Historic homes can be greener than you think

Check your neighborhood’s historic guidelines before making any changes.

McClatchy Newspapers

It’s a myth that historic homes are not environmentally green.

That’s according to Steve Kline, architect and board member of Historic Fort Worth, Texas. The National Trust for Historic Preservation agrees.

Not only that, such homes can be made greener.

Old homes are green by virtue of the fact that they already exist. They embody energy, Kline says. Inside the walls are the energy required to extract, process, transport and install building materials. The utility lines and roads do not have to be newly built.

“If you demolish or don’t use a historic building, you are wasting embodied energy,” Kline says.

Historic homes in North Central Texas, especially those built from the 1920s to 1940s, were not constructed to rely solely on technology for comfort. Front porches gave shade. Windows were placed to provide cross ventilation and provide natural light. In some homes, high ceilings gave room for hot air to rise. Trees planted decades ago still stand to protect the house from the sun.

“Many were solidly built so that they retain their heating or cooling,” Kline says.

Still, a lot can be done to improve an older home’s energy efficiency, Kline says.

Kline shared some of his tips:

UWeatherstrip, caulk and repair putty or glaze around windows and put weather-stripping under doors.

UCompact fluorescent lights fit in many, but not all, original lighting fixtures.

UReplace faucets and shower heads.

UUpgrade heating and cooling systems.

UInstall passive turbines to better ventilate attics.

UUse light-colored shingles to better reflect heat.

UPut in or upgrade insulation in the attic and crawl space.

UUse low- or no-VOC paint — that’s paint without unhealthy volatile organic compounds.

DON’T GO CHANGIN’ JUST YET

In some states, historic guidelines can vary among neighborhoods.

Owners of historic homes should know their guidelines before undertaking a project that will change the character of the home, such as a window replacement.

If original windows exist, the National Trust for Historic Preservation recommends keeping them not just for the historic value but also because of environmental issues.

“You’ll reduce landfill waste and the demand for vinyl, a nonbiodegradable material that gives off toxic byproducts when it is made,” the Trust’s magazine, Preservation, reports in its January-February 2008 issue.

If the windows in a historic home are not original, they often can be replaced with more efficient panes that still fit with the house’s character.