Interview w/ Sean Armstrong (Redwood Energy)

Sean, a cost-efficiency expert and self-proclaimed climate activist, joins the podcast to talk about all-electric construction and the endemic problems with natural gas infrastructure here in California. He shares a very moving story about the personal ramifications of decades of fossil fuel use (thank you Sean!) and we eventually get around to brainstorming some ways to fix what's broken by focusing on universal goals like human health and building efficiency. 

 

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IGx_ZwdZrpg

Episode Sponsor: www.sustainablehomesofthefuture.com

Contact Host: info@shfbuild.com 

 

Sean Armstrong taught net-zero design at a demonstration house at Humboldt State University from 1999-2002, and has 12,000+ hours of experience as staff Project Manager with affordable housing developers The Pacific Companies, Danco Communities, and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Arcata. Sean was the first developer to use the California Utility Allowance Calculator (CUAC). 

Since his start in development in 2004, he has led the design of 6000 residences in more than 200 developments, focusing on all-electric, 100% solar offset design. All-electric cuts costs, and adding solar has a 4-8 year payback, hence the rapid uptake of Zero Net Energy by the market--it's profitable. It's a challenge, but so is all the rest of building a development. Sean and his business partner, Michael Winkler, won the Grand Prize awards from the United Nations in 2017 and the PCBC Gold Nuggets in 2016, but he is perhaps most proud of the award from the Southern California Building Industry Association--they are unapologetically business-minded, and recognized Redwood with their first Sustainability Award in 2017 because their work to end fossil fuel use in buildings also happens to  lower construction costs, and increase profits. Sean delights in ruthless capitalists realizing that fossil fuel infrastructure is an additional cost, and not at all "cheap." 

 

Show Notes: 

All-Electric Research/Publications - https://www.redwoodenergy.tech/research/