Author: Charles Gale

Reinventing the homebuilding supply chain

Written by Charles Gale on August 31, 2023. Posted in Build Process.

Builders and contractors know all about middlemen.

Getting construction materials to a job site can involve a slew of them. The old-school sourcing model depends upon a long string of third parties. Stuff goes from supplier to broker, a broker through an intermediary, and on and on until it (hopefully) arrives onsite.

Builders get caught in the middle

It’s a system that bogs down builders too often with delays, paperwork, financial terms, waste, and inefficiency. And with each third party slapping on their markup, we can throw “costly” in there, too.

Sometimes those middlemen start out by offering a convenient service (hello, big-box stores and online retailers) but eventually get a bit profit-crazy, growing big, unwieldy, and ever-more power-hungry. This makes the whole process more fragile and prone to inequality.

What’s more, the homebuilding supply chain is vulnerable to external factors, like global pandemics, port bottlenecks, and the Russo-Ukrainian war. Which is all happening when the demand for single-family homes is skyrocketing.

A supply chain built for the future

Modular, panelized, or quick-build homes (they’re variations on a theme) solve many of these problems by reworking the homebuilding supply chain.

Panelized homes are made from components manufactured in climate-controlled factories. The components are then shipped to the jobsite and assembled by a small crew of non-specialized workers.

This all makes for a faster, safer, less costly, and more sustainable homebuilding process. With benefits like these, one supply chain advisory group predicts that, “Modular construction is the future of supply chain.”

We’re aiming even higher: Quick-build construction is the future of homebuilding.

We’re achieving that future partly through our own approach to distribution. We call it a vertically integrated direct-to-builder supply chain. A three-step system that lets builders go from lot to lockup in three weeks.

Here’s how it works:

1. Sourcing in Asia

We source from the best manufacturers and factories in Asia, where we have decades of experience.

Asia is the primary source of all construction materials in the United States, but we skip the middlemen and ship precision-engineered home components directly to the builder’s jobsite for less cost.

2. Pre-assembly in Panama

Move over, Portugal. Panama is now the number one destination for Americans retiring abroad. The country is peaceful, prosperous, and economically sophisticated.

By locating our factory in Panama, we can save on the time and cost of handling shipping containers. Plus there’s the handy favorable trade relationship Panama maintains with the United States. (We pass these savings on to builders, of course.)

We build all our products to exceed US standards for quality and endure rigorous testing, which we document and make available for review.

3. Buildout at the jobsite

Our precision manufacturing process lets builders work fast with a small, nonspecialist team. Here’s how the build works:

Guidance: A Momo Homes primary builder and team will be on-site providing expertise and answering questions the week of the builder’s first home.
Foundation: The Surefoot foundation is installed, with footings that are job-specific, designed for the soil conditions of each site, usable on a wide range of projects, and meet all compliance and regulations.
Framing: The Frame and exterior components arrive in shipping containers, which hold wall sections housed in cassettes, and include the good stuff like insulation, doors, windows, siding, and flooring.
Assembly: Walls are pre-assembled at our manufacturing plant using our “easy handle system” and packed into shipping cassettes. The unloading and assembly process is designed to enable two nonspecialists to assemble walls in fewer than three days.
Interiors: Components typically arrive seven days after the walls and include cabinets, bathrooms, kitchens, flooring, luxury components, and more.
Lockup: The work finished by the builder includes: drywall, paint, electrical, plumbing, water hookup, and heating and air conditioning.

One, two, three. Fewer steps mean fewer stoppages. And more savings for builders.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike McAllister is head of story for Momo Homes.

Heat pump mounted on the outside of a house with trees in the background.

Not just hot air: An intro to home heat pumps

Written by Charles Gale on August 29, 2023. Posted in Heat Pumps.

You don’t have to choose between your wallet and the world.

Some things can be good for both.

Like induction stoves, heat pumps are hot, hot, hot. Last year, Americans bought more heat pumps than gas furnaces for the first time. The emerging home comfort solution shows pretty big potential for changing how Americans heat and cool their homes.

Won’t burn fuels, won’t burn cash

Experts agree that heat pumps are one of the best steps homeowners can take to cut their home’s carbon. Without sacrificing comfort.

