Build Smarter Homes

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We made small, incremental changes to our property over time to increase the food-producing potential of the land, to improve the energy efficiency, and to open up more of the south side of the house to the winter sun.
We made small, incremental changes to our property over time to increase the food-producing potential of the land, to improve the energy efficiency, and to open up more of the south side of the house to the winter sun.
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The property after all of the changes had been made.
The property after all of the changes had been made.
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Removing the uninsulated, south-facing enclosed porch and replacing it with an insulated, window-filled space allowed sunlight to enter our living space and made the whole house warmer.
Removing the uninsulated, south-facing enclosed porch and replacing it with an insulated, window-filled space allowed sunlight to enter our living space and made the whole house warmer.
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The new porch with windows.
The new porch with windows.
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Increasing the amount and quality of insulation in a house is one of the best first steps a homeowner can make.
Increasing the amount and quality of insulation in a house is one of the best first steps a homeowner can make.
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Someday, we may be able to attach a greenhouse like this one to the house, to extend the growing season and help reduce our heating needs in the winter.
Someday, we may be able to attach a greenhouse like this one to the house, to extend the growing season and help reduce our heating needs in the winter.

 In The Permaculture Promise (Storey, 2016) by Jono Neiger,  readers will find new ways to cut down on waste and to make better use of the land they have, find ways to improve homes and increase production of food supplies. Find this excerpt in Chapter 14, “Build Smarter Homes.”

Home is where the hearth is. Much of our lives is spent in our homes, which can be a fulfilling experience or an uncomfortable one. Modern homes are built with little attention to passive solar potential, energy efficiency, nontoxic materials, or land connections. Permaculture is all about making the connections through design. The home is a great place to make this happen.

Let’s explore this idea by taking a look at the work my own family did with our home, Hickory Gardens, in Leverett, Massachusetts. When we moved there more than a decade ago, there were many things we loved (and still love) about the land: a very short driveway, which meant little maintenance or snow to remove; a generally east–west orientation (good for passive solar), and close proximity to neighbors and the community co-op/grocery store. And because the house is naturally earth-bermed, with a ground-level entrance, it’s protected from the prevailing winter winds, and heating and cooling are buffered by the temperature of the ground.

But we also faced a common situation — the house had been built with little consideration of energy use. On top of other problems like questionable wiring and plumbing that was held together with duct tape and bungee cords, there was very little insulation. The windows were drafty, and most of them faced the road to the north. It was a neighborly arrangement, but because our winter storms come from the north, the house was very exposed to cold weather. We didn’t have the resources to build a new home somewhere else or to take down our old house and start over. The only choice we had was to slowly retrofit the house and make it more energy efficient while we lived in it.

Keep Out the Cold

  • Published on Jun 15, 2018
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