Inspiration can come from anything and everything and I make sure your designs are inspired by what inspires you. I'm Brittney and I am an interior designer. I've been designing homes for six years following my graduation from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.  Most people go to art institues for design degrees, but I wanted to be in a big school. The experiences that I had during college helped to form my inpirations for my home and I use your experiences to design your homes. My flat rate is 75 dollars an hour. I promise that when the project is done it will be your own unique, InspireDesign.

Energy Conservationist

An engery conservationist basically makes sure homes are getting the biggest bang for your buck.  They make your homes more energy efficient if you want to save money on your bills or just if you want to be more environmentally friendly.  They might gather data on the performance of a high-efficiency clothes dryer. They might measure distribution of heat in a building with a new design for ducts. Another possible role is as an energy auditor working for a utility company. They might visit businesses and homes and measure how they are using energy. They would write reports that show show where your energy dollars are going and that point out ways you could use energy more efficiently.

Since “green living” is such an area of focus right now, this is a great area to be employed within. As more companies, organizations, and government agencies focus their attention on energy conservation, that opens up many new opportunities for individuals in this field. This is expected to continue to be an area of growth as energy efficiency is expected to continue on as a priority.
Typically an energy conservation technician works at a client site or travels to client meetings. As they are usually involved throughout the whole process, they may expect to either set up an office at the client site or travel back and forth quite a bit.

The average salary of an energy conservation technician is around $47,211 per year. This salary may vary based on level of experience, type of employer, size of work environment, individual responsibilities, and of course geographic location.

They can learn these skills in a two-year program that leads to an associate degree. Only a few colleges presently offer a program in this specific field. Programs vary in their emphasis. Some stress general engineering skills and include a lot of science and math. They learn scientific methods of doing research. They study a computer language. These skills can be helpful if they later work with engineers. They also study economics and accounting so that they  understand the dollars and cents of energy conservation and can express them in the terms that businesses use.

Other programs stress specific knowledge of energy systems. They often include a lot of hands-on work with the technology. They study how various energy systems work in businesses and homes. They study electric power, lighting, heating, even plumbing. They learn how to measure energy use by these systems. They learn how to represent this in computer-based models such as spreadsheets and databases. They can use these models to show how improved designs and new technology can lower costs.

I think this job could be an interesting job, but I'm more into sciences so I wouldn't be interested in being an energy conservationalist.

Housing & Society Project

When I'm...

Right now this is my house.  I’m 17 and my mom, dad, me, and the two guys my mom takes care of live in this house.  It fits our physical needs because it’s in a safe neighborhood, there’s plenty of room for storage, we have our privacy, and we have a big enough kitchen and dining room for all of us.  We know our neighbors and feel a sense of belonging.

When I’m 21 I will still be in college and will have transferred to Hawaii Pacific University to finish marine biology. Since it will be my first year in Hawaii I will live on campus.  Living on campus will give me a community so I don’t feel alone.  I will also feel safe knowing I’m on a campus.  The campus has a cafeteria so I will always have a place to eat.  I will also have the option of having a roommate or not so I will be able to choose if I need more privacy or not.

When I’m 41 I will live in a house like this near Orlando Florida. I will have three kids so we need at least four rooms and this house has five bathrooms and a pool. It’s located on .68 acres and was built in 1994. Since the lot isn’t huge our neighbors will be close and we’ll be able to be involved with our neighbors.  Since this house has an extra bedroom our kids will be able to have their own bedrooms giving them their own space.

 

 

When I’m 71 I won’t be old enough to live in a nursing home so my husband and I will live in a town house near Orlando. Living in a town house will help us feel part of a community.  We will feel safe being able to know our neighbors. Since it will only be the two of us we will have plenty of space to eat, sleep, and store all of our sentimental things.