The Garden House is committed to eliminating its carbon footprint regarding energy consumption by purchasing carbon offsets. The two carbon-generating energy sources used for operations are propane (for the gas stove in the kitchen) and electricity (lights, hot water, heat, hot tub, administration, etc.)
Electrical power offsets are puchased from Opalco, the coop electric utility serving the San Juan Islands. The certificate below shows that all kilowatthours are offset, either by local PV sources in the county, or by small hydro and/or windpower resources in central Washington. 85% of Opalco's power comes from BPA (Bonneville hydro), so most of the power provided to Orcas Island is carbon neutral to begin with. However, the Garden House does not purchase just 15% (the non-hydro component of Opalco's base power) of its electricity needs from green sources; we purchase 100% of our power from green sources other than Bonneville.
Propane offsets are purchased from Terra Pass, using the calculated carbon offset of a vehicle (their only available offset option) to ensure that the Garden House and the Hot Ice Studio's propane consumption for creating crystal glazed porcelain are fully offset.
Separate from ensuring that the electricty running in the Garden House veins is 100% renewable (i.e., "green"), there is a strong efficiency and conservation focus quietly at work, reducing electrical demand when and where possible. The Garden House has an Energy Star refrigerator purchased in 2008. CFLs are everywhere. The building is heavily insulated, including all interior walls and floors. As noted in the guest orientation materials, the hot tub and the hot water heater are on timers that disable electrical power during the 6 hour "peak period" between 6am and noon. By so doing, the peak load on the system is reduced, thus lowering the need for additional central power plants (that produce carbon dioxide or nuclear waste as byproducts). You can learn more about the benefits of "peak shaving" at Proactricity, a Centripetus-family-project web site. Peruse the Mama Bear section.
There are no vampires in the Garden House.
A wood stove and free firewood allow the interested guest to heat the Garden House with 100% carbon neutral warm wood heat, bypassing the need for electrical energy to power the baseboard heaters.
The Energy-Star rated Fisher-Paykel washing machine spins linens virtually dry to the touch, thus requiring less electricity to dry them.
Long term plans for further reducing Garden House energy consumption include solar hot water installed on the roof. An analysis of baseboard heat electrical consumption is underway to determine the effectiveness of an off-peak heating system to lower the need for electrical consumption during peak periods.
Communications with guests has switched from a paper/u.s. mail format to email format to improve speed and eliminate another form of carbon production.
Your suggestions for advancing these initiatives most welcome.
© 2010 centripetus
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