“A heat pump is probably the biggest thing that consumers can do to help fight the climate crisis,” said Amy Boyd, director of policy for the Acadia Center, an advocacy organization working to cut carbon emissions in the Northeast.

According to the self-described climate and sustainability nerds at Carbon Switch, heat pumps provide an “unbelievable amount of carbon reductions” — more than 10x the carbon savings you’d get from installing LED lighting in your home.

That’s the world part. Now let’s look at the wallet.

The New York Times calls them the “cheapest and most efficient way to handle both heating and cooling for your home, no matter where you live.”

According to the Department of Energy, some homeowners can save $1,000 per year in energy costs by switching to a heat pump.

All that, and they’re pretty quiet, too.

What are heat pumps and how do they work?

Heat pumps are an alternative to furnaces and air conditioners for all climates. Similar to your refrigerator, heat pumps use electricity to move heat from outside to inside, or vice versa.

During colder months, heat pumps move heat from the outdoors into your house. During warmer months, heat pumps reverse that flow.

They only have to move heat, instead of generating it by combusting a fuel source, which makes them way more efficient than traditional HVAC systems.

How do they work in the winter?

The refrigeration cycle within a heat pump includes three parts: the compressor, the condenser, and the evaporator.

During the winter, the heat pump extracts heat from outside through the evaporator, which holds refrigerant. The refrigerant absorbs this heat and evaporates, transforming into a gas.

The compressor then ups the temp and the pressure of the refrigerant before it flows to the condenser where the refrigerant pushes its heat energy inside your home.

Even in cold weather, the outdoor air holds enough heat for this process to work.

Which type do I need?

There are three main types of heat pumps for “ducted” homes: air-to-air, water source, and geothermal. They collect heat from the air, water, or ground outside your home for concentrated use. Most residential heat pumps are the air-to-air variety.

If you live in a home without ducts and want to join the heat pump revolution, fear not: air-to-air heat pumps also come in a ductless version called a mini-split heat pump.

Most manufacturers offer both options, and heat pumps can also work within a hybrid system of both ducted and ductless units, feeding off a single compressor located outside your house.

Is this all just a bunch of hot air?

Heat pumps do come at a cost.

Forbes breaks down the typical costs of each type, and puts the average installation sum at $5,500. The “it depends” variables include: your home’s size and existing ductwork, your geography and climate, and access to state energy programs.

But as one new heat pump owner, profiled by The Times, put it: “There’s a million ways you can spread out the costs and get rebates and get energy credits.”

All the way through 2032, you can get federal income tax credits (up to 30 percent of the cost) for new heat pumps, according to Energy Star.

MIT Technology Review reports that the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act includes federal tax credits of up to $2,000 for taxpayers installing heat pumps.

And homeowners can get up to $8,000 in rebates and incentives from their local government and utility. You can check the DSIRE website, search for your state, and filter for residential energy efficiency.

Even heat pump journeys need a guide

Unless you’re already an experienced home renovator, we recommend you find a contractor to help you through your installation process.

Your home, geography, climate, and local zoning laws can all affect the choice of heat pump, and a contractor can help you navigate.

I’d prefer a package deal

Those of you who want to skip the journey and buy a brand-new home will find a supply out there that increasingly features heat pumps.

To meet goals around cuts to carbon emissions, various states are pushing to mandate the use of heat pumps in new construction.

Contractors and real estate developers are taking action, too. A new development under construction in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood will soon be the largest residential project in New York state to use a geothermal heat-pump system.

All of the building’s 834 rental units will meet their home comfort needs by extracting heat from, or pumping heat into, the ground.

Skip the installation costs

At Momo, we’re fine-tuning our homes with some pretty advanced energy-efficient features. These include Trane heat pumps, with compressors that handle minute changes in the environment with 750 incremental settings.

Rated down to 0 degrees F, Trane heat pumps are an excellent energy-efficient choice for nearly all U.S. cities.

They’ll come standard in every Momo design, already installed, to help make your home better for both your wallet and the world.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike McAllister is head of story for Momo Homes.

Sleek picture of a pot on an induction stove.

Let’s clear the air on induction stoves

Written by Charles Gale on August 24, 2023. Posted in Uncategorized.

If you’re shopping for a natural gas stove, stop. Like, right now.

The Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest climate bill in U.S. history, is about to change how Americans look at (and live with) energy efficiency.

