Renew • Colorado's Remodeling Magazine

Increasing rebates and tax credits plus lower prices may equal a good opportunity for solar panels on Colorado homes. Mark Simmons reports 2009 is the ideal time to cut energy bills, shrink carbon footprints and increase home values by installing solar electric or hot water systems.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a better time,” he said. “This is going to be a great year in terms of prices.”

As production catches up with demand, prices for photovoltaic solar electric panels and other components keep dropping. Solar thermal panels for hot water were already relatively inexpensive. Simmons, sales and marketing director for Vibrant Solar in Louisville, expects PV prices to decline gradually throughout the year. However, he doesn’t foresee a sudden drop in price that could offset the immediate energy savings.

“It’s really doubtful that in the next three to five years that the new technology will come out and be affordable,” Simmons said. In the meantime, homeowners can save on electric bills while reducing the carbon emissions connected with the state’s largely coal-powered electric grid.

Lori Kreutzman said she believes prices for photovoltaic solar electric panels have leveled off at a low point. She is the chief operations officer for Next Generation Energy, a Lafayette company that makes and installs both PV and thermal solar products.

Vibrant Solar provided the photo of the Greenwood Village home on this page.

To be sure, other industry experts predict the PV price decline will continue. A shortage in silicon caused recent spikes in PV prices, but analyst Travis Bradford of the Prometheus Institute for Sustainable Development expects a production boom to continue the steady reduction of the price of PV panels through at least 2012.

Still, demand dropped with the global recession, so homeowners can find attractive deals this year. State and federal budget woes also could decrease the current rebates.

Xcel and Black Hills Energy give renewable energy credits, and Xcel has additional rebates. Boulder and Colorado Springs have city-specific credits, and the Governor’s Energy Office launched a new residential solar rebate program this year, specifically for areas not served by Xcel or Black Hills.

Uncle Sam also offers a tax credit for 30 percent of the final cost, with the $2,000 cap on solar hot water lifted in the stimulus bill President Barack Obama signed in Denver. Congress lifted the solar electric cap in 2008. For more information on rebates, visit www.coseia.org.

Simmons suggests optimizing available rebates and tax credits to help cover the largest possible percentage of solar panel costs. This could mean installing fewer panels and not immediately offsetting 100 percent of energy usage. Nonetheless, homeowners can drastically reduce power bills while also minimizing the cost of a solar array.

Solar hot water systems have fewer rebates but they are also cheaper and more flexible to install. Installers can put panels on east- and west-facing roof exposures, as opposed to the south-facing roof typically needed for electric PV panels. However, solar thermal panels require more complex installation, so Kreutzman recommends extra caution in finding a skilled installer.

Even a small solar array — either thermal or electric — can increase real estate values. A 1998 study by the Appraisal Institute found a $10 to $25 increase in resale price for every dollar saved on annual utility bills. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy estimates homes with solar PV sell up to twice as quickly as similar homes with conventional systems. Homeowners must wait five years to sell the house after installing solar panels or they must pay back a percentage of the tax credit.

Sellers are also increasingly likely to compete with new homes either pre-wired for solar panels or powered by solar. Gov. Bill Ritter called for such a requirement for any new development.

“Every new builder has to go for zero carbon if they can,” Simmons said. “It would be irresponsible to build a home today without solar.”

Finally, Simmons offers an environmental argument for installing solar sooner rather than later. “The planet can’t afford us waiting,” he said.

Steve Graham is a Fort Collins – based freelance writer.

Posted on 04 June 2009

Sustainable interior design isn’t just biodegradable couches and compact fluorescent light bulbs. The budding green design movement also includes antiques and century-old hardwood flooring.

Brian Dunbar, a green building guru at Colorado State University, defines sustainable design as any project “with a concentration on minimizing the consumption of raw materials and a focus on the reuse of existing materials.” The resulting look can be anywhere from classic to ultra-modern, as long as reuse and recycling is the foremost concern.

Homeowners and professionals can get sustainable design ideas from the American Society of Interior Designers’ green residential remodeling guidelines or the U.S. Green Building Council’s project profiles. However, much of the industry is behind the green curve.

Stephen Kohlbeck runs Tilde Design Studio in Denver and is a member of the USGBC. He said sustainability is not yet a focus for the industry or clients, but he nudges clients toward greener ideas.

“Nobody yet has even asked for it,” he said. “They’re not even really aware that they should be conscious about it. … We’re five years out from having it be the norm.”
Bink Owsley, a designer at Craftsmen Builders in Fort Collins, had the opposite experience.

“I was fortunate to work with some clients that considered environmentally sensitive design a driving force in their projects,” Owsley said. “This spurred me to continue to educate myself on ways of lessening the impact of projects.”

Photo provided by Tilde Design Studio

Kohlbeck recently helped remodel a home with two kinds of recycled components. He found a headboard and other furniture at La Puerta, a New Mexico company that reuses antique wood that might otherwise be trashed or burned. The salvaged scraps form rustic cabinets, doors, railings, bed frames and more.

