Here’s an interesting story: a company is hoping to be build a new town in New Mexico. Only thing is, you can’t live there. It’s a ghost town.

The town (currently called the Center for Innovation, Testing and Evaluation) will have all the amenities that a real city would have, including houses and businesses. Everything would be fully functional with utilities. It would even have a mall (not filled with merchandise presumably)!

So why on earth is this town being built? For research of course! Pegasus Global Holdings will use the town to test energy efficient and green home innovations. MSN Real Estate gives an example of what might take place there:

If it all sounds too crazy, here’s a down-to-earth example: Say scientists want to see if a new kind of smart thermostat can make an entire neighborhood more energy-efficient. They could hand out the thermostats to homeowners in Albuquerque and check in on their meters for the next year. But the results would depend on a lot of factors out of the researchers’ control, such as how warm or cool individuals like their rooms to be or the houses’ insulation quality. And if the experimental system doesn’t work, the scientists would have disrupted people’s lives and maybe increased their utility bills.

But nobody would live in the center’s buildings. Computerized systems would mimic human behavior such as turning thermostats up and down, switching lights off and on or flushing toilets, but they would do so under the scientists’ control. A research team could install the thermostats in a block of the center’s two-story suburban houses, then run multiple long-term scenarios, manipulating the imaginary residents’ behavior to see what the energy use is under different circumstances.

Oh, and since there will be researchers and scientists there to run things in the imaginary city, they’ll be staying in facilities underground.

Although building an entire city that no one lives in might seem odd, having this sort of research space might lead to all sorts of discoveries with energy efficiency in the home. What do you think?

Image courtesy of pascalbovet.com on Flickr.

Dyson Hot Space Heater

Just a few short weeks from now, the boldest among us will create a list of resolutions for 2012. The usual suspects include losing weight, quitting smoking and getting more sleep.

Each year, it seems more people are pledging to live more environmentally friendly in the coming year. Some resolve to quit using plastic grocery bags while others plan to ride bike to work when the weather allows. Small, microcosmic changes that add up.

We think greener living is totally admirable, and so do the good folks at Inhabitat, who have compiled a list of 10 green gadgets you can give this Christmas to help encourage a family member or a friend. Some of our favorite gifts include:

BioLogic Bike Mount for iPhone 4
We don’t advocate talking on a smartphone while riding a bicycle, but this handy mount allows riders to track GPS location, mileage, speed and distance. When the conditions are appropriate, you can plug in your earbuds for motivation music or easy podcast-listening.

Dyson Hot Space Heater
According to Inhabitat, “The Dyson Hot is more powerful than traditional space heaters, more efficient than central heating systems, and it constantly monitors the temperature of a room, shutting off when the desired temperature has been reached.” It’s also a lot more attractive than traditional space heater, as you would expect from any Dyson product.

Quirky Ray Solar-Powered Suction Charger
Between our smartphones, tablets and laptops, it’s a wonder we don’t collapse the grid with all of our gadget charging. As the name states, this solar charger is definitely quirky. The concept is simple: Stick the QuirkyRay to a car window or windshield, even an airplane window, and like that, you’ve got energy to power a device. This is a great gift for those who travel a lot.

Does your list of New Year’s resolutions include living greener? If so, what steps are you planning on taking?

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about residential solar panel installation and whether the upfront costs were worth the investment. To refresh your memory, we wrote:

…for an “average-sized home,” a typical solar panel system could cost anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000, which could take anywhere from three to 10 years (or more) to recoup.

Soon thereafter, Jetson Green wrote about the cost of solar panel installation continuing to drop. According to the article:

In fact, the average installed cost of a solar PV system completed in 2010 fell by 17% from the prior year, and the cost has also dropped an additional 11% so far in 2011, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Jetson Green’s article also points out the solar panel installation costs less on new construction than when being added to a home during a remodel or retrofit. Additionally, government and utility-company subsidies or incentives are notably lower than in recent years, perhaps a sign of the technology starting to mature a bit.

All important factors to consider when determining whether solar panel installation is worth the cost.

