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    Getting Back To Net Zero: Rediscovering Our Sustainable Roots
    Getting Back To Net Zero: Rediscovering Our Sustainable Roots
    Getting Back To Net Zero: Rediscovering Our Sustainable Roots
    Ebook117 pages1 hour

    Getting Back To Net Zero: Rediscovering Our Sustainable Roots

    By Brent Sauser

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    About this ebook

    Construction in the 1850’s was a lot different than today. The vast majority of building materials used were extracted from the surrounding environment. Fireplaces were constructed, not for aesthetics, but to heat and cook. There was no electricity or any need for it. They were not tied to a local utility grid for power. They used candles or oil lamps. When it was hot they opened the windows and placed more wood or coal on the fire when it was cold. This was the life style of the time, where they were naturally connected to the environment and seasons of the year, just like their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. It was just good common sense to do so. There was no alternative.
    Today, however, we are reaping the so-called benefits of a multitude of alternatives; alternatives that distance us from a natural connection to the environment. Central air conditioning and heating are now common. A wide selection of electronic conveniences, appliances, flat screen TVs, computers, tablets, entertainment centers, and other devices are now considered "must haves" in our homes. In as short as three or four generations we have grown accustomed to living in artificial environments. The exception has now become the rule, the standard for what is now considered acceptable construction. Gone are the days of the Little House on the Prairie. Today, it doesn't matter what the climate is, season of the year, or where you live. Modern technology has provided the low-cost means to live in any climatic region without having to deal with the consequences of weather or seasons. Through modern technology we have become experts at creating artificial environments that can go on sustaining us, as long as non-renewable resources are available to satisfy the power demand. We are told by those who should know better that our vast supplies of oil, coal, and natural gas are unlimited and will continue to fuel our artificial environments for generations to come. No reason to be hasty with all this attention to solar panels, wind turbines and other renewable resources. If the implementation of renewable resources will help to provide an advantage to us as individuals and as a nation, why not seriously consider it as a viable option?
    These and other questions are addressed in "Getting Back to Net Zero". Simply stated, Net Zero design is construction that consumes less than, or as much energy as is produced on-site. How do we get back to our sustainable roots without sacrificing too many of the creature comforts we have grown to accept as necessities? Getting back to Net Zero provides the information you need to live a healthier, more sustainable 21st Century lifestyle.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrent Sauser
    Release dateAug 7, 2014
    ISBN9781310926280
    Getting Back To Net Zero: Rediscovering Our Sustainable Roots
    Author

    Brent Sauser

    dbsArchitectsPLLC offers over 30 years of experience that brings green building and sustainable design into the 21st Century. As principal of dbs Architects PLLC, Brent Sauser is a LEED (BD+C) accredited professional, and brings 35 years of experience to the company, that includes U.S. Embassies in Eastern Europe; Churches in Bolivia, South America, and a wide variety of building design in every U.S. time zone. He has a strong background in all climatic regions ranging from the Arizona desert, to the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, to the temperate regions of Southern California and the midwest, to the frigid winters of Minnesota, and to hot and humid Florida.dbs Architects PLLC has the expertise to integrate passive and active sustainable design features in a balanced manner that optimizes sustainable materials and Net Zero systems with the careful and sensible use of solar panels, wind turbines, and ground source heat pumps, etc.Brent Sauser is the owner and author of NetZeroMax.com that provides useful Net Zero information and promotes the goal of accelerating energy efficient, Net Zero design and construction. Since starting the website in July 2012, over 350,000 have visited the site, with close to 6,000 subscribers.Make dbs Architests PLLC your Net Zero choice for your next project. You can take comfort in knowing that your project will be designed for the sustainable demands and expectations of the 21st Century. You can find my website at: www.dbsArchitectsPLLC.com

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      Book preview

      Getting Back To Net Zero - Brent Sauser

      GETTING BACK TO NET ZERO

      Rediscovering Our Sustainable Roots

      By

      Brent Sauser

      Copyright 2014 Brent Sauser

      Smashwords Edition

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Introduction

      Chapter One: What is Net Zero?

