Thursday, April 9, 2009

Making older homes more energy-efficient

From the NY Times:

Experience has shown that virtually any older or historic house can become more energy-efficient without losing its character. Restoring the original features of older houses — like porches, awnings and shutters — can maximize shade and insulation. Older wooden windows perform very well when properly weatherized — this includes caulking, insulation and weather stripping — and assisted by the addition of a good storm window. Weatherizing leaky windows in most cases is much cheaper than installing replacements.

The labor-intensive process of rehabilitating older buildings would also create jobs, and this labor can’t be shipped overseas. The wages would stay in the community, supporting local businesses and significantly increasing household incomes — just the kind of boost the American economy needs right now.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

With so much constructio in this city,i'm thrilled at how hi-tech we are. Zero-energy homes with solar water pre- heaters,photvoltaic panels,etc. Nevermind,that was last year,in Norway.

May Lime said...

Older homes definitely are outdated with the technology nowadays. To be more energy efficient, it is better to install HVAC systems to older house to maintain a good climate even during hot or cold seasons. It also reduces your monthly bills when you have HVAC systems installed.

Anonymous said...

Such a pretty house. And of course, older homes were designed before AC so many design elements were created with maintaining temperatures levels naturally using shade trees, open porches and so forth to reduce heat in the summer.

No reason not to incorporate the best of the old and new when designing new houses or remodeling the old.

georgetheatheist said...

"Such a pretty house".

That's because it's not anywhere in the 5 boroughs?

Anonymous said...

We have a couple of really nice houses left. The Lefferts homestead across from Prospect Park comes to mind, as do a few nice looking ones under attack in Old Astoria.

Just curious, where is that house?

Queens Crapper said...

I have no idea, it's a public domain generic photo of an old house.