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Considering adding solar panels to your home? To be sure, it can be a great way to reduce or perhaps even eliminate your household electricity costs, while also making a small dent in the amount of energy generated by less environmentally friendly methods. But that addition comes with a cost.

The question is whether that cost is a worthwhile investment. So how long might it take to recoup that investment? Well, our friends at Building Moxie dove into that very issue, with help from guest writer Brittany Mauriss. She explains that, for an “average-sized home,” a typical solar panel system could cost anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000, which could take anywhere from three to 10 years (or more) to recoup.

Of course, that’s simply an estimate. Factors such as the direction the panels face and the region in which your home is located will affect how much energy they generate and how much money you’ll save — or even make, if your panels generate more electricity than you use. Energy.gov has an interesting map that shows approximately how much energy you can generate depending on where in the United States you live.

Mauriss also points out the many tax credits that are available to homeowners to install solar panels. You can find information about federal tax credits on ENERGY STAR’s website, and don’t forget to check for additional credits from your state and local government.

[photo courtesy of CoCreatr via Flickr]

Now here’s a project to get you excited about the future of home building.

Students at the University of Tennessee have paired with manufacturer Clayton Homes to build the New Norris House, a real-life testing ground for the next generation of builders. According to Builder.com:

…The project acts as a living lab for energy-efficient and green concepts and systems, employing everything from a super insulated shell to a multi-split heating and cooling system to see what it takes to build — as well as live in — a super-efficient home.

The building team has pulled out all the stops in creating the most energy efficient home possible. It’s not the cheapest prototype, but the New Norris House is all about experimentation and thinking big.

Beginning with a modular shell from Clayton Homes, which worked closely with the students to develop the design, the home is as highly insulated as you might expect such a project to be. Using 2×6 advanced framing, the team reduced lumber use by 17 percent to reduce thermal breaks and replaced the wood with a 17 percent increase in insulation. An active rainwater system is used to operate the toilets, washing machine, and an external hose. The home’s water is heated by a solar system, that is backed up by electricity. And the home is heated and cooled by a Mitsubishi multi-split air-source heat pump that uses refrigerant lines that run through the walls and under the house, but that does not require ducts.

Over the course of a year, the New Norris House is occupied by Ken McCown, chair of the Landscape Architecture program at Tennessee, and Mary Leverance, a graduate student who’s completing courses online while working part-time. The couple are keeping a blog of their experiences to capture life inside the futuristic home.

[photo by Ken McCown]

While green building and environmentally consciousness slowly catches on across the U.S., Masdar City (in the United Arab Emirates) is leading the way in sustainability by becoming the world’s first carbon neutral city.

Located outside the city of Abu Dhabi, Masdar City is six square kilometers and it’s  part-habitation, part-science experiment. Construction of the project started in 2006. When finished, the city will rely 100 percent on solar energy while providing space for 45,000 to 50,000 citizens and 1,500 businesses. So far, buildings have been strategically erected around perimeter of the city to block hot desert winds while solar panels have been built to create a canopy that shades parts of the city.

To get around, citizens will rely on electric vehicle and mass transit railways. The city will utilize a solar-powered desalination plan for water management. Biological waste will be used as fertilizer or incinerated while plastic and metal materials will go through recycling streams.

Domestically, while we’re thinking about simpler ways to live green by using energy efficient appliances and building materials, a city on the other side of the globe plans to limit its carbon footprint to zero.

Now, that’s inspirational.

The final post in our series of advice columns for sustainability-focused site Inhabitat.com features tips from “eco designer” Zem Joaquin.

No one better epitomizes smart, healthy and stylish green living than Ecofabulous founder and cradle-to-cradle green designer Zem Joaquin. This eco jetsetter and green girl about town is well known for her phenomenal green parties, her insightful analysis of green products over on her site Ecofabulous, and her ability to make eco-friendly lifestyle choices feel glamorous and fun. We recently sat down with Zem to find out more about her gorgeous green home in the beautiful hills of Marin County, CA, and get her personal tips and tricks on how to make your home cleaner, greener and healthier through the power of smart design. Read on to find out about Zem’s secret tips for a green home, including – believe it or not – foot pedals on sinks!