      Chapter Two: Green Building Associations

      Chapter Three: Net Zero Implementation

      Chapter Four: Case Studies

      Summary

      About the Author

      INTRODUCTION

      Getting Back To Net Zero

      I grew up in Southern California in the 1950's and 60's. Most of my memories of our small three bedroom home on Towner Street are in black and white. We didn't have much, but I don't remember spending too much time worrying about it. Life was very different then. When I was born in 1953 the Korean War had just ended, Elizabeth II was crowned queen, and I Love Lucy was in its second season. Sometimes I find my early childhood memories getting mixed in with episodes of Leave it to Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet, and the Donna Reed Show. Words such as simple and uncomplicated come to mind. As a kid I never heard mom say, Put on your seat belt. There were no seat belts, air bags, or catalytic converters. Yet I never worried about it or felt at risk. Back then I didn't know any better.

      Our home was nothing special, just like the other homes in the neighborhood. They served their primary purpose of providing shelter. It was a nice, stable, lower middle-class neighborhood. No one had central air conditioning or heating. When it was hot we opened the windows and let in the afternoon breeze. When it was cold we banged on the gas fired wall heater that rarely worked when you needed it to. When it did, we would have to stand directly in front of it to warm ourselves while we dressed for school. At night I would put on thicker pajamas and socks, add a couple more blankets to the bed, and as a finishing touch, wear a ski cap to keep my head warm. I remember complaining about the days when it was too hot or too cold, but that was the extent of it. I couldn't do much more about it. We just dealt with it.

      Perhaps I should count my blessings when compared to those who lived 100 years earlier. Construction in the 1850's was comparatively primitive. The vast majority of building materials used were extracted from the surrounding environment. Fireplaces were constructed, not for aesthetics, but to heat and cook. There was no electricity or any need for it. They were not tied to a local utility grid for power. They used candles or oil lamps. When it was hot they opened the windows and placed more wood or coal on the fire when it was cold. This was the life style of the time, where they were naturally connected to the weather conditions and seasons of the year, just like their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. It was just good common sense to do so. There was no alternative.

      Today, however, we are reaping the so-called benefits of a multitude of alternatives; alternatives that distance us from a natural connection to the environment. Central air conditioning and heating are now common. No more banging on the gas-fired wall heater. A wide selection of electronic conveniences, appliances, flat screen TVs, computers, tablets, entertainment centers, and other devices are now considered must haves in our homes. In as short as three or four generations we have grown accustomed to living in artificial environments. The exception has now become the rule, the standard for what is now considered acceptable construction. Gone are the days of the Little House on the Prairie. Today, it doesn't matter what the climate is, season of the year, or where you live. Modern technology has provided the low-cost means to live in any climatic region without having to deal with the consequences of weather or seasons. Through modern technology we have become experts at creating artificial environments that can go on sustaining us . . . as long as non-renewable resources are available to supply the power demand. We are told by those who should know better that our vast supplies of oil, coal, and natural gas are unlimited and will continue to fuel our artificial environments for generations to come. They say there is nothing to be concerned about. No reason to be hasty with all this attention to solar panels, wind turbines and other renewable resources. Considering the geo-political world we live in, where oil, coal, natural gas, and other non-renewable fuels are leveraged by governments not so friendly to the United States, it makes good common sense to minimize their power and influence by becoming as energy independent as possible. If the implementation of renewable resources will help to provide an advantage to us as individuals and as a nation, why not seriously consider it as a viable option?

      Whether in the blistering Arizona desert, frozen Minnesota tundra, or steamy Florida humidity, modern technology enables us to live in these harsh environments in relative comfort. Even Antarctica has numerous communities that are inhabited year round. Antarctica does not yet have a McDonald's, but you would not have to go far to find one in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

      For the longest time we have accepted this as progress, but within the last couple decades a growing number of people are asking important questions regarding the direction we are going:

      • Is it really considered progress to deplete our non-renewable resources by providing energy at an unsustainable rate?

      • Will regional or countrywide brownouts and blackouts worsen as more non-Net Zero construction is added to burden our fragile power grid?

      • What changes need to be implemented to reduce or eliminate the use of non-renewable energy resources?

      • Does Government have a role in providing incentives for alternative energy use?

      • Is it possible to maintain our expected creature comforts and still build Net Zero?

      • How do we balance our lifestyle expectations with being energy independent? What compromises are considered reasonable?

      • If designed correctly, how much more will it cost to build Net Zero?

      These and other questions will be addressed in Getting Back to Net Zero. Simply stated, Net Zero design is construction that consumes less than, or as much energy as is produced on-site. If over the course of one year the grand total of your electrical bills adds up to a credit back to you, or zero, you

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