Starting where it counts — in your wallet.

Depending on your eligibility, the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program could cut up to $840 off the cost of an induction cooktop. Which is really good news for a lot of different reasons.

Let’s dive in.

So what’s an induction stovetop, exactly?

Induction stovetops take a weird-science-y approach to cooking. They use electromagnetic fields to transfer currents directly to the cookware placed on their glass surfaces.

It’s a more direct transfer of heat than traditional electric or gas stovetops, as it creates heat from within the cookware itself.

This means better cooking efficiency. Consumer Reports says that induction cooktops can boil water 20-40 percent faster than traditional electric and gas stovetops.

Another bonus: Removing the cookware stops the heat immediately. So you can forever skip the Oh my god did I leave the stove on? thoughts that make morning commutes inconvenient.

Breathe better, indoors and out

The US Department of Energy (DOE) reports that induction stoves are up to three times more efficient than gas stoves, and up to 10 percent more efficient than conventional smooth-top electric ranges.

This means wins in two categories: your energy bill, and your carbon footprint. As one sustainability journalist put it, “Induction stoves are climate-change-fighting machines, kicking fossil fuels out of the kitchen.”

This is really good news for American kids, by the way. A recent study found that 12.7 percent of current childhood asthma in the US is attributable to gas stove use. (Think of all the money you could save on inhalers.)

Cooking with natural gas produces indoor air pollution like nitrous oxides (NOX), carbon monoxide (CO), and formaldehyde (HCHO). All you’re just trying to boil some spaghetti.

Here’s more of what induction has to offer, and few strikes against it:

Induction pros

Offers long-term savings on energy bills.
Consumes zero fossil fuels.
Eliminates indoor air pollutants associated with gas stoves.
Offers more precise control of heating (chefs rejoice!).
Generates less excess heat on the stove’s surface.
Eliminates the worry of unattended burners.
Reduces risks of accidental burns.
Won’t ignite nearby towels or pot holders.
Offers (with ceramic-glass models) durable and crack-resistant surfaces.
Features a crevice-free surface (one that even I could clean).

Induction cons

May require an electrical upgrade to the kitchen.
Only works with ferromagnetic cookware (pots and pans with cast iron or certain types of stainless steel). Sorry, copper fans.
Often costs more than a traditional stove (but prices are falling).

About those electrical upgrades: there’s more good news in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Eligible participants in the rebate program could get up to $2,500 for upgrades to electric wiring; and up to $4,000 for an upgrade to the electric load service center (the box that holds your circuit breakers and distributes electricity from your energy provider).

That means you can plug in your induction stove and get to cooking.

If I can make it there…

Also, cool and creative minds are working on making induction stoves cheaper and more accessible.

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the country’s biggest provider of public housing, recently launched the Induction Stove Challenge.

The contest will inspire manufacturers to compete for a contract to install at least 10,000 induction stoves in NYCHA buildings. The catch? They must design efficient models that don’t require electrical upgrades.

This should not only improve the lives of NYC public housing residents but also incite a larger market change, lowering the barriers to induction stoves for all.

How the other half cooks

Meanwhile, on the other coast, Los Angeles is pushing to outlaw gas appliances in new buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the entertainment industry is embracing induction as a result.

Interior designers to the stars are selling their clients on high-end models, like an induction offering where pots can be cooked directly on a granite or porcelain countertop, so the stove seamlessly blends into the kitchen.

The rest of us may have to settle for a more basic model. But we’ll still get the perks of induction.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike McAllister is head of story for Momo Homes.

Here’s to the problem-solvers

Written by Charles Gale on August 23, 2023. Posted in blog.

The Momo Focus is a biweekly roundup of news about the global transition to sustainable homebuilding.

Hi.

We read the news.

We feel the rain. And the heat.

We have watched with horror and sadness the fires in Lahaina. And Canada.

And indeed, some days the world is too much with us.

But most days we carry on problem-solving. It’s the human thing to do.

Besides, there are so many reasons for optimism. …

There’s Al Gore saying at the end of his most recent TED talk that “if we stay at true net zero, in as little as 30 years, half of all the human caused CO2 will come out of the atmosphere into the upper ocean and the trees and vegetation.”

There’s Pablo van der Lugt, describing the promise of bamboo as a building material and decarbonizing superplant.

