June News from the Napa Sonoma ADU Center
Shining that Summer Sun on Eco-Friendly ADU Building
As we head into summer - also known as build season! - a lot of us here in Napa and Sonoma Counties are thinking about how to harness the sun’s energy to make our accessory dwelling units green, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Or, alternatively, how to use shade effectively to accomplish the same goal!
The good news is that when it comes to ADUs, we’re already starting off on a great foot when it comes to sustainability. By their very nature, ADUs are more “eco-friendly” compared to the average residential home. As national ADU expert Kol Peterson describes in his book Backyard Revolution: The Definitive Guide to ADU Development, the environmental benefits of ADUs are numerous:
Building a home with a small footprint = less energy expended in construction, deconstruction, and habitation;
Smaller buildings require less energy use for heating and cooling; and
ADUs are often built in neighborhoods where residents can choose to walk, bike, or ride public transit to work -- reducing transportation energy.
And we’ll add that right now in our community there are so few homes available that about 50% of workers in Napa County and 30% of workers in Sonoma County commute from outside county lines to work, so the more homes we build here the more we reduce negative effects of car transport on our environment.
Some good news: You can take all of the eco-friendly benefits listed above a step further with intentional design and building plans! For example:
Use sustainable building materials
Select water-saving features
Harness solar power
“Green” your roof
Reduce heating and cooling energy expenditures with efficient windows and doors
Install energy-efficient technologies, lighting and appliances
Learn more from this month’s guest blog posts on ADU Design Tips from a Sonoma County designer, nonprofit Build it Green’s post on eco-friendly building, and an overview of Title 24 building code from the local firm Delta T Energy Consulting.
And if you’re seeking inspiration, check out this video from one of your neighbors in rural Sebastopol who built an eco-friendly ADU that is all-solar and houses not just family and a tenant, but also her home-based environmental nonprofit!
As we head into the summer build season, here at the Napa Sonoma ADU Center we are eager to help you harness the power of energy efficiency to build an ADU that not only benefits our community by creating housing but improves the quality of our climate and environment as well. If you have ADU questions, reach out to us anytime -- we are here to help!
Warmly,
The Napa Sonoma ADU Center
Neighbor Spotlight:
When Dena and Tor were looking for a new home, they had their wish list: a place for themselves and two teenage girls, an ADU for Dena’s mother, a space for their home based environmental nonprofit, a nice neighborhood and a reasonable price. “We just weren’t finding anything,” Dena explained.
Then, almost by accident, they came across an empty piece of land for sale that could work. They bought it with plans to simultaneously build a house for themselves and granny flat for Dena’s mom.
““We make enough electricity with all the solar panels we have on both houses [main house and ADU] that our electric bill is just the meter-reading charge.””
Give to Napa Valley Community Foundation
If you would like to support our nonprofit program’s continued efforts to help homeowners in Napa and Sonoma Counties, please feel free to do so at this link (to our fiscal sponsor, Napa Valley Community Foundation) where you can designate it to the Napa Sonoma ADU Center.