Frances Sanderson

New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association is holding its annual Green Building Open House Tour this Saturday, October 4, 2008 10 AM - 4 PM Over 500 homes in New England will be open to the public.

NHSEA is located on 54 Portsmouth Street in Concord, New Hampshire. It is a non-profit organization, comprised of 'Builders, Homeowners, Business Owners, Renters and Professionals (who)...are concerned about New Hampshire's energy future, imported oil, limited natural resources, and the environment. We see renewable energy in New Hampshire as a viable answer for today's and tomorrow's energy challenges.'

On tour will be homes that demonstrate Green Building techniques that are best seen in person. Techniques such as: Passive Solar; Active Solar; Geothermal; Closed Cell Spray Foam Insulation; Heat Recovery Ventilation; Energy Star Certified Appliances;Composting Toilets; Rainbarrels; Insulated Concrete Walls and Panels; Sunspaces and Green Landscaping. There will even be Hybrid vehicles at some of these homes.

For a list of New Hampshire properties that will be available to view, please go to the NHSEA website: www.nhsea.org or

clink on this link: http://www.nhsea.org/resource/gboh_list.php

Some of these are Builders' Spec homes, but most belong to Homeowners who are eager to share their knowledge with their fellow citizens. Please respect their homes, their privacy and their donation of time.

Feel free to comment on this blog if you have a chance to check any of these homes out this weekend. I'm not able to visit all of them, so your input would be greatly appreciated!

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker

With all of the talk about having an Energy Rating done on your home to determine its energy efficiency, and to increase its marketability if you are selling, it's nice to know there is a no cost alternative to having a professional come in. If you can't afford a Professional Energy Rater, you can print out the result of this rating quiz, if you will, and have it available for prospective Buyers. If nothing else, it can be quite an eye opener.

If you go to www.energystar.gov , you will find a feature on its website called, the Home Energy Yardstick, or click on the link below.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=home_energy_yardstick.showStep2

You can compare your home's energy efficiency to similar homes across the country and get recommendations for energy-saving home improvements.

I tried this with my own home. You will definitely need your utility bills from the last month, or you can ask for a summary of the last 12 months from your utility company. You will also need to know the sum of fuel for heating, in gallons and in dollars, which you have spent over the last 12 months, in order to get the most accurate answers.

Once you have completed the quiz, you will get a score. If your house uses more energy than the average household in America, you will score a 1-4. If you score 5-10, you are using less energy than the average household. The site then gives you specific goals to try to achieve a higher score. There is an additional link, called the Home Advisor, which will give you an idea of estimated cost savings for energy improvements you can make to your home. It's not a replacement for a Professional Energy Rating, but it's a step in the right direction.

And by the way, you can also see, at energystar.gov, which home improvements are eligible for rebates and tax credits. Click on the following link for those: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=rebate.rebate_locator

Needless to say, I love anything FREE. It makes it so much easier to get consumers, including myself, to think "Green".

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®

Are either of these phrases resonating with you?

Tuesday night, at the Democratic National Convention, Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana gave a motivating speech about his roots and his beloved state of Montana. Now this was not the only speech I listened to, but it hit home for me because of these statements he made:

"We are not a Red State. We are not a Blue State. We are a UNITED State."

I'm not a big fan of the two party system of Government. I feel that as long as there are systems in place that divide us, we will not accomplish the goals we could if we were united.

I am an Independent Voter and there is a reason for that. I do not decide who I want to vote for based upon party affiliation. I vote for the person; whether his or her beliefs match my own; and where he or she has proven the validity of those beliefs in personal and public life. Sometimes, it is a Republican who has the qualities I am looking for, and sometimes it is a Democrat.

I wonder why I can't vote for a Democrat President and a Republican Vice President, or vice versa. I wonder why I must choose a party at every election and then immediately fill out a card so that I can retain my Independent status. I wonder who I have to talk to to get a satisfactory answer to my questions.

I am watching these conventions, still unsure as to whom I will vote for in the upcoming election. I do know that whichever way I cast my vote, it will not be the way I would want it to be.

If any of you politicians are looking in on this blog, please be aware that there are many folks like me out there that agree that whatever happens, we all want to live in a UNITED state!

Frances Sanderson, REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker®

I feel that educating our youth on energy savings and protecting the environment is part of my service as a Certified EcoBroker^®, and I'd like to share some of my favorites. They range in age appropriateness and levels of difficulty. Hopefully, your children will find them as stimulating as their Nintendo^®, Playstation^® and WII^® games.

Please feel free to add your favorites to the list.

http://www.touchstoneenergykids.com/ Touchstone Energy Kid Zone

http://www.eere.energy.gov/kids/ US Department of Energy

http://www.eere.energy.gov/education/lessonplans/ US Department of Energy

http://sciencespot.net/Pages/kidzone.html The Science Spot Kid Zone

http://www.iknowthat.com/com/Search?Search=Environment Learning Skills for Life

http://www.agclassroom.org/kids/ Agriculture in the Classroom

http://content.fsa.usda.gov/FSAKIDS/ Farm Service Agency

www.eia.doe.gov/kids/ Energy Information Administration

http://www.energyhog.org/childrens.htm Alliance to Save Energy

These links are presented as a service only. I do not endorse or warranty this information.

Fran Sanderson, Franklin, NH, REALTOR^®, Certified EcoBroker^®

Have you ever wondered if the lingering sinus infection you've had, or the persistent, dry, tickle-in-the-throat cough your co-worker experiences everyday at work, has anything to do with your home or workplace?

Well, quite possibly, it could. The fact that our work and living spaces do positively or negatively affect our quality of life has been well documented.

Now I'm not an expert on the environment, nor do I plan to become one. I'm just a person with a desire to know more, and with the limited amount of research I've done, I've learned this:

There is a term that you may or may not have heard of. It is the Healthy House. As homes become airtight and super insulated, they become more toxic. Are you aware that your carpet, furniture, building materials, new car and appliances all outgas or offgas? Offgassing is the emission of gases during the aging and degradation of a material. People develop sensitivities as a result of being exposed to offgassing. These sensitivities are responsible for a general feeling of unhealthiness. As we become aware of this problem, however, many suggestions for minimizing the effects of offgassing are out there, and the following are just a few I've read about.

A heat recovery ventilator or air-to-air heat exchanger might be installed. This device keeps fresh air coming into the house as well as ventilating toxic air out of the house. The floors, walls and ceiling should have an air barrier, as well as a moisture barrier, to retard the growth of mold. Airing out new furniture or carpeting before bringing it into the home will help diminish the amount of offgassing. Keep the garage separate or detached from the rest of the home. If your garage is under the house, don't store vehicles or chemical products there. Those are just a few. A good source to learn more on this topic is John Bower's The Healthy House, copyright, 1989.