There’s the Inflation Reduction Act. One year after its passage, the bill has generated north of 100,000 jobs, led to a clean-energy manufacturing boom, and accelerated the electrification of transportation and the decarbonization of electricity.

There’s Dr. Saul Griffith — MIT grad, entrepreneur, and renewable-energy advocate (he was an advisor on the Inflation Reduction Act) — who’s calculated that “42 percent of all emissions in the U.S. economy come down to decisions that are made in everybody’s homes.” According to Griffith, if we heat our homes, and our water, with efficient electric machines that are powered by renewables, we’ll stay on track to reach our climate targets and “buy ourselves enough time for the big science funding to come in and create the solutions for steel, for long-distance air travel, for agriculture.”

We’re going to make the “green homes” bit easy. Every Momo home will be solar-ready, efficiently insulated, and warmed and cooled by heat pumps.

Credits where credits are due

Speaking of the IRA, Canary Media has a good rundown of how to take advantage of the bill’s incentives and tax credits.

Beware of falling fish

It should go without saying, but we promise that your solar-equipped Momo home will never experience a power outage caused by falling fish. Like this town did.

I see a line of homes and they’re all painted white

Researchers at Purdue announced the creation of the whitest paint ever made. Which is cool. Like, way cool. Xiulin Ruan, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering says that, “If you were to use this paint to cover a roof area of about 1,000 square feet, we estimate that you could get a cooling power of 10 kilowatts. That’s more powerful than the central air conditioners used by most houses.”

The home economy

Mortgage rates

Bill McBride gets into the weeds in two posts: Lawler: Is The “Natural” Rate of Interest Back to Pre-Financial Crisis Levels? and The “New Normal” Mortgage Rate Range. His take: “Absent a recession and/or another sustained financial market ‘scare,’ it seems that interest rates will be significantly higher than most people had been predicting for a sustained period of time.”

Housing industry

While sales of existing homes are at a 6-month low, Eye on Housing reports, construction of single family homes has risen. Another Eye on Housing article reports that:

A lack of existing inventory and solid demand for housing helped offset rising mortgage rates and push single-family production higher in July, even as builders continue to grapple with elevated construction and financing costs as well as a lack of skilled labor.

Despite the obstacles, this state of affairs may bode well for builders, according to John Burns Research and Consulting:

With those low mortgage rate golden handcuffs keeping a huge chunk of the existing home market in cryogenic stasis, the new home sector has thrived. There is even a case to be made for continued good times even if resale listings begin to rise and mortgage rates remain elevated.

For buyers, it’s a different story. McBride writes that houses are nearing their lowest levels of affordability since 2007.

Blog on

Mike McAllister covers the emerging world of future-ready home construction for us. Here are his recent posts:

Cheers,

Jeff

Jeff Williams is the chief marketing officer of Momo Homes.

P.S. “Electrification is anti-inflationary”

“If you electrify everything in an American household … when you buy solar cells and put them on your roof, you’re paying for 20 years of energy up front. So then you’re paying a fixed interest payment. You’ve inflation-proofed your energy inputs. … This energy transition is the substitution of finance for fuel.”

– Saul Griffith, in conversation with Dave Roberts on the 18 August Volts podcast.

Digital illustration showing a winter hat on top of a cute little house.

Put a hat on your house: Understanding insulation R-values

Written by Charles Gale on August 22, 2023. Posted in Home Envelope.

When I was a kid in Minnesota, my mother was forever trying to force a hat onto my head in the winter. “Ninety percent of your body’s heat is lost through your head!” she’d cry.

Like so many things you hear as a kid, this turned out to be a myth. So say WebMD, MIT, and The New York Times. (Sorry, Mom, I’m trusting the experts on this one.)

But the idea holds up better when applied to houses.

For uninsulated, timber-frame homes, about 25% of lost heat escapes through the roof.

A lot of leaky homes

This apparently happens a lot. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that about nine out of 10 homes in the United States are under-insulated.

Good insulation can cut both your energy costs and carbon footprint, and raise your home’s comfort level and resale value.

The attic is an easy way to start. Compared to walls or flooring, insulating the attic is a relatively non-invasive way to improve your home’s thermal retention.

Forbes puts it another way: “Improving attic insulation provides the most bang for your buck in regards to heat loss.”

