I was honored to be invited to the public presentation of a new pre-fabricated home that has been built for a returning war veteran named Said Ali, by a group called Rebuilding Together.

I was not part of the project, but I got a tour. This new home was build with impressive energy efficiency measures. It had solar hot water, a tankless water heater, energy efficient appliances, lots of insulation and LED ceiling lighting. I encouraged the planners to follow low water use landscaping for a lush desert look at the home, rather than grass, which would saddle the owners with huge water bills.

This use of energy efficiency in homes is not an academic issue. Let’s look at the numbers.

In a house this size, the inclusion of solar PV, solar water, water and electricity-efficient appliances and smart landscaping will save the owners between $150 and $200 per month. That is a savings of between $1,800 and $2,400 per year. If the owners of this home were to put that money in savings every month, they will have around $30,000 set aside for their young son to go to college 14 years from now.

That ain’t chicken feed.