Posted on by xdavegreen

Any thoughts on honeycomb shades for windows?

Q: I have seen these claiming R4.7. Any thoughts?

A: I think they are a very good idea. They are cheap, look good and are very effective. Also, thick, pleated, lined curtains that go to the floor (or window sill) can add R3-R5 to any window. Window inserts can add R1-R2 to any window, but they also block drafts which neither shades nor curtains can do. Many older windows, especially sash windows, leak like sieves, so for these the window inserts are probably the best idea, but if your windows are not drafty then I think either curtains or shades work great and are pretty inexpensive.

Heat pumps insulation triple glazed windows and solar panels Zero Carbon Home author David Green
David Green – the “Green Guru”
Book energy efficiency Zero Carbon Home 2020 edition front cove. Profitable ways to cut your home's carbon emissions and bills. How to get a net-zero-carbon house. By Green Guru David Green.
Zero Carbon Home paperback book front cover

The highly-acclaimed book “Zero Carbon Home” by “Green Guru” David Green.

How David Green, the "Green Guru" cut his home's carbon emissions and utility bills to zero by adding heat pumps, insulation, triple-pane windows and solar panels to make a 15% return on investment.
How David Green, the “Green Guru” cut his home’s carbon emissions and utility bills to zero by adding heat pumps, insulation, triple-pane windows and solar panels to make a 15% return on investment.

How we cut our home’s carbon emissions to zero.

How David Green, the "Green Guru" cut his home's carbon emissions and utility bills to zero by adding heat pumps, insulation, triple-pane windows and solar panels to make a 15% return on investment. David Green is the author of the books Zero Carbon Home and Zero Carbon Pool. He is also the author and presenter of the webinar Zero Carbon, Zero Bills. He is recognized as the "Green Guru" for his expertise in energy efficiency, profitable ways to cut carbon emissions and save money, and the design of houses for net-zero living.
How David Green, the “Green Guru” cut his home’s carbon emissions and utility bills to zero by adding heat pumps, insulation, triple-pane windows and solar panels to make a 15% return on investment. David Green is the author of the books Zero Carbon Home and Zero Carbon Pool. He is also the author and presenter of the webinar Zero Carbon, Zero Bills. He is recognized as the “Green Guru” for his expertise in energy efficiency, profitable ways to cut carbon emissions and save money, and the design of houses for net-zero living.

How we cut our home’s utility bills to zero.

Our solar panels on the roof of our house. Solar panels are one of the Fab Four of heat pumps, insulation, triple-pane windows and solar panels that got our house to net zero. David Green is the author of the books Zero Carbon Home and Zero Carbon Pool. He is also the author and presenter of the webinar Zero Carbon, Zero Bills. He is recognized as the "Green Guru" for his expertise in energy efficiency, profitable ways to cut carbon emissions and save money, and the design of houses for net-zero living.
Our solar panels on the roof of our house. Solar panels are one of the Fab Four of heat pumps, insulation, triple-pane windows and solar panels that got our house to net zero. David Green is the author of the books Zero Carbon Home and Zero Carbon Pool. He is also the author and presenter of the webinar Zero Carbon, Zero Bills. He is recognized as the “Green Guru” for his expertise in energy efficiency, profitable ways to cut carbon emissions and save money, and the design of houses for net-zero living.

Solar panels on the roof of our house.

Our Bosch heat pumps replaced our ancient AC units. They fit into the same space and electrical breakers as the old AC units. They are saving us about $3,000 a year in heating oil, even after the extra electricity they take.
We have two 5 tons Bosch heat pumps to heat and cool our house.

Our heat pumps.

The pink fiberglass is 10" thick and has an R-value of about R30. The grey boards are rigid foam ISO boards at about R10 each.
Pink fiberglass and yellow ISO board rigid foam insulation being installed on our flat roof.

Fiberglass and ISO board insulation on the roof of our house.

Although it is hard to quantify, our new triple-glazed windows have transformed the look and feel of the house, plus we no longer have to sit under blankets to avoid the cold drafts off the old windows in winter.
Our new triple glazed windows replaced a mix of 1970’s vintage single and double-glazed units. The insulating value of the new windows is about 3x that of the old ones.

Triple-pane windows in our living room.

Useful links:

The Easiest Way to Calculate Your Home’s Carbon Footprint:https://greenzerocarbonhome.com/2018/07/what-is-the-carbon-footprint-of-natural-gas-heating-oil-propane-and-coal/

Written Answers to over 300 Questions about Zero Carbon Homes:https://greenzerocarbonhome.com/webinar-questions-and-answers/

Finance and Net Zero Energy Terms explained: https://greenzerocarbonhome.com/energy-and-finance-terms-explained/

Zero Carbon Home Website Home Page:                https://greenzerocarbonhome.com

Database of State Incentive for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) https://www.dsireusa.org

Published articles on Zero Carbon and Net Zero Energy:

Department of Energy, EnergySage, “Zero Carbon Home”https://www.energysage.com/project/7230/zero-carbon-home/

Zero Energy Project, “My Zero Energy Retrofit beats my 401k”https://zeroenergyproject.org/2018/09/23/my-zero-energy-retrofit-beats-my-401k/

Cool Effect, “Mr. Green’s Zero Carbon Home”         https://www.cooleffect.org/content/news/green-testimonial?utm_source=Cool_Effect_CRM&utm_medium=EMAIL&utm_campaign=20180814Engage_Testimonial&utm_content=green_CTA

Green Energy Times, “My Zero Energy Pool is a Great Investment!” http://www.greenenergytimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/GET_May-2019.pdf

Published Presentations on Zero Carbon Zero Bills:

To see a 3-minute interview of David Green by NBC Boston anchor Joy Lim Nakrin, please click here:TV interview

To see a 20-minute TED talk at Harvard Business School, please click here: TED Talk

You can watch a recorded version of my Zero Carbon, Zero Bills webinar here: Zero Carbon, Zero Bills Webinar

Reviews of my “Zero Carbon, Zero Bills” webinar included, “Minute-for-minute, point-for-point, one of the best webinars I have ever attended. Thank you!”, “David is a true inspiration and asset to our community. He inspired us to get solar panels and a new front door”, “This is like a masterclass in ZeroCarbon”, “Thank you soooo much for the sensible advice and your fabulous resources!!” and, although this next comment is a little flowery, it does express the sentiment of many other comments, “Your contribution to Greening America is great and will probably help our survival as a species a bit longer than expected”.