Column: Easy green in winter

In the El Paso Times today:

Opportunities await to make huge impact on energy bill

Louie Gilot / Special to the Times

Posted: 12/31/2009 12:00:00 AM MST

EL PASO -- To paraphrase Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy being green."
Outfitting your home with solar panels can set you back $20,000. The panels won't work on overcast days, and you have to keep these puppies clean, like your windshield. Nope, green is not easy and it's not cheap. But before you take out a loan for photovoltaic cells, there are many things you can do right away, for little or no money, that will make a huge impact on your energy bill and your carbon footprint.

It's called passive solar energy, and the idea is to use the existing features of your house -- windows, walls, floors and roof -- to help heat or cool the house. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, passive solar designs can cut heating bills by as much as 50 percent, more than you can with solar panels. But this is not just a matter of money. Buildings, including your home, are responsible for about 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions (even before transportation and industry) that contribute to global warming.

Of course, the energy savings depend on the kind of house you have. You'll get a head start with a smaller house, a house with low ceilings, a two-story house versus a sprawling structure, a house oriented north-south rather than east-west, and a well-insulated dwelling. But passive solar principles can apply everywhere.

Open south-facing blinds. Most of the winter sunlight will affect the south side of the house. So leave the blinds and curtains open on south-facing windows to let the sun in during the day. It's amazing how warm it can get in those rooms. Make sure the windows are not obstructed by awnings, vegetation or patio furniture. If you want to plant bushes or trellised vines -- a good idea to create shade in the summer -- pick a deciduous plant, one that loses its leaves in winter.

Let sunlight hit the walls. Now you have sun rays coming from your south-facing windows so you have passive heat during the day. If your house was built with dry walls, you are out of luck. But if you have stone, brick, concrete or adobe walls or floors thicker than four inches, you might be able to have passive heat for the night. These materials have high thermal mass, which means that they can retain heat and release it when your house gets colder. For this phenomenon to work, however, these materials must receive direct sunlight, so watch out for discoloration.

Insulate your windows. Windows can account for 10 to 25 percent of your energy bill, according to the Department of Energy. Any draft can undo all your best passive solar efforts. Caulk and invest in insulating curtains for the night.

Use light colors to reduce lighting needs. This is an ingenious idea I heard from Austin architect Peter Pfeiffer, who was the keynote speaker at the Eco El Paso conference last October. Light-colored kitchen counter tops, as opposed to those fancy dark granite ones, will save you energy. Why? First, you'll see your food better and won't need so many lights. That probably applies to other rooms where you need to see what you're doing, such as the office, the bathroom or a craft room.

Switch fans to the opposite direction. They will push hot air down from the ceiling.

Turn down the thermostat. Lowering it by just one degree can reduce heating energy costs by about four percent, according to the National Building Museum.