Hey, we can all afford this, right?
In March 2020, I was living in a one-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood with my wife, our three small dogs and one annoyed cat. Our plan had been to move “back east” sometime in the vague future, but when our jobs went remote thanks to the pandemic, and we were suddenly both working from that one-bedroom, we knew it was time.
As we made our final drive out of L.A., wildfires blazed in our rearview mirrors. Destruction we thought would happen years in the future was unfolding in real time, cementing our decision to relocate to a place with promising long-term climate projections — a move we were able to make due to our savings and employment flexibility, privileges that were not lost on us. (snip)
And so, with the help of a climate change map from the New York Times, we narrowed down our search to the seemingly unlikely Rochester, N.Y. — a charming city situated on Lake Ontario with a surprising amount of vegan-friendly restaurants (no small bonus, as we are both longtime vegans and animal activists).
Climate change map? Good grief
Now that we had found an area that was relatively promising insofar as climate, we dug deeper into what types of homes are the most eco-friendly. We considered both the structure itself — learning that refurbishing existing properties creates fewer carbon emissions than building new ones — as well as the ongoing carbon cost to heat and power a home. It became clear that moving to a climate-refuge city wasn’t enough; we needed to go net zero, and we needed to do it in an old house.
Let’s skip through all the climate cult stuff to
As for us, the costs came out to $27,318 for the geothermal system, $15,215 for the solar, $15,703 for the insulation and $23,873 for the windows — after state rebates and other incentives, which can significantly reduce the price tag of transitioning a home to net zero. While $82,000 and change is still very expensive, and not doable for many Americans — and only possible for us thanks to low-interest financing and a relatively low-priced house — the incentives may make the undertaking more within reach than you’d expect.
$82,000. That’s not saving you money. What’s your energy bill monthly? $200? It will take 34 years to break even. Nice not having to depend on the electric grid, sure. Insulation is never a bad thing. Better windows? Sure. Still, 34 years for this cult belief. And, of course, as the elitist notes, not doable for many Americans. And, if you see the article, the author pretty much looks just like you’d expect, with died hair, nose ring, over sized glasses, and a pride flag. Oh, a middle age, affluent white liberal.
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