187: Deconstructing American Houses - Building Better

When you build an energy efficient home, not only is it more comfortable but the size of your heating/cooling equipment (heat pumps) can be greatly reduced because the loads are greatly diminished...

Hey I'm first. My personal experience dates back to the 90's. My next door neighbor in Virginia, was a contractor, house builder, put additions on 1/3 of his neighbors homes built nearly all of the deck, garages, and I helped as a job in highschool. At the same time I am first generation American my family is from Germany. When the Berlin wall came down I had a chance to travel in Germany. A family friend was a contractor in what was east Germany, he was a electrician. I saw first hand the transition into more efficient buildings practices. Europe chose to raise the floor. America seems to operate in the market of low expectations.

Small note, I do like 7° difference in my appartment (living room 23C vs bedroom 16C)

In Germany is the „KfW“ supporting home owners of old houses to renovate them, you can get cheap loans and financial benefits if you reach a certain energy standard. If you only pay about 70% of the price you would usually pay for the renovation more people will do it instead of keeping it with bad energy levels or ripping all down and building a new house. You can get single improvements for a lower price too, like changing windows or better roof insulation. But building and renovation is still super expensive here 🙈

This is what has to happen!!

Depending on landlords to do the correct thing? Matt, you sweet summer child!

Home prices really are incredibly high right now for what you get. We have been looking and the more I look the more I fall in love with my current home. It's really a shame.

Could you two, or Matt on TBD, do a show/series on renovating homes up to higher standards? I've inherited a mortgage so may never be able to build from scratch. Thanks guys, keep up the great work.

Regulations are derived by the people since our government is accountable to us.

Keep up the good work. I like to here what you two have to say. It brings a more down to earth info and ideas to us. Thank you.

For people in the USA, I think the perfect companion to this episode of Still TBD is the MCJCollective Skilled Labor Series episode with David Holtzclaw, "An Expert's Advice to Home Energy Efficiency".

It's rather ironic that the use of solar panels is huge in Australia and the costs low compared to USA, but yes domestic building standards suck.

Sydney is closer to Shanghai than Los Angeles…

Sean. Prob a good idea to move your prescriptions from view of camera.

23:45 the only scary part about regulation is we have crazy people in charge right now that think everything can just be run on a battery, but they don’t talk about how to make all those batteries or how to make the more electricity to charge all those batteries. I’m in multifamily finance and the FHA program has benefits of a lower mortgage protection insurance if the product is green. However, they don’t really look at true benefits like using less water as something that then could be measured and you could get your discounted mortgage protection insurance. They only look at electricity but in the south west we need to watch our water. Sorry I rambled I’m just worried about regulations cause I don’t trust the people in charge.

Living in Thailand I was still able to build an off-grid home that meets it’s power needs as well 2 electric cars and 1 electric motorbike from home solar, so surely it can be done in an advanced country like the USA. In the UK all homes have an energy rating that is assessed every 5 years. You can lookup any property’s rating online and there is a minimum standard to be able to rent a property out. Is this the same in the USA?

I watched Matt's new house video, and was so lost by the tec. I'm 62 and use a 2005 tower computer, and hate smart phones. I want to back to flip phones. But don't get me wrong, I'd love to have solar panels and a flow battery storage system. The problem is it has to be easy to use, by low tec / no tec people.

Shouldn't talk about energy in dollars but in kwh as $ rate vary worldwide.

Ah. So you’re the half dressed pajama man in the storm in that video that’s going around.

2 words, NAFTA CAFTA