She shares her advice for minimizing water waste, keeping your indoor air clean, using earth-friendly flooring alternatives and more. Read the full piece at Inhabitat.

Tomorrow marks the 41st celebration of Earth Day. While energy efficient appliances, electric cars and green homes may be all the rage, Earth Day should bring to mind the simple things that positively impact our environment.

Think about gardening. Many will spend this weekend turning soil and planting seeds to have some of the best fresh produce you can find come mid-summer, but the environmental implications are more far-reaching. Gardening offers several green benefits, including:

1. A smaller carbon footprint. By growing produce in your own backyard, you’re decreasing demand at the local grocer. Consider the fuel emissions resulting from the transportation of produce from one part of the country to your grocer, especially when out of season. It adds up!
2. Reduced chemical runoff.By skipping out on insecticides and chemical fertilizers, you can grow your own organic produce and not introduce harmful toxins into the ecosystem. Even if your garden is boxed in, a heavy rain can cause runoff into the sewage system and into streams and rivers.
3. Reduce waste. Composting isn’t for everyone, but even if its used coffee grounds, banana peels and apple cores, adding decomposed food scraps into the garden instead of the trash instantly decreases your waste output and improves your crop.

Little things add up. What do you do to live greener?

April is Earth Month, an expansion of the more traditional Earth Day celebrations that take place in April. In the spirit of the holiday, here are some quick tips and ideas for things you can do at home to go green now.

A few tips from Re-Nest:

• Reduce vampire energy by plugging your electrical appliances into power strips and turning the strips off when not in use. Not only will this save energy, it will save you money (check out this chart for proof).
• Shop locally. Check out your area’s farmers market and try to buy items from local sources to reduce the environmental impact of transporting your goods from the other side of the world.
• Start a vegetable garden. A great way to start being mindful of your consumption is to watch your food grow. Need help starting? We have some tips here.

And some more from Top Green Products:

• Change air conditioner filters at least once a month.
• Start a compost bin.
• Water grass only when necessary, and do so in early morning.

The Green Living guide at About.com offers some somewhat less common advice:

• Don’t buy something today
• Tune up your car
• Buy organic food

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It might just be coincidence that Earth Month occurs at the same time most homeowners take on ambitious spring cleaning efforts. Regardless, spring cleaning provides the perfect impetus to think green and lessen your impact on the environment.  (Two birds with one stone, right?)

Before you start pitching a winter’s worth of buildup and wiping down every interior and exterior surface of your home, here are some simple steps to make your home greener:

• Go paperless. If you find the majority of your trash is coming through the mail, switch to online payment options. As for junk mail, options range from returning to sender or using one of several services to block unwanted direct mail marketing. An added bonus: Checking the mail will be much more pleasant.
• Can I donate this? That’s something to ask yourself before tossing any item. From clothes and furniture down to magazines and house supplies, you can donate to thrift stores, local shelters or place items on the free goods section on craigslist.com or freecycle.org.
• Chemical-free cleaning. Depending on the surface, you can generally go a long way by adding a few tablespoons of lemon juice to water. This is also better for the overall health of your home, especially if you have younger children or pets.
• Towels – cloth, not paper. Ever notice how paper towels disappear  in a hurry? For the price of a dozen rolls, you can purchase reusable rags that will last for years and show much more durability and versatility than standard paper towels. There’s no need to add even more trash to your cleaning process.
• Baking soda – the miracle agent. No matter the surface, baking soda can get the job done. Cleaning the shower? Make a paste of water and baking soda and dab with a sponge. Scrub the surfaces of the shower and rinse to complete. Mopping? Add a cup of baking soda to a warm bucket of water (and add lemon juice for scent) and mop away. You can even sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of garbage cans to reduce odor. Baking soda is nothing new, but this miraculous cleaning agent is often overshadowed by newer products that can be full of chemicals and toxins.