Weaving

The process of doing research on building a "green" home has been interesting.  I cannot wait to put all I learned into actual conversations when speaking with contractors and salespeople.  The main points I covered in my blog were: siding (natural stone veneer), exterior walls (ICF's will make up the walls, and insulation), insulation, hvac, and solar panels.  All my research yielded information that made it easy to make practical decisions except for the solar panels.  I'm still not sure how many I will need, but I'm confident that it will be easy to figure out once I decide on the house plan and know how much electricity we will be using in our "green" energy efficient home.  Some problems are impossible to solve without being in a real instead of imaginary situation.

How did you analyze and apply what you learned?  Unfortunately I can't apply what I have learned so far because I'm not ready to build yet.  I do want to continue to add to this blog in the future as I continue to read, research, and ask questions.
Did you discuss ideas with peers or family?  My husband and I discuss our future home all the time.  He of course is following my blog.  I hope we can continue it together and add different ideas and thoughts on our future home.  He wants to go "green" too but he's a little more realistic than me when it comes to what everything costs.  I agree with him in some areas because I don't want a huge house payment, but I think if we plan carefully then we can make it work.
How did you connect your ideas and address your key questions?  I was happy to find out that the stone exterior I want so bad will look great and also give us great heating and cooling benefits along with the ICF walls.  I feel the choices I made during the inquiry will result in a great house that is not only "green" and energy efficient but beautiful. 
Determine findings of merit. I think the most important part of the house that will make the most difference is the walls and siding.  Now a days hvac units are very efficient even more so than units built 10 yrs ago so the geothermal doesn't have to be installed.  The solar panels are not absolutely necessary because if we use energy efficient appliances and have the super insulated walls our power usage will be low.  I guess the point I'm trying to make is to use as little power as possible and keep your heat and cool inside.

Wiggling

There is so much information about "green" home building.  Its almost overwhelming because I'm not sure how far I want to take this whole "green" thing.  I know my husband will only let me take it so far because of the price involved so I can sure see an argument while building our "dream" home. I hope it doesn't turn into a nightmare!  All the resources I found were very informative, practical, and unbiased.  I did get upset about the solar panels not being able to support heat and a/c. I decided to look around a little more and there are some units that can be supported by solar.  There isn't as much information on these units so I'm going to wait and see what happens in the next couple of years.  Thankfully there are many "green" guidelines that contractors must follow to ensure the home will be considered "green" and earn all the government incentives that are available.

What did I do with the information?  I wish I was currently building my house, but it will be awhile.  So, I am going to keep doing my inquiry until I the time to build begins.  Right now I have my blog to continue.
How did I evaluate the content, ideas, and perspectives?  Since green has guidelines that must be followed the information I found was very unbiased and practical because there are regulations that must be followed.
What tools did I use?  I really like the insolation map that showed the states and what kind of kWh can be achieved in the area you live in.
Evaluate information sources.  Many of the sources were government websites which are very dependable and accurate.  As I stated in the blog incentives and tax credits change so there is no telling what will be offered in two years.
What issues I had?  The main issue I had was about the solar panels not supporting hvac.  I did find a little info about hvac that is supported by solar but not much and it wasn't on any of the original sites I used; I had to do a search for solar hvac.  There must not be many units in place or there would be more information .

Webbing--solar cont.

I found a website gpsgenpartners.com (Green Power Switch-GPS).  GPS offers a $1,000 start up incentive for new solar power homes.  They also buy excess power for .15 cents kWh.  Not bad, but I am really having a hard time understanding how all this works.  I can't get too involved with solar decisions now because the prices, and incentives are changing so much.  I do know that utility bills are going up every month and I want a home that is going to be as cheap as possible to operate.

Webbing--solar pice

Okay we gotta talk price. 
"A general rule of thumb-small, single-PV systems that produce about 75 watts can cost about $900.00 installed, or $12 per watt.  A 2-kilowatt (1 kilowatt=1,000 watts) system that meets most energy needs of an extremely energy-efficient home can cost $16,000-$20,000 installed, or $8-$10 per watt.  A 5 kilowatt system that completely meets the energy needs of many conventional homes can cost $30,000-$40,000 installed or $6-$8 per watt." (trustyguides.com)  So put all these prices in perspective:  My last utility bill (8/10-9/11) was $189.30.  We used 2189kWh of power.  Our home is small (not even 1400 sq ft) and its not energy efficient other than the light bulbs.  We used a lot of energy for a small house.  That makes it even more important for us to realize what we need to have in our next home that will reduce our energy needs and make solar panels an option.  I am thinking we will fall under the $16,000 - $20,000 range.  We do need to realize that this is something we could install ourselves.  My husband is very good at figuring anything our so maybe he can just do it.  I'm sure he's gonna love that! : )  I am worried about not knowing how much energy we will be using since the house will be brand new.  I guess we will have to have the house set up for solar, but use the electric company power for a few months so we will have an idea of house efficient the home is and then get the panels installed.

Webbing--Solar Panels

I really want solar panels!!!  There is a lot of information on them on the web.  First of all Photovoltaic technology is the process of using the sun's energy to produce electricity.  This energy can be used while being produced and the excess can be stored in batteries and used when the sun is no longer shining.  Also, the panels must be positioned to get optimal exposure to the sun for as long as possible each day.  Solar panels should face true south with a tilt angle equal to your latitude. (this is very confusing because you can also change the tilt depending on the time of year).   Another important aspect of solar is the insolation of the area you are in.  Insolation is the total number of hours per day that the solar panel will produce its rated output.  Yes, I am confused!!  I did check out the insolation map, and during January (weakest time of the year) solar panels would produce 4.0-4.5 kWh.  Uh oh.  Solar panels can't power heat and air conditioning?  Why?  Not sure I understand this.  I guess this is why there is so much information about power companies buying excess power from people producing solar power.  I'm not so worried about the heat because we will have a wood heater, but I have to have air in the summer.  The website altestore.com does ensure the solar panels ability to support an 20 watt attic fan.  With the type of external walls the house should be easier to keep cool and warm so I'm not really worried about the a/c or heat.  Plus, if I'm getting a check from the electric company it should all balance out if I have to use electric company power a lot during the summer.