by John H. Cluver, AIA, LEED
What does the Recovery Act and Save America’s Treasures have in common? The answer: economic stimulus and jobs. Unfortunately, those responsible for setting the 2010 federal budget haven’t seen the connection, and the budget recently sent by the White House to Congress has eliminated funding to the Save America’s Treasures program. And that is a travesty, especially at a time when the government is trying to encourage spending that will generate jobs. Consider the following:
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Posted in Preservation
by John H. Cluver, AIA, LEED
Old buildings have a bit of an unjust reputation for being energy hogs. And, unfortunately, this misconception can be misused to justify “improvements” that do little to save energy or money, while doing real damage to a historic building. Very often, the most cost effective measures are overlooked because they are so simple and mundane that they don’t seem like they should be able to make a difference, or because the larger and more expensive projects get all of the attention in advertisements and articles. But the simple fact is that the easier and cheaper an energy improvement is, the sooner real financial savings can be realized. For those of us who own or manage historic buildings, however, should not be the only consideration. We have to guard against losing the historic character that makes these buildings so special, and to make sure that we are not introducing new elements that could create future problems where none previously existed. To best determine the appropriate steps to take with your property, the best step is to hire a professional to do an energy audit or energy model of the property. The former shows you where you are losing energy, while the latter allows you to try out numerous “what if” scenarios to determine what improvements will produce the best results.
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Posted in Preservation