Green House Gas

Earlier this week, there was a story in the Star Tribune extolling the virtues of a Minnetonka house that is a showcase for green living. The sub-headline read (apparently without irony):

More than $1 million has gone into a Minnetonka rambler to make it an example of how to save energy and money.

Dropping a million bones on a rambler to SAVE money? Wonder how that works. Must be based on the old adage that you have to spend money to save money.

Peter Lytle has gone to extraordinary lengths to set an example.

To show other people how to live in harmony with the environment and lighten their footprint on the Earth, Lytle has spent more than $1 million to buy and revamp a 1948 Minnetonka rambler as a "green" home.

By equipping it with four kinds of alternative energy and the best available insulation, windows and indoor air system, he has made it a lesson in how to operate an ordinary home with far less energy and expense.

A million dollars on a rambler in Minnetonka is a lot of money. Especially when you paid $315K for the house itself last December (meaning that it's now probably worth about $300k). Without all those green improvements that is.

At 2,300 square feet and a single story, it is relatively snug so it can be heated and cooled efficiently. "Which means you have to be organized," he said.

To save water, the house's showers have limited-flow shower heads. The sink faucets operate automatically like those often used in public restrooms, and they generally aren't on long enough for the water to get hot. Water from the sinks and shower will be filtered and reused in the water-saving toilets -- which require flushing twice to clear solids. And the kitchen will have no garbage disposal.

Welcome to paradise.

But Lytle expects the pluses to outweigh the drawbacks. For one thing, his water and energy bills will be a fraction of a traditional home.

Ah yes, now we get to the heart of the matter. All those savings that the homeowners will realize by going green. Finally, we see the payoff for their sizable investment.

Let's see, they invested about $685K (at least) in making the home green. But remember, the water and energy bills will a fraction of a traditional home. According to this Energy Analysis, the average annual energy costs for a home like this in Minnesota would be about $3200. Throw in another grand to cover water (easily) and you're at $4200. We'll bump it to $4500 just to leave a little wiggle room.

Then, just for fun let's say that this new green house completely eliminates all energy and water costs. In that case, it would only take ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-TWO YEARS for the homeowners to recoup their costs, all the while surrendering some of the modern conveniences that make life better.

When the going gets green, the green gets going.