Amount due: zero
One hot August day in Albemarle, a crew of workers installed an impressive number of solar panels on the roof of a 2,500-square-foot house. Thirty-six of them, in fact. They nearly cover the south roof face of this house, which is being built on a fairly ordinary lot in a small, quiet subdivision. The workers—many of them Virginia Tech students involved in the 2009 Solar Decathlon program—clung to the steep slope of the roof, passing tools back and forth as they installed the bottom row of 12 PV panels.
 A crew of workers, many of them college students, received a quick training before installing solar panels on this house, expected to be a "net zero" dwelling. |
Charles Hendricks, an architect with the Gaines Group, which designed the house, explained the “net zero” idea: In the daytime, the house will power itself through these panels—causing the electric meter to run backward. At night, it’ll pull energy from the grid, and the meter rolls forward. At the end of the year, the numbers are supposed to balance out.
It’s not just the panels that make it work. Passive solar features mean the house needs less energy in the first place—larger roof overhangs provide summer shade, while a stone wall near south-facing windows absorbs heat in the winter. Hendricks thinks it’ll be the first net zero house in the area.
Other than the distinctive profile of 36 PV panels, this house looks like any other in an Albemarle subdivision. In that way, it hints at a future of more efficient mainstream life.—Erika Howsare
Spin into savings
A dryer usually takes an hour to dry clothes, using loads of power to heat, cool, spin and eat your socks. Starting the process with the Spin-X, a so-called spindryer, cuts the time in half (true for line drying folks as well). Your average dryer costs $130 per year, and if one of these babies is priced around $560, we’re talking complete buyback within four and a half years if you’re line drying and nine if you’re doing the dual-step drying method. Check out spin-x.com for more deets.—Suzanne van der Eijk
 |
Hot counters
Nothing like a freshly cut fruit salad with a side of radon and radiation. Laugh now, but if you’ve got granite countertops you may want to pick up a tester kit (try Martin Hardware on Preston) or give a radon measurement and mitigation technician a call (like Commonwealth Inspection Services, 974-9844). Apparently, according to Grist.org, a small number of granite countertops have been found to be the source of potentially unsafe levels of radiation.
 Granite countertops do look shiny, but a small number could be dangerous. |
Ten times as many people are buying granite countertops in the last 10 years, selecting from hundreds of new granite types from numerous different countries. Granite’s long been known to have a little bit of radioactivity, but generally nothing worth reserving a room in the oncology wing.
If you’re in the process of choosing counters, consider checking out some natural stone alternatives. Alberene Soapstone Quarry in Albemarle County is our local source for soapstone, an acid-resistant metamorphic rock. It’s nonabsorbent, nonconductive and can resist extremely high temperatures (2300+ F).—S.V.
You’re either on the bus…
Move over, hybrid owners. The Conscious Goods Alliance (CGA) is touring the country in a 28’ bus that makes your little crossbreed look like a gas guzzler. Sponsored by Whole Foods Market, the CGA is getting the word out about green, and doing it “basically off of what people are scraping out of their deep fryers,” as one member puts it. They also communicate via consciousgoodsalliance.com.
 |
During a July pit stop in Charlottesville, CGA members showed off the fully sustainable features of their tricked out “veggie bus.” Besides solar-powered electronics and recycled paper counter tops, the bus touts wood floors made from coconut palm, an alternative wood source that’s harvested at the end of the palm’s life cycle. Likewise, the bus’s plywood cabinets are made of bamboo grown by farmers who allow the plants to reach maturity. (See plyboo.com for both.)
But the CGA’s message to consumers runs deeper than mere eco-décor. “Our mission is to promote ‘conscious consumerism’—showing people that there are companies that are actually supporting a green, harmonious future,” says Todd O’Brien, another member.
In essence, these enviro-evangelists are encouraging shoppers to “vote with their dollars,” a concept their 15 sponsor companies enthusiastically support.—Kathryn Faulkner
Baby, it’s dry outside
With the last measurable rainfall having happened in July, we all need to get more water-wise. Local water expert Jennifer Watson at Charlottesville’s Public Works recommends spending a day pretending that a gallon of water costs the same as a gallon of gas. (Your five-minute shower just got very expensive!) Other strategies:
Inside
Don’t leave water running while washing, brushing, or shaving. Each minute saves three to five gallons.
 |
Stop the flow. Pesky leaks still top the list of EPA’s biggest home water-wasters. To find a toilet leak, drop food coloring in your tank and wait 15 minutes. If the toilet changes color, you’ve got a leak. Speaking of toilets, did you know that commodes made before 1980 consume five to seven gallons of water per flush? The city (970-3211) and county (977-4511) will give you a $100 rebate to replace your old toilets, plus a free water-saving kit.
Outside
Don’t let water (and money) evaporate by daytime watering. Corann Ley, a local horticulturalist, offers this lawn trick: If your handprint stays in the grass, water. If not, leave it. Plant native and drought-resistant plants and don’t forget to mulch. Thorough watering, rather than daily watering, promotes stronger root growth and therefore healthier plants. Drip irrigation hoses can save you 70 percent on water use.
Our community
Find a way to connect to our local water this month: Hike at Ivy Creek, fish the James, or volunteer to monitor local streams (streamwatch.org or charlottesville.org).