The laundry room countertops were also recycled, but look new. They are made from paperstone, a strong, durable surface made of recycled paper or cardboard. Kohlbeck also will incorporate paperstone in a new line of furniture he will debut this year.

He is designing a paperstone tabletop on bronze legs made from 90 percent recycled copper. A line of cabinets will use local, sustainably forested wood. For other pieces in his line, he focused on natural fibers, including cotton, flax, linen and silk.

Likewise, Owsley suggests refinishing or reupholstering furniture, instead of replacing with new items. To take sustainability one step further, she recommends organic fibers, local upholsterers and infinitely recyclable aluminum for handles and knobs.

Similarly, older wood floors can be refinished for a beautiful surface that is even more sustainable than popular new flooring made from sturdy, fast-growing bamboo.

“I cringe when I hear about someone ripping out their shiny golden oak floors … and replacing them with bamboo to make their home more ‘green,’” Owsley said. “I’d recommend refinishing the oak, stain it dark or pickle it or even paint it.”

Lighting is another prime consideration in remodeling. Compact fluorescent light bulbs last longer and use less energy than incandescent bulbs. However, Kohlbeck sees them as a stepping stone to the next green lighting trend.

“LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are about to become a huge light source in buildings,” he said. “To me, they are the best type of showcase and art lighting.”

The bright low-power lights are widely used for traffic lights and other industrial applications, and are popular in under-cabinet accent lighting. Within five years, Kohlberg expects them to expand to the rest of the home as the lighting industry perfects the color and brightness.

Natural lighting is an important component of green design as well. Green building design standards focus on getting daylight into the core of a building, reducing the need for electric lighting while the sun is shining.

Owsley also suggests using sensors for bathroom fans and storage room lighting, eliminating worries about turning off the switch.

Finally, most building materials can be salvaged or recycled. Homeowners should insist on recycling the used furniture, flooring and other components being replaced in a redesign project. Even wall studs can be recut and used for trim or accents. In these small ways, homeowners can help make sustainability the norm in interior design.

“It’s trendy to talk about green design but critical to shift our thinking.” Owsley said. “Green design shouldn’t be a separate category, it should be a cornerstone of all design and building.”

Steve Graham is a freelance writer based in Fort Collins.

Posted on 04 June 2009

Early explorers once described Colorado as the high desert because of the dry air and low amounts of precipitation. Today, most people would probably say that this is an oblique over-generalization of the climate and topography. People move to the doorstep of the Rocky Mountains from all over the world to experience the immense landscapes and diverse plant and animal communities. And because the appeal is so great, it becomes easy to overlook the fact that much of Colorado is considered the high desert.

Because water is a limiting factor in Colorado, the native plants and animals have had to evolve in order to survive on very little precipitation. Luckily, the landscape design industry has also adapted to the low water climate of the Front Range and offers various alternatives that can be even more aesthetically pleasing than the traditional lawn.

“I don’t ever want people to think that by conserving water on their landscapes that they are only limited to a few Yuccas and rock beds,” explains Amy Bales the owner of Bales Custom Gardening Services in Denver. Bales recognizes the negative connotations that may arise when people begin discussing landscaping alternatives such as Xeriscape or the use of grey water.

Bales Custom Gardening Services provided the photos in this feature. The Denver project won an Award of Excellence from the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado.

Landscapers and government agencies share a common goal of educating the public about Xeriscape and water-conscious gardening. Some municipalities try by appealing to pocketbooks and billfolds. Some homeowners who install timers and water regulators in their irrigation systems can receive rebates. The city of Denver has a list of appliances that are eligible for the rebates at www.denverwater.org.

“The Colorado State Extension service is also a great resource for information on choosing the right plants for our climate and ways to minimize water use,” says Bales. To further her own education, Bales took advantage of the Colorado State University master gardener program to hone her skills in landscape planning and native plant knowledge.
Rather than planting exotic plants that require additional resources to cultivate, the Colorado State Extension office teaches that natives — plants that are fully adapted to the arid climate — can be used to fit into almost any design niche. Buffalo grass is a native sod that, because of its natural resistance to drought conditions and visual appeal, has begun to replace traditional types of yard sod such as Kentucky Bluegrass. Buffalo grass is also a popular choice because it does not require mowing. If a groomed look is desired, Buffalo grass can be mowed, but it won’t have to be done often.
“When designing a standard landscape, I try to use ten percent grass to keep the yard from looking sparse,” says Bale. Then the other 90 percent is plant beds, shrubs, perennial flowering plants, wood chips, rock mulch or other materials.”

Bales prefers to plant as many perennials as possible. She suggests that all perennials, ornamental grasses and trees be planted in the spring by mid-April. Annual plants should be put in the ground around Mother’s Day.

Colorado plays host to such a wide array of native flora that knowledge and experience with these plants is paramount for building a colorful, fulfilling, and conscientious outdoor living space. Depending on the scope of the project, a landscape designer might need to be consulted. When working with professional agencies it’s important to take enough time to create a list of goals and special considerations.