So taking the steps to assess your home’s insulation can pay off, both when constructing a new home or when remodeling an existing one.

And it all starts by understanding insulation R-values.

What is R-value and why do I need to know it?

R-value measures an insulation material’s ability to resist heat flow. Insulation with high R-values has more resistance and is better at insulating a home.

R-values range from around R10 for certain flooring materials to R60 for the densest attic insulation, where there are several types of roof insulation materials to choose from:

Rigid insulation boards: High R-value per inch
Structural insulated panels: High R-value per inch
Spray foam insulation: Mid-range R-value per inch
Batt insulation: Low R-value per inch
Loose-fill or blown-in insulation: Low R-value per inch

Each insulation type has its pros and cons. Structural insulation panels provide a high R-value but are harder to add to homes than blown-in, batt, or spray foam insulation. So the panels are best installed during the initial construction process.

Can we make this more complicated?
Sure! The R-value stands for how much heat resistance a material has per inch of depth.

So if you used a larger amount of lower R-value material, it could still provide a comparable amount of thermal insulation as a higher R-value material.

In other words, one inch of insulation with an R-value of R50 is equal to two inches of insulation with an R-value of R25.

Just tell me how much R I really need

First off, where do you call home?

The DOE offers a color-coded map of the US with their recommended R-values for retrofitting buildings in various parts of the country.

As you might expect, the colder the climate, the higher the R-value. My hometown sits smack dab in the bitter blue-colored band near the Canadian border.

On the less-insulated end of the spectrum are R-values below R30. For the best level of insulation, aim for an R-value closer to R60, which should keep homes toasty, even in Anchorage.

Give me another reason to up my R

How about the Insulation Tax Credit?

It applies to insulation products purchased and installed between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2032. To qualify, this must be for an existing home and your principal residence.

Typical bulk insulation products covered by the credit include: batts, rolls, blow-in fibers, rigid boards, expanding spray, and pour-in-place.

You can claim 30% of the project cost with a $1,200 maximum amount credited.

Fortunately you don’t have to worry too much here about R-value. For the tax credit, it’s just about upping your insulation. As DOE puts it, it’s “always wise to optimize your attic insulation first” when tackling home projects.

A future of fewer leaky homes

The next generation of homes are being built with energy savings in mind, with features like high R-value insulation, EV charging, and energy-efficient windows.

We’re happy to be a part of that movement.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike McAllister is head of story for Momo Homes.

Simple graphic illustration of a cheerful brown and white mutt.

Some companies are purebreds; we’re a mutt

Written by Charles Gale on August 18, 2023. Posted in Momo Team.

You won’t find an Ivy League degree on our team.

There’s no fancy consultancy on any of our resumes.

No investment bank experience. Or supreme court clerkships.

We’re just not that kind of company.

We thought it best you know now.

We’re basically a ragtag band of Aussies, Panamanians, Yanks, etc. who’ve been out learning how to build companies by building companies. All kinds of them. Manufacturing companies. Technology companies. Marketing agencies. Investment companies. Publishing houses. Solar-energy companies. News organizations.

We’ve figured out what doesn’t work. Homed in on what does. Tried different approaches, products, and ideas. Experimented. Learned from our mistakes. Scored some pretty big wins.

Now, we’re combining our collective experience. And having a blast.

So yeah, we’re no show dog. We’re more mutt.

But we’re actually pretty proud of that.

Mutts are street smart. Adaptable. Lovable.

Mutts are hungry. Tough. Big-hearted.

Mutts are tenacious.

And a mutt will always, always stick by you.

Cheers,

Jeff

Jeff Williams is one of Momo’s mutts.

Skip the scary basement to cut your home’s carbon

Written by Charles Gale on August 17, 2023. Posted in Cold-formed steel, Concrete.

In the world of sustainability (which is now every world) nobody wants big feet.

We all know the importance of cutting our carbon footprint, whether on a personal, corporate, or geopolitical level.

That’s true in homebuilding, too. And multiple studies agree: to make a cut that makes a difference in greenhouse gas emissions, we’re best served by skipping one room in particular.

Do not go into the basement

Horror movies have taught us that basements are scary places. (I still haven’t recovered from my first viewing of The Silence of the Lambs.)

Now science is backing that up.

Concrete production is responsible for at least 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. And basements are often full of the stuff.

