 a day. Unless your house plants are gaining half a ton of mass a year, they aren't meaningfully offsetting your CO2 exhilation.

I’m still with you and your point remains, but the plants do release O2 and just retain the C if I recall. Your plants only need to weigh 27% of that at the end of the year, or about 100kg :D

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#416

Post by rascul »

Syonyk wrote: post #72
xyst wrote: post #64

I just see this as another subsidy for single family housing developments. The home may be "zero energy ready" or whatever greenwashing term they want to use. But the fact is they are spending that energy in driving from the sticks (in some cases >20 miles away) and back, driving from their home to the grocery store and back, driving to areas of interest (ie, parks, restaurants, doctors appointments). All of this is…

> All of this is dependent on highways and new roads, new electrical, water, and sewage infrastructure. If you're 20 miles outside a town, you almost certainly have electrical service, but are on a well and septic system. City water and sewer doesn't make sense at those sort of densities. You also probably have the land to easily put a nice ground mount PV array in, and grow a good bit of your own food, should you ca…

It depends. We have a lot of small water coops around here and water lines ran nearly everywhere a road goes, even if the nearest city is 50 miles away.

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#418

Post by parthianshotgun »

nicbou wrote: post #384
twblalock wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I would guess that most suburbs are financially unsustainable in the long term because they pay less in taxes than it costs to maintain their infrastructure. Again, that is something that might be true for some places but not others. I know of suburbs that definitely pay for themselves. And it's not hard to see why -- the property taxes are high and many of the residents are paying high income taxes too. Plus, many…

> Taxes are redistribution. Why should they be redistributed to the recreationally remote? Are they especially in need?

Easy answer, my environmentally terrible huge monoculture lawn is not just my problem, but everyones!

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#419

Post by parthianshotgun »

A4ET8a8uTh0 wrote: post #310
bluGill wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people don't use their yard. They don't have more than a few flowers in the garden. 20 minutes with a push mower is enjoyable exercise but they wouldn't want it to take longer.

Eh. How people use their property is really their own business. I might disagree. I might despair. I might even tell them it is a bad idea, but how and whether a person uses the thing they buy is not up to your neighbor ( or non-neighbor for that matter ) to decide ( within reason, you will hear complaints about practicing on electric guitar or repairing your muscle car at midnight ). It is just a bad argument to use…

The issue with the megalawn is that it wastes water, a shared resource, create weed killer runoff issues and generally bad for the local flora/fauna, which again, are shared in ways which aren't obvious, and costs more carbon to sustain. It's an embarrassment of riches. To dispair and disagree is human, if you think you can't change people's minds then that's a self fulfilling prophecy.

In the case of your family member sure they lack sense, but I've found for lawns at least, to lean into that and use arguments like, 'hey clovers are better because you don't need to mow and barely need to water, this means you can sit on your ass more!' (something like that).

Re: Zero energy ready homes are coming

#420

Post by parthianshotgun »

kitsunesoba wrote: post #153
Fauntleroy wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can find a way to convince Americans they don't all need a yard that can easily fit 6 (japanese) houses, we'll be well on our way.

That level of space-hungriness isn't universal amongst American suburbs. In the neighborhood I live for example, houses have only around 6'-8' between them and their "yards" are a small patch of dirt in the front and back.

Where's your nearest coffee shop?
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