seriously hard core economics

We had always considered going green. However, as bad at math as I am, even I knew that the initial outlay plus our expected lifespan did not always add up to a good financial decision. Pat has a stent. We're both, while not ancient, old enough that sometimes our granddaughter looks at us and I can tell she's trying to figure out if we're dying or not.

But, there are tax breaks to be had right now, and Pat says if we use solar panels on the roof, the payback would be 7 years. We should last that long.

There's a lot you can do to go green. Situating a house correctly according to the climate is among the most basic. We're in the south, so it's more important to reduce air conditioning costs. Up in Lake County Ohio , we'd be seriously worrying about heating bills.

In the Usonian we're using as a guide, there are plenty of clerestory windows.Which will help with air flow.

About 10 years ago, we visited the Waverly Mansion in West Point, Mississippi. This house had a central round hallway with the windows on the third floor opened to allow the cool air from the outside, which was surrounded by trees, to rush in forcing the hot air out through the central higher windows. The owners, who ran the tours themselves said the house remained cool throughout the summer with no a/c.

http://www.wpnet.org/waverley_mansion.htm

Of course, using a central cooling tower or just plain ole clerestory windows mean that there has to be open windows for green cooling to take effect -an anathema to some people.