|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
If you’ve been wanting to make your home more sustainable and energy efficient (or are building something new) but would like to see and hear for yourself from someone who’s already successfully done it, a home in Palo Alto’s Midtown area is open monthly, thanks to Acterra’s free Green@Home Sustainable Living Showcase tours, sponsored by the city of Palo Alto.
The Bell-Brown home, with a five-bedroom main house dating back to 1927 and a newly constructed two-bedroom ADU rental, has been outfitted with electric systems such as induction cooktops, heat pump HVAC and water heaters, solar panels and EV charging stations. Owner Greg Bell and his family have been electrifying their home, along with other efficiency improvements such as insulation and solar panels, for more than a decade (the final step, switching to a new HVAC system in the main house, is currently in the works, he said).
“My motivation is that I like clean air,” Bell said. “You can see in the Bay Area we’ve got air that’s not the best quality. The more people who drive electric cars and electrify their homes, the cleaner our air will be.” He opens up his house with the goal of spreading the word and encouraging others.
“People have to be convinced,” he said.
Seeing electric appliances and systems in real life and talking to folks who use them every day can help dispel myths and inspire confidence. At the tours, Bell and his family members answer questions and offer tips about appliance selection, choosing contractors and maximizing potential rebates and incentives. As for any home improvement project, finding the right, qualified contractors is key, and not always easy, he said.
People are sometimes hesitant to consider induction cooktops despite their precise temperature controls and the speed at which they heat up and cool down, in addition to their climate-friendly attributes. In some cases, they may be confusing past experiences with older-style electric stoves with true induction models.
“It’s way more precise than gas,” he noted. “People get an impression and they kind of carry that for a long time.”
Seven people currently live on the property (three in the main house and a family of four in the ADU), with a total of four electric vehicles. Thanks to solar power, Bell said his electric bill comes to a whopping $5 per month. “That’s what solar gives,” he said.
He first got involved with Acterra by bringing his EV to the environmental nonprofit’s green vehicle showcases. In addition to the recurring, hour-long open houses at Bell’s home in Palo Alto, Acterra also hosts a large, annual tour of multiple green homes across the Peninsula in the fall. And if you’ve already converted several of your home’s major appliances from gas to electric and you live on the Peninsula or in the South Bay, East Bay or Marin County, you can apply for your home to be featured in future tours.
A charming promo video for the Bell-Brown home tour, starring Ember the dog, can be viewed online.
Visitors to the tours typically “have great questions,” Bell said. “People generally want to see that people have done this; they don’t want to be the first one.” He also reminds everyone, especially if they’re feeling apprehensive about taking the leap, that “you can do it in stages. You don’t have to do it all once.” The next Green@Home Sustainable Living Showcase tour at the Bell-Brown home in Palo Alto will be held June 18 at 6 p.m. (address sent after registration). The tour is free. Register at eventbrite.com/e/greenhome-sustainable-living-showcase-tour-the-bell-brown-home-tickets-1988334237228?aff=erelexpmlt.
