The housing market is down. Trying to sell your house involves possible remodeling, staging, and finding the right realtor. But maybe instead, you maybe instead of listening to HGTV you should listen to your local hippy. A study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that homes with PV systems sell for a premium over those without them. Read more here.
Solar company FreEnergy claims to have a developed technology that produces 3,200 watts versus 200 watts from an average solar panel. FreEnergy states this is possible because their solar panel utilizes the full light spectrum, whereas the average panel utilizes only 17% of the spectrum. Their technology remains to be based off of the traditional silicon-chip technology. Interesting stat: Powering an average-sized house with FreEnergy panels would cost about $19,000, versus $30,000 for conventional photovoltaics. Read more here.
This LEED certified home was created by WIRED magazine and LivingHomes, a designer and manufacturer of green, prefrabricated homes. Interesting stat: Water conserving toilet uses 0.9 gallons of water for a “number 1″ and 1.6 for a “number 2.” See the