Various scientists and construction industry insiders now call concrete basements “carbon-hungry,” “carbon bombs,” or “carbon icebergs.” (I do love a catchy phrase of doom.)

Researchers at the University of Toronto measured what they called the “material intensity” of various homes and their rooms. Which is another way of measuring the greenhouse gas emissions due to construction.

They found that concrete basements were by far the largest driver of material use, and accounted for 56% of a home’s total material intensity. “If possible,” they say, “you should avoid having a basement.”

Clarice Starling would agree.

Could concrete get greener?

There may still be hope for basements.

Scientists and engineers looking to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete and cement have been developing innovations for years.

Researchers in Tokyo developed building materials by recycling food scraps like seaweed, banana peels, and Chinese cabbage. The resulting materials were just as strong or stronger than concrete. And, if the need arises, they’re still edible. (I’ll let you have the first bite).

Another group of Tokyo scientists created a process for making concrete that reuses old concrete products and captures carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

And the Washington Post just reported that a company in Oakland has developed a carbon-negative cement using carbon-free silicate rock instead of limestone.

Even better, this green cement received third-party certification that it’s chemically and structurally the same as regular cement, which should help assure more builders of its potential.

Going cold turkey on concrete

But you don’t even need green concrete to make a difference in your carbon footprint.

The Rocky Mountain Institute points to the use of modular or prefabricated construction techniques as one strategy to reduce CO2 through better material efficiency and design.

In the UK, academics developed a modular construction system that slashed carbon emissions by up to 45%, partly through manufacturing precision-built components in a factory offsite.

Here at Momo, we’re building quick-build homes in a similar way, with components precision-engineered in a factory setting.

Also, our steel-frame panels fit exactly onto our steel Surefoot foundation. Which is fully recyclable and concrete-free.

So you can skip the scary basements.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike McAllister is head of story for Momo Homes.

Graphic showing 11 darkened homes and one lit-up one.

Get off the grid—the promise of microgrids

Written by Charles Gale on August 15, 2023. Posted in Solar Energy.

Some things—like wine, denim, or friendship—get better with age.

Infrastructure, not so much.

Today, over 70% of the nation’s power grid is more than 25 years old, an aging system increasingly vulnerable to climate change effects. Between 2000 and 2021, 83% of power outages were caused by extreme weather events.

You already know that people are turning to alternatives, including renewable energy sources like solar.

Another solution comes in the form of microgrids.

What is a microgrid?

A self-contained electrical network, microgrids allow you to generate your own electricity onsite to use when it’s needed most, like during power outages.

This is a completely different approach to electricity than your typical utility grid. The grid uses an (aging) centralized power plant to generate electricity, then distributes it along miles and miles of (aging) transmission lines.

To generate electricity, microgrids often combine backup diesel generators with renewable integration like solar panels, and use batteries to store the electricity.

Typically you can operate a microgrid while it’s connected to the grid, or in a disconnected “island” mode. This is super helpful when the grid goes down, or when rates go way up during peak hours.

Depending on the specific microgrid-utility grid arrangement, you might even be able to sell your surplus energy back to the grid.

Microgrids are still rare, but growing in popularity, with organizations like the U.S. Department of Electricity investing money into its future. By 2035, they say:

Microgrids are envisioned to be essential building blocks of the future electricity delivery system to support resilience, decarbonization, and affordability.

Who uses microgrids?

The growing list of current microgrid customers include municipal governments, hospitals, university research labs, corporate data centers, and military bases.

Right now, microgrids are used by organizations to:

– Access reliable energy

– Cut their carbon footprint

– Reduce costs and increase energy resiliency

Utilities themselves have taken notice, and are getting in on the microgrid game, too.

More than 60% of utility leaders say they have deployed or are currently working to deploy a microgrid (probably to yank back control over the profits, but that’s for another blog).

What’s the future of microgrids?

Why are we sharing this info with you? Well, microgrids are coming to homeowners, too.

Residential microgrids are now the fastest growing sector, beginning to displace retail microgrids in use.

In southern California, KB Homes is building two communities totaling 219 homes, that will be connected to a central microgrid.

If the utility grid goes down, the community microgrid will isolate the two communities from the grid and provide power to keep essential functions running. The homes will first draw from their own individual batteries, then from the community battery.

