Embodied energy is the energy required to extract, process, manufacture, transport, and install building materials. A typical building of the mid-20th century required the equivalent of five to 15 gallons of gasoline per square foot. . "Old buildings are a fossil fuel repository," as MichaelJackson, an architect with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, put it, "places where we've saved energy."
Purchasing an older home IS the greenest home.
Foot for foot, it takes about 13 years to recoup lost energy, for a new, environmentally efficient home. However, since most new homes are much larger than older homes, the time to recoup the lost energy is closer to 25 years.
Once you work embodied energy into your energy budget, even a new, energy-efficient office building doesn't actually start saving energy for about 40 years. The break-even period stretches to close to 65 years for older buildings to account for the energy to knock them down the building and haul them away.
At the risk of repeating myself from an earlier post, an older home usually means a larger lot closer to town with established landscaping. In our area, buying an older home also increases your chance of being near mass transit to Chapel Hill, Durham, UNC or Duke. Getting rid of one of your cars frees up money for fun and is just one less thing to worry about.
Go green!
