Archive for December 2009

Green Myths - How Long Will it Take?

I just returned from lunch to find an article in my email about green myths. The article appeared in “Eco Home Magazine” and summarizes results from a national study of green consumers by the Shelton Group. As I have long suspected, those people who actively engage in eco-friendly activities tend to do things like drive an energy efficient/hybrid vehicle, or to reduce energy consumption and lower costs in their homes. According to the study, they are not necessarily out to save the planet. This mindset was reinforced in a recent custom home when the owner chose not to include a thermal solar system, even for domestic hot water, which is generally considered to have the best payback. His math could not support a reasonable payback in spite of 40% tax credits. He chose to stub out his home for a future installation in hopes of improved technology and cost. I recently had to replace my wife’s car. We replaced it with a Honda Insight and are pleased with the 43 mpg, plus the car was no more expensive than 25 mpg Subaru we had before. However, are we willing to spend $10,000 on a solar domestic hot water system right now? I’ll have to get back to you on that.