The New York Times recently profiled the Heron’s Nest, another community of 31 homes that is North Carolina’s first residential microgrid development. The residents will benefit from revenue that is either diverted back to the local utility or passed along as dividends.

During Hurricane Fiona in 2022, home microgrids helped out. 45 residential microgrids in Puerto Rico, previously installed by Caribbean initiatives at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), went into full backup mode on Fiona’s approach.

Beyond supplying the homes’ residents with power at a critical time, their microgrids have turned into resiliency hubs for other homes.

Neighbors have been able to visit the microgrid users (who are low- to moderate-income, single parents, and the elderly) to plug in phones and meet their healthcare needs.

We see a future filled with stories and communities like these, and are building our homes to thrive in that future, too.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike McAllister is head of story for Momo Homes.

Woman looking at an image of a Momo home mounted museum-style.

A Momo in the MoMA?

Written by Charles Gale on August 11, 2023. Posted in History.

The Museum Modern Art In New York is one of the world’s premier showcases for modern art.

Last year, more than 1 million people visited, drawn by works such as Henri Rousseau’s “Sleeping Gypsy,” Henri Matisse’s “The Dance,” and Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.”

But not one of those visitors saw a Momo Home.

Because MoMa doesn’t have a Momo.

Yet.

We’re working to change that.

You see, we think a home should be a work of art. And while our homes are precision-engineered to be the best-built in the world, they’re more than just hard science.

They’re also designed with intention. And heart.

Rooms are open to let in natural light. The design is open. Each component is thoughtfully considered. And there’s a flow to our layouts that give every Momo Home a cozy intimacy.

We’d like to be able to put it into words, but there are some things you just have to experience for yourself to get the full effect.

That’s just how it is with any great work of art.

Cheers,

Jeff

Jeff Williams is Momo’s chief marketing officer.

Workman setting a solar panel in place on the roof of a home.

“I want to give the audience a song that they can perform”

Written by Charles Gale on August 9, 2023. Posted in Uncategorized.

In a scene from the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Freddie Mercury walks in late to a rehearsal to find Brian May leading the rest of Queen in the stomp-stomp-clap beat that will become the mother of all rock anthems, “We Will Rock You.”

Freddie listens for a moment, then asks him, “Will you please tell me why you’re not playing any instruments?”

“I want to give the audience a song that they can perform,” says Brian.

I think we need something similar for the climate.

I saw this post come up in my LinkedIn feed a couple days ago about the flooding in Slovenia …

The future is happening here and now. The largest natural disaster happened this weekend in Slovenia. More than 2/3 of the country was flooded and cut off the rest of the country: hundreds of houses were flooded, about 100 bridges were damaged, basic infrastructure was damaged – roads, electricity, water, communication, gas, rail, public transport, 4 deaths…. The costs of redevelopment will be enormous

The post is heartbreaking.

And so damned typical.

And frustrating.

Frustrating because, when I see stories like this, I always end up asking myself: What can I DO?

The post tries to answer that question:

What next? We all have to rethink our actions and values. We have to take responsibility to take serious #climatemitigation and #climateadaptation actions – the public and the private sector. Just nice words and reports about sustainability will not be enough.

While I empathize – and agree (a line from Rilke comes to mind: “You must change your life”) – I’m left wanting something … specific.

Specific like an everyday metric. E.g.:

Want to be fit? Walk 10,000 steps every day.
Want your kids to love books? Read to them for 15 minutes every day.
Want to be healthy? Eat five fruits and vegetables every day.
Want to help the climate? Make one panel’s worth of extra energy every day.

I just made up that last one.

I really have no idea what the answer should be, but I think there’s a metric we can create, and if we can create it, solar-powered homes can be a kind of catalyst for positive change.

By the way, I’m using a data point that a typical single solar panel in the United States generates about 2 kilowatt-hours per day. Don’t hold me to the math, but the idea is that if everyone generates one solar panel’s worth of extra energy, that energy can flow to other places and create a virtuous cycle.

Once you have a metric, and a smart, connected home-energy dashboard, you can start to compare your home energy surplus to others, and perhaps compete for bragging rights or even real money.

In other words, everyone gets to perform the song.

Cheers,

Jeff

Jeff Williams is Momo’s chief marketing officer.

Photo by Bill Mead on Unsplash.