Fabulous sunset view
Last Saturday San Antonio held its annual Solar Fest. “This educational and fun event is held annually on the first Saturday in May at Maverick Park under the beautiful live oak trees of South Texas. The Solar Fest provides valuable information to the public about renewable energy technologies, the impact of sustainable living, and green building techniques.
I find that it’s a wonderfully educational event where I can go to network, educate myself and share ideas. I always learn something new about the latest innovations in renewable energy and green building techniques that I can pass on to my clients and fellow bloggers. I found it so exciting and fascinating to see all the cool innovations yesterday that I thought I would share some of them with you today.
I saw cars that run totally on electricity and I overheard one of the electric car guys talking about how little energy it takes him to get around town without gasoline. Can you imagine how much money we would all save if we did not have to buy gas? I don’t know about you but I could find much better uses for that money than giving it to oil companies. Not to mention what it would do to save our environment.
Case in point the devastating oil spill going on right now in the Gulf of Mexico. Maybe this horrific disaster will make our country sit up and take notice that we really need to get off our oil dependence and that renewal energy sources are best for everyone!
While walking around I stopped at this one booth and spoke with a distributor about solar pool heating systems. This manufacturing company was chosen by the U.S Dept. of Energy to provide the solar heating system for the Georgia Aquatic Center which is the site for Atlanta Summer Olympics swimming event. .
Check this out…he told me that an average pool cost around $700.00 a month just to heat with a traditional pool heater. Can you believe that? That’s about $8500.00 annually just to heat your pool! At that rate a Solar pool heating system should pay for itself within 7 months and then look at all the money you would save while being eco- friendly.
Another nifty green design I saw was the new trademarked skylights this company was selling. These skylights are not like the old kind we are all familiar with that leak and just look nasty after a while. They give off a lot of natural light and are perfect for dark lit areas such as closets, bathrooms, hallways, stairs, etc… He assured me that their skylights do not leak and went on to explain the construction and sealing methods that keep this from happening. Apparently they have come a long way baby!
Another cool display was by the S.A Astronomical Association. I first put on 3-D glasses and saw the sun as it really looks in 3-D. He showed us how small Earth really is in relation to the sun and to other planets. The sun is even miniscule compared to some of these stars. I mean it’s like humans standing next to an ant, that’s how small and insignificant we really are. Then I looked through this huge telescope and saw the sun. It was amazing to see this fiery ball of energy. He told me that the lens used special filters to protect your eyes. Remember what your mamma always said would happen if you looked at the sun? Well I did look and what a sight! I also saw solar flares… how cool is that???
Next I stopped at the solar water heating systems booth. They offer solar water heaters for every type of enviroment and stated that you can get a federal tax credit with their systems. Their claim is that “installing one solar water heating system can reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by up to 4.5 tons per year” 4. Wow! That’s staggering! How many water heaters are in operation in the US alone? What about globally? Can you imagine if every home used solar water heaters what that number would be?
There were also these great solar attic fans that really cooled your attic thus saving on cooling bills in the hot Texas summers. When I asked how this compared to radiant barrier roof decking which is known to cool your attic and lower energy bills by 30% to 40%, he said they were both great options, but the two combined would really lower your energy cost even more.
I visited with various solar panel manufacturers and distributors that were there. It’s amazing how much energy can be generated and saved with solar PV panels. You can get some great incentives and rebates from the government for solar panels so look into it! I just wish the upfront cost of PV solar panels was more cost effective so every home could afford it and we could all save money and energy while protecting the environment.
I also looked into wind turbines for windtricity as wind farms are located all throughout Texas. I believe Texas leads the country for wind farms and windtricity. I know in SA we pay more for wind power and I think it should be the opposite, but what do I know? Maybe someday soon that will change as the demand increases and more of us go green.
I also met with a couple of green home builders and we had a wonderful discussion about retrofitting existing homes, new green building techniques, rainwater recatchment systems, etc… It was great to be able to speak their lingo. It really pays to stay up to date on the latest and greatest in the green world.
There were so many wonderful groups and organizations yesterday and I picked up alot of great info. There were too many to list them all here, but if you want additional info about any of these fine green businesses please feel free to contact me.
To sum it up it was another great event this year and they had a wonderful turnout. The entire event was powered by solar, even the stage and the great live music playing throughout the day. All the bands that played were fabulous and they kept the festival lively. Thanks guys! The weather was perfect, you could not ask for better weather if you tried.
One final note, I was very interested in talking with the arborist from The Alamo Forest Partnership about the continuing tree ordinance saga in San Antonio. I am concerned about this issue and how it affects all of us. Trees give us shade from the heat, they absorb CO2 emmissions, they cut utility bills, they are beautiful and offer intristic value to homes.
I was informed that this Thursday the City Council is having another meeting to decide the trees fate and I was asked by the group if I would come speak and offer a different point of view as a “green” real estate broker selling builders homes. I am thinking about taking them up on it. Should I go? Should I get up and defend the trees that cannot defend themselves? Write me your thoughts. Until then..
Keeping it green,
Your eco-friendly broker
GREEN HOME CHAT 