Building GREEN in West Texas? : Eco Answers

As you know I am always on the
move for interesting stuff on
Alternative Energy Sources. This morning, I
discovered a very
amazing piece of content that talks over Eco Energy Sources from a different
perspective. Today’s new post is titled Building GREEN in West Texas? .
Question by Sissy: Building GREEN in West Texas?
I have some property in Terlingua, Texas (which is just outside of Big Bend National Park) and it is COMPLETELY OFF-GRID! No electric lines for miles! I have no clue how to even begin but I’ve been doing LOTS of research online and I know there are many new techs out there that I would love to take advantage of. Problem is…I can’t find anyone in the area that knows ANYTHING AT ALL about “Green Building”…let alone the NEW stuff that’s around. This house will be built on a modest budget because I want to invest as much as possible into my solar/wind system because it will be NEEDED! Some of the things I wanted to know about were:
1. Geothermal Heat Sinks (for cooling in Summer…heating in Winter). Would those work in that area and how expensive are they (both for the parts and labor)
2. Materials…we were planning to use concrete mostly…concrete slab with cinder block walls…etc. all covered by a metal roof….thoughts on that please
3. Radiant Heating…how would that work with solar/wind energy and in that area
4. Underground building for that area….I’m sure it would cost more to build…but how would that balance out with efficiency…
5. WATER…someone said that it may not be possible to drill a well there…so I would probably have to buy water…They talk about catchment systems, but since it rarely rains out there…I’m not sure that would be worth the cost…but since I don’t know how they work…I dunno…LOL

Basically just any information anyone has to share about green building in the desert of W. Texas.
ANYTHING will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by Paul
Man, you’ve got yourself a real challenge ahead of you. First, you will be spending more money on various gadgets to reduce your overall power usage. The more you spend up front will help ease the amount of energy required by the private power grid you are going to have to develop for your home.

I would recommend trying to find some clean fill dirt from construction operations that are within 3 hours of your home. Build up a nice sized hill that can enclose a portion of the home for the underground aspects you are looking for. Remember, the entire house doesn’t have to be underground. You can build into a small hill, even a hill that you make yourself.

If you don’t have water, you won’t survive out there. I would try contacting your county and/or city government to find other citizens who live in and around that area. Describe your situation and see what others have done. Your town city hall can provide a great deal of information for many of the topics you have questions about.

Solar panels are relatively expensive and you’ll probably be spending upwards of $ 30,000+ to power the basic necessities in your home (fridge, washer, dryer, television, computer, etc.). I would research wind technologies if I were you. You could probably put together your own small wind farm for a fraction of the price in would take to go solar.

Again, these are just some ideas. But, again, I strongly recommend getting in touch with your city or county. I’ll bet that’s where you’ll gain all the info you need to put this home of yours together.

Good luck!

What do you think? Answer below!
As you know I am always on the
move for interesting stuff on
Alternative Energy Sources. This morning, I
discovered a very
amazing piece of content that talks over Eco Energy Sources from a different
perspective. Today’s new post is titled Green Building and LEED Core Concepts (2nd Edition) .

Green Building and LEED Core Concepts (2nd Edition)

The second edition of this outstanding reference provides a solid foundation for the study of green building and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).   It explains many of the important tenets of green building while providing strategies for implementation and specific case studies designed to broaden your knowledge of green building.    Green Building and LEED Core Concepts is an excellent resource in preparing for the Green Building Certification Institute’s (GBCI) LEE

List Price: $ 111.00

Price:

You may view the latest post at
Building GREEN in West Texas?

Best regards,
JamesGallo
ekonenargi@gmail.com