Coolest Home in the SGV

This episode of ActiveLab is about one couple’s efforts to transform a non-descript, suburban Ranch house into a healthier, more sustainable 21st century home! Over the past few years Wen Lee and Chris Stratton of Temple City have chronicled their largely DIY home renovation project on their blog FrugalHappy.org. While the many upgrades might not be apparent from the outside -- other than the visible solar panels on the roof and vegetable garden replacing the front lawn -- theirs is now one of the most energy-efficient homes in the San Gabriel Valley, a region where most homes remain “dual-fuel”, relying on both methane gas and electricity for power, heating, and cooling.

More information, resources, and tips shared in this episode:

• Sample Watt Reader (to help you measure how much energy devices in your home use) - Kill-A-Watt meter
• Portable Induction Stove Top recommendations (great way to try out modern induction cooking technology at an affordable price - about $75) - Wirecutter
• Wonky building science resource website - Green Building Advisor
• Sample Indoor Air Quality Monitor (used by Chris and Wen in their home) - IQ Air 
• "Electrify Everything" (popular with some building performance/HVAC contractors) - Facebook Group 
• Living the Green Dream in the SGV (video story of Wen/Chris' project under construction) - SCE
• CBS Meet a Building Scientist (Chris Stratton)
• Sample Health Studies
  • Healthy Home Study (2019) - Avocado Heights / Bassett
  • "Effects of Residential Gas Appliances on Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality and Public Health in California", UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (2020)
  • Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Howard Frumkin, M.D., Dr.P.H., and Brita E. Lundberg, M.D., The False Promise of Natural Gas, New England Journal of Medicine, 
• Chris and Wen’s Blog - Frugal Happy 

Did this episode inspire you to undertake some changes in your home? We’d love to hear about it. Let us know @activeSGV on social media or via info [at] activeSGV.org 

ActiveLab is made possible by the support of ActiveSGV members and the Liberty Hill Foundation. For more information about ActiveSGV, or to support our work, please visit activeSGV.org.