What if there was a way to build a house that would eliminate the need for building any more power plants?What if that house cost no more than a standard spec home that we are always building by the thousands here in South Florida, but could generate a low two digit electric bill?
What if that house existed, and FPL knew about it and actually liked the idea? I bet you are thinking that this is just blog hype. Well, it is not hype, and it is for real!
Homeowner Albert Harum-Alvarez was stunned by Florida Power and Light’s reaction to his home building skills:
“When we built the Green House in Kendall, we weren't expecting so much love from FPL. Why did they like a house that was all about lowering the FPL bill? Florida Power and Light’s answer, “You don't understand. If everyone built like this, we'd never need another power plant."
The Green House is very real. The public is invited to join in an insider’s look at the past and future of sustainable building. This coming Saturday, April 4th there will be an introduction to the topic at Kendall’s Historic Dice Home followed by a tour of the Harum-Alvarez home. There will also be a panel discussion hosted by Dr. Greg Bush, Associate UM History Professor and Director of UM Institute for Public Policy. The panel will feature County District 8 Commissioner Katy Sorenson, Thorn Grafton, AIA, Zyscovich Architects and homeowner Albert Harum-Alvarez.
This is a great opportunity to visit a home which houses five people that actually has a light bill of $54! Without a doubt, most of us will leave the tour wondering why on earth Florida Power and Light would sink mega dollars into nuclear power plants, when that money could be successfully spent on Green Development that would be safer and of greater benefit to their stockholders.
Attend Saturday’s free event, and then attend the upcoming public hearings on Florida Power and Lights plans for Miami-Dade’s future. Harum-Alvarez states that the question to ask at that hearing should be, “What if FPL took all the money those nuclear plants would take to build and put it into greening projects like ours? Would the amount of energy saved be greater than the energy output from the additional nuclear plants?”
Sustainable Homes from the Past to the Future
Saturday, April 4, 2:00 - 6:00 P.M.
Dice House at Continental Park
10000 SW 82nd Avenue (US 1 to 104 Street, go west, make a right on SW 82nd Ave.)
Kendall.
PS: Any High School student attending the event and will write a one page paper on the experience can get community service hours. The best page will be published in the Urban Environmental League newspaper!
6 comments:
Thanks for the kudos: I'm proud of my family for what we accomplished! Some clarifications on cost:
We spent about $125 per square foot for construction. That's about average for a custom house in 2007, but we did a little switcheroo. Instead of granite kitchens and marble bathrooms, we bought a lot of extra concrete, and made the walls a solid eight inches thick. Our 'finishes' are frugal, but the house is solid--and very economical to live in!
The only bad news is that permitting cost us roughly $70,000 in delays, mostly before Commissioner Katy Sorenson created the Green Building Expedite program. Building green may be smart, but for the most part, it's very hard to permit! Those delays cost us an extra $30 a square foot--though that's not what builders call a "hard cost" of construction.
The Herald reports that the average South Florida house uses 45 kWh per day. Our house averages 15, for a family of five. If we ever installed solar PV panels tied to the grid, FPL would be paying us every month.
The FPL BuildSmart reps were gung-ho on the house, and our FPL meter reader is our biggest fan! He goes around boasting about how low our kWh readings are! Now we need to get the CEO out here. Please help us drum up the interest... and drop by to see how we did it!
Thanks,
Albert Harum-Alvarez
I made a cut in the middle of the article and I am sorry Youbetcha', it has since been fixed. My bad.
Genius, I think the most important aspect of the blog is Albert's commentary, anyway. Right?
:)
Does everything that's considered eco-friendly mean it will generate savings or will be beneficial for the planet and the next generation?
At least homes with more topiary have a better appearance thus a higher resale value. cha-ching$
I don't get where you are going, "Print Banners". I don't think I am speaking about resale value.
I believe the neat thing about this particular house is that it costs a barrel of money less to live in it, due to the matter in which it was constructed. It also requires less electricity from the power company, which results in less need for additional power plants to be built here and elsewhere. And that can translate into savings for all the electric consumers and a better run company for the stockholders.
$cha-ching$ $cha-ching$
Mr. Harum-Alvarez and his family have good reason to be proud. Yesterday's UEL event - which was free, fascinating and included a tour of the Harum-Alvarez's beautiful home - made for a fun and inspiring afternoon. The house demonstrates that you can walk the "green" walk, save money, live very comfortably, and poke a finger in FPL's eye. What more could you ask for?
Post a Comment