Every good greenhouse needs an adequate supply of water, lots of windows, plenty of sunshine and crystalline silicon solar cells?
At least, that is, if you want to have a green house.
Christian Grieco owns what from the outside appears to be a normal suburban home on 71 Henderson Road in Glenmont. However, how the home gets its energy is not the norm; at least until more Americans attempt to get off the grid.` It becomes apparent what separates Grieco’s humble abode from the neighbors once you walk in his backyard.
`My son’s Xbox now gets its power from those,` Grieco said pointing to his rear roof covered with 32 solar panels.
Grieco said he has cut his electricity bill by more 70 percent and his natural gas usage by 52 percent through the use of solar electricity, solar hot water, `super insulation,` ultra-efficient windows, passive solar heating and cooling, and a soapstone high-efficiency wood stove.
Between new energy-saving windows and foam insulation, Grieco said his home retains 48 percent of the energy is captures from Mother Nature.
Throw in electric lawn mowers, a Plug-in Toyota Hybrid Prius that gets more than 100 miles to the gallon, and few other energy improvements, and Grieco is well on his way to claiming energy independence.
Both candidates for the 21st Congressional District to replace outgoing Congressman Michael McNulty, D-Green Island, made an appearance at Grieco’s Glenmont home Saturday, Oct. 4, in order to tour a prototype of what future residential homes could look like and to pitch their own plans for America’s energy future.
Democratic candidate Paul Tonko, the state’s former energy chairman in the Assembly and former CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, attended the first round of the tour flanked by Bethlehem Democrats Supervisor Jack Cunningham and Councilman Kyle Kotary.
Republican candidate James Buhrmaster, CEO of Buhrmaster Energy Group, toured the home next after having a brief strategy talk with Bethlehem Republican chairwoman Melody Burns.
Grieco gave both candidates separate tours, along with members of the media and the public, and explained his home’s energy-saving features
Grieco said he was inspired to make changes to his home by former Vice President Al Gore’s global warming documentary `An Inconvenient Truth.` He decided to begin acting on his own instead of waiting for change on the national level.
`It was the ‘Inconvenient Truth’ that put me over the edge,` he said. `Look at a map, we have just as many solar hours as some parts of Florida.`
Tonko said he was impressed by Grieco’s use of alternative energy sources.
`Government should encourage energy policy that’s beneficial like this,` Tonko said. `If it weren’t for inspirations like this, we would be even further behind.`
Buhrmaster said he was equally impressed with Grieco’s home.
`Energy prices have gone through the roof, and now all of a sudden we should probably be in the $70 or $75 range, but we’ve got almost to $150 and that’s just wrong,` Buhrmaster said. `Each homeowner has to do what they can, but you’ve gone above and beyond, and I think that’s just fantastic.`
The open house held at Grieco’s home was part of an initiative by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association to invite politicians and candidates to tour `green buildings.`
`With fuel costs on the rise, the opportunity to talk one on one with building and homeowners about ways they have reduced their fuel consumption is invaluable,` said NESEA Executive Director David Barclay. `We invited all political candidates to come to the Green Buildings Open House to see how their constituents are saving money on energy costs and how clean renewable energy is being used in their communities today.`
Tonko and Buhrmaster have laid out energy plans as major parts of their campaigns.
Tonko’s can be found on the Internet at www.paultonkoforcongress2008.com, and Buhrmaster’s can be found at www.jimbuhrmaster.com.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.“