Greening a grand old city home
By Larry Brooks; photos by kc kratt
Built just after the turn of the last century, this beautiful, large (3,500-square-foot), typical Buffalo city home is one of the most energy-efficient structures in its Elmwood Village neighborhood.
In 2004, owners Julie and Patrick O’Neill spent $250,000 on a massive renovation. Their bills are now forty percent less (on electric), fifty percent less (gas) and sixty percent less (water) than those of a similar structure. They also have the satisfaction of knowing that, as Julie puts it, “we’re minimizing our impact on the planet.”
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The interior of Julie and Patrick O’Neill’s renovated home.
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Not all that money was spent on environmental concerns. Initially purchased for Patrick’s chiropractic office, this is also the residence for the couple, their three children—Keegan, Caitlyn, and James—and their border collie, Scout. Under the guidance of Buffalo architect Mike Hamilton of Hamilton, Houston and Lownie, the house was gutted down to the studs, retaining only a few architectural features such as stairs. Julie, who is executive director of Buffalo Riverkeeper, says the project is “essentially a new build on an old frame.”
Green features include:
• Blown cellulose insulation plus high density foam: R-30 walls, R-56 ceiling, requiring special furring strips for the drywall.
• Triple-pane windows where possible, with special glazings to maximize sun absorption and minimize heat loss; increased window area while balancing that against potential heat loss.
• Custom-designed heating/cooling system with different heat sources for each floor.
• Passive solar porch with a three-inch concrete pad to absorb sunlight and release the heat after dusk.
• Extensive use of fluorescent lighting; skylights and additional windows augment natural lighting.
• One hundred percent wind-powered electric supply via Community Energy.
• Dual-flush toilets, Energy Star appliances, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
• Bamboo flooring.
• Strawboard kitchen cabinets.
• Richlite (paper product) countertops.
One other aspect makes this a very green house: Patrick’s chiropractic office in the house—reminiscent of days gone by on Linwood Avenue where many a doctor’s office was located in his or her residence—saves, as Julie puts it, “a whole car’s worth of resources.” She adds, “Our work and our kids’ school are in a three-mile area.”
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In a conversation with Julie, she explains more completely.
Can retrofit be as efficient as new build?
Reusing or recycling an existing resource is always preferred, meaning that the land and structure already existed. This did not consume “new” resources.
You mention that “every person will need to make a series of small changes”—how do you measure how you’re doing?
We can document real energy usage/consumption using our previous traditional house as a benchmark.
You don’t have solar panels. Why not?
Our budget did not allow it. They would have been our next feature to add. I would love to add them in the future. In Western New York, upgrading to solar is economical now.
If our readers are interested, where do they start?
Choosing an electric supplier from conventional to hydro and wind. People can do that—choose those things—tomorrow. If they’re in an existing house, call an Energy Star contractor to come in and do an analysis of the house. Energy Star contractors are qualified to analyze financial savings. Buying new, energy-efficient appliances is also an opportunity to save energy.
Are there financial incentives?
Yes. Energy never gets cheaper, so the savings are the biggest part. In the city, the Office of Strategic Planning helps in renovating existing structures, and there’s NYSERDA [New York State Energy Research and Development Authority] and tax rebates.
What are the intangibles?
We learned a lot, from the number of opportunities available nationwide, to what the local potential for Buffalo is. When I went through this exercise, I could see all the places where [our community] can do this. For instance, the process of buying kitchen cabinets was painful. I wanted to buy green in Western New York, and no one knew anything about it and I had to go online. What was common was high-formaldehyde pressboard. It may be better now.
In terms of quality-of-life, we have excellent indoor air quality. Our kids know our house is eco-friendly and learned ecological stewardship. It’s a part of their life ethic. Finally, it’s really satisfying to be in this building, it’s really nice to live in, and I think we’re going to be here a long time.
The O’Neill house has a green garden that collects snow melt in winter. They would like to add a native plants garden, a rain barrel, a rooftop garden, and pervious pavement parking pad.
The house has won a 2005 Erie County Executive Energy Achievement Award in the Individual/Household category from the county’s Department of Environment and Planning. It has also been featured on the local National Solar Green Buildings Tour.
Writer Larry Brooks, on the staff of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, lives in a century-old house in the city and will be remodeling this year with green features.
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