“One question I always ask a client is what colors do they not want to see in their yards,” says Bales. “Sometimes without thinking people will say they like all colors, and maybe forget that they hate yellow until a yellow flower begins to bloom in one of their flower beds.”

During her years in landscape design, Bales has worked with many clients, and every one had a different vision. She has witnessed the paradigm shift toward responsible water values. Bales said the industry will continue to move in that direction. Sure, environmentalists are a big part of the reason for the shift, but Bales knows that there is more to it.

“People move to Colorado because they enjoy the beauty of the outdoors here,” says Bales. “So why not have the same outdoor qualities that attracted them here in the first place in their own backyard?”

Casey Cisneros is a Lyons-based freelance writer.

Posted on 04 June 2009

Photo provided by Design Adventures

Many of the most remarkable Denver-area remodeling jobs go unnoticed each year, but a local trade group made sure that a few of the polished gems got to shine. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s Front Range Chapter honors its members whose projects stand out.

The two top prizes in the 2008 Contractor of the Year Awards went to Cambridge Construction in Denver (www.basementsandremodels.com) and Design Adventures in Brighton (www.designadventures.net).
Judged by their peers and consumers, both companies proved that a remodeled home can be better than a new home when the right design and craftsmanship is applied. Their award-winning projects were judged on functionality, problem solving, craftsmanship, innovation, difficulty and entry presentation.

For Cambridge Construction (this page), the homeowners’ goal was to “increase the size, aesthetic appeal, functionality and flow of a 1982 ranch home.” The project included building a guest-suite addition and then remodeling the entire house. Indeed, every corner of the house received a new look.

Photo provided by Cambridge Construction

The Design Adventures project (opposite page) focused on the kitchen. The homeowners wanted to “make a long-term investment in modernizing the kitchen as a social and functional space in preparation for retirement.” From the wood floors and countertops to the cabinets and appliances, the kitchen was reworked to meet their needs.

For more information about the National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s Front Range Chapter, visit www.remodelcolorado.org.

Posted on 04 June 2009

When paint from the local retail chain just isn’t good enough, homeowners can easily find greener pastures. Everyone from the largest paint manufacturers to the small neighborhood outlets have begun to sell quality “green” paint that is friendly to your family and the environment.

With the lead-paint scare still fresh in people’s minds, paints without volatile organic compounds have become popular.

“We are an environmentally friendly paint store, specializing in non-toxic, zero VOC paints,” says Laurie Hessemer of New Era Paint in Edgewater. As the name suggests, you won’t find toxic substances that threaten the health of people or animals. New Era carries Safecoat, Yolo Colorhouse and Mythic Paint products and thousands of colors.

If the brands are less than recognizable, give them time. From the Aspen Art Museum to the Guggenheimm Museum in New York, Yolo Colorhouse is making its way into the mainstream.

Hessemer says her customers are best described as the “Whole Foods” demographic. Education, health and personal development are important, as are social responsibility and a sustainable economy. Additionally, as younger people begin to raise families, they want a healthy environment for their children. Hessemer cited asthma statistics, which have shown a drastic increase in the past three decades, as one of the reasons why people are careful about what products they use when they remodel. Cancer-causing chemicals found in older products are now red-lighted. “A lot people want nontoxic paint,” she says, and “they’ve done their research.”

Hessemer notes that even in tougher economic times, people still take into account a healthier approach. She cited a home she sold in Phoenix a few years back in which she used green products to spiff up the place. “It made the house more marketable,” she said. She chose Yolo Colorhouse paint, as well as Earth-friendly hardwood floors and countertops. The house sold in three days, she pointed out, to people who care about their environment.

In addition to younger people with an eye toward the environment, Hessemer said senior citizens are also susceptible to allergies and other irritants. As one who offers seminars and speaks to various organizations, Hessemer says interest also has spiked among nursing facilities and hospitals.

Designers, architects and builders are also jumping on the green bandwagon.
From a design standpoint, Christina Kittelstad of Spiral Designs in Lakewood says most clients want to consider earth-friendly options when it comes to paint. “My clients are definitely starting to use green paints on remodeling projects, especially in nurseries, children’s bedrooms, family spaces and home offices, where both adults and children tend to spend a lot of time and air quality is important.”

Although the price of no-VOC paints was prohibitive for some people, that is changing. “As the price has become more accessible, I find that many people are making the switch and enjoying the added benefits of cleaner air quality, less toxins and no fumes,” says Kittelstad, whose company provides color consulting and staging services.

Industry giant Benjamin Moore offers its Natura zero-VOC interior paints in more than 3,500 colors. And as with most of the modern paints, there is hardly any odor, they dry quickly and they are washable. Benjamin Moore products are available at outlets throughout the metro area.

So, whether you’re painting a small bathroom or having your entire house redone by professionals, the kinder, gentler paint options are available to meet everyone’s taste.

Posted on 04 June 2009