Rick Badie's Gwinnett: Don’t be shy — it’s easy to go green

By Rick Badie

I’m a little green when it comes to “going green.”

On the other hand, Jerry Robb can step into a house or business and, within minutes, suggest practical ideas and budget-killing fixes that can guarantee energy efficiency.

Robb, an energy consultant, earns his cheese selling lighting fixtures to clients across the Southeast.

At my request, he tagged along with the Badie Tour to see the exhibit “The Technology of Sustainable Design.” It’s on display through Feb. 27 at the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center in Buford.

What an ideal venue for such a show. Here, green rules. The building sports a roof that contains soil planted with sedum, a drought-resistant plant. Its heating and cooling system uses recycled wastewater sludge. The carpet is made out of recycled tires. Toilets flush with reused water.

“We save 35 percent with our energy costs and 75 percent with our water,” said Catherine S. Long, a program coordinator.

The U.S. Green Building Council has recognized the environmental center under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, or LEED.

LEED is a rating system that certifies buildings that use environmentally friendly design, construction and operating practices.

The exhibit contains construction models and examples of Earth-friendly technologies. From what we saw, it’s safe to say that my house and the thousands of others in Gwinnett can probably stand a little greening.

To be consistently green, though, requires commitment. It requires the incorporation of particular designs and construction materials. It demands that certain measures and practices become standard fare in homes and businesses. It means spending money.

“When people ask me about going green,” Robb said, “I always ask them, ‘How much money do you want to spend?’ You have to ask yourself: How much is the cost? How much is the return?”

Still, don’t be yellow about going green. If you switch off the lights and shut down the computer, you already embrace “green actions.”

At the exhibit, Robb rattled off some inexpensive steps homeowners can take to curb energy usage. Given the December heating bills coming, most of us will want to take heed.

● Install a programmable thermostat. Heating and cooling costs account for about 60 percent of a home energy bill. A programmable thermostat can save 15 percent to 20 percent of that 60 percent. There’s one catch: “You have to program the thermostat,” Robb said.

● Use compact fluorescent lights. They consume 75 percent less energy and put out the same amount of light as standard light bulbs and last longer.

“I have lights that I put in in 1993,” Robb said, “and they are burning fine.”

● Insulate water heaters located in the basement or crawl space. Wrap them with insulation or purchase a kit that does the trick. That could pay for itself in less than six months, Robb said.

All of the above can be done for around $250 or so.

As for those solar panels ...

Rick Badie, an Opinion columnist, is based in Gwinnett. Reach him at rbadie@ajc.com or 770-263-3875.