Search the Net
Research, Read, and Review
Search the Net
If you are like most folks, your single biggest investment (other than your kids and family) will be your home. Invest some time in it. Read books and magazines, check out websites. Basic information is readily available in print, but information about some of the latest product innovations is only available on the web. The sites listed below have a lot of excellent reference material to get you started. (“Our Cool House” was a favorite of ours).
Talk with your local power company and look into government resources
Many power companies work with the state to provide home energy information, from home heating options to energy conservation. There are tons of state and federal agencies whose primary job is to provide the public with information at little or no cost. In Wisconsin, for example, portion of every dollar you spend on electricity goes to the Focus on Energy program (http://www.focusonenergy.com/) to be used to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.
DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Energy Savers.gov - On this U.S. Government Web site you can find information to help you save energy in your home, business, vehicle, or industrial plant.
US Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency website contains info about the National Energy Policy, Energy Star, the Weatherization Assistance Program and Maintaining Energy for the Future, among other things.
Check out building, energy and environmental organizations
Some of the folks you meet will be over the top, but you can often find out who you want to work with (and who you don’t) this way. In our area, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association hosts an annual Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair near summer solstice. Just type “sustainable living fair” into your preferred search engine to produce a bevy of links to sustainable living fairs near you. These fairs can attract thousands of like minded people and vendors from around the country. They often include “hands on” seminars with real people who use these technologies every day.
Another site that might be of interest is the Envirolink Network. The EnviroLink Network is a non-profit organization which has been providing access to thousands of online environmental resources since 1991.
Go on home tours
Many area builders associations sponsor annual or semi-annual home tours for a modest charge. This is a great way to meet a lot of builders in a short period of time and compare their work side by side. Local building expos are also a good place to gather a lot of information. Other home tours may be sponsored by specific industries or organizations. If have selected a builder/contractor talk with them and see if they know of tours- definitely tour the homes of your builder. Search the net; ask around. Find homes that match what you are looking for. For instance, this summer there was an area tour sponsored by the Insulated Concrete Form industry (I wish we had had the opportunity to attend one of these before we built).
On the first weekend in October, the American Solar Energy Society sponsors a Solar Tour of Homes. This tour features homes through out the entire United States. Wisconsin’s Solar Tours are organized by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association and local utilities.
Check out a Home Builders Expo
Builders’ associations are eager to show you the latest and greatest technology the industry has to offer. Find out when the next expo is taking place in your area and make a day of it (or even two days – many of these events last three or more days). We advise taking a quick look at all the exhibits first and marking the ones on your program that you’d like to learn more about. That way you can budget your time over the course of the day so that you have a better chance to talk to those people whose products you are most interested in.
Here are some examples of Home Expos taking place in our area:
Brown County Home Builders Association Home Expo
Metropolitan Builders Association's Home Builders Expo 2006
And, last but not least…
Ask friends and family for their opinions
You might be surprised what you find out. Often, people know someone who has experience with the technology that you’re considering. For example, we toured a home with a geothermal system that belonged to a former workmate of August’s father and an earth sheltered handmade home that was built by a family in our homeschool group.
