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If you’ve ever had to dive into the details of the green building and energy efficiency programs for homes, you’ve experienced the operational definition of the word ‘complexity,’ along with a bit of ‘confusion,’ too, I’m sure. I know I have. Unfortunately, the programs all just keep going further and further down that path. Continue reading Confusion & Complexity – Can Green Building Programs Be Simplified? May 16th, 2011 | Category: Advanced Framing, Building Green, Energy Efficiency, Green Living, Indoor Air Quality, Lots/Land Development, NAHB Standard, Rescource Efficiency, Stimulus, Sustainability, Thinking Green, Water Savings/Efficiency |
2 comments | I was checking some REM/Rate files for our HERS raters yesterday, mostly submitted forENERGY STAR homes. I’ve come to expectManual J heating and cooling load calculations submitted along with the files to be less than perfect. Mostly, I accept them because they’re close enough. Yesterday, though, I received a Manual J to go along with a file for an ENERGY STAR home that was beyond the pale. It was egregiously horrific. It was spectacularly sordid. It did come close to meeting the ENERGY STAR Version 2 requirements for Manual J (tight or semi-tight infiltration and correct design temperatures), but whoever put this one together was singularly devious in his efforts to justify the oversized air conditioning systems he wanted to install. Continue reading Oversized AC, Screwed-up Manual J, ENERGY STAR HVAC Tirade! May 12th, 2011 | Category: Design, Energy Efficiency, energy star, HVAC, Indoor Air Quality, Thinking Green |
Leave a comment | Efforts have been underway for decades to conserve both energy and water, but never in concert. This is unfortunate because energy uses a lot of water and water uses a lot of energy. Two leading conservation organizations have set out to bring the efforts together. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Alliance for Water Efficiency this week published a white paper that describes the co-dependence of water and energy resources, and outlines strategies to use both more efficiently. Continue reading Energy efficiency absorbs water May 11th, 2011 | Category: energy, Energy Efficiency, energy star, Water Savings/Efficiency |
One comment | The Environmental Protection Agency calls big-backyard neighborhoods like mine “automobile dependent locations” and contrasts them with “transit-oriented” neighborhoods, places where you can hop a bus or easily walk to regular destinations. The agency recently looked at which kind of neighborhood uses the most British Thermal Units (BTUs), taking into account size and type of house, its energy efficiency, and vehicle use of its occupants. This is known asLocation Efficiency. Continue reading Energy Efficiency and the Annoying Guy Next Door May 5th, 2011 | Tags: alternative energy source, wind | Category: Building Green, Customer Service, energy, Energy Efficiency, Green Living, Rescource Efficiency, Sustainability |
Leave a comment | And now for a dose of reality. No doubt smart meters are a good thing, but even their most ardent fans must admit that a degree of hoopla surrounds these little digital boxes. We hear that if consumers can just see how much power they use in real time, and what it costs, our energy woes will be no more. Smart meters will even cure the blind. The energy blind that is. Continue reading Smart meters: Truly a cure for energy blindness? July 2nd, 2010 | Category: energy, Energy Efficiency, Green Living, Smart Grid, Thinking Green |
One comment | It’s not news that appraisers are breaking new ground when it comes to the area of setting value to green or high performance homes. Jump starting the “green built home” idea goes against the standard norms of the appraisal process. But, energy efficient construction practices have been around for a long time and their value is well documented, if not in journals and periodicals, within the pocketbooks of those who live in them. Building Green Works! Continue reading Appraising the Green Build – Fact or Fiction May 30th, 2010 | Tags: Efficient energy use, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, green building, National Association of Home Builders | Category: Building Codes, Building Green, Energy Efficiency, NAHB Standard, Sustainability |
Leave a comment | Whether you are increasing the insulation levels in your current home or selecting insulation for a new home, choosing the right insulation material can be challenging. Fibrous loose-fill insulations such as cellulose, fiberglass, and rock wool are options you may wish to consider. This publication will introduce you to these materials-what they are, how they are applied, how they compare with each other, and other considerations regarding their use-so that you can decide whether loose fills are right for your home. Continue reading Loose Fill Insulation What’s the shelf life of today’s support for energy efficiency technologies? The industry has seen an unprecedented boom over the last several years. But all booms eventually bust. A recent souring of public opinion about global warming science has some industry insiders bracing for impact. Will American enthusiasm for clean energy come to a halt? Only if it was global warming that spurred the enthusiasm in the first place – and I suspect it was not. Continue reading Will Public Support for Efficiency Continue? It’s clear that the energy efficiency industry is undergoing an unprecedented boom, spurred by state and federal support and movement toward a smarter grid. But for those in the industry, where exactly can the new business – and the jobs – be found? Two new reports by Colorado-based Pike Research shed some light. After years of focusing on… Continue reading Hot Sectors for Energy Efficiency February 5th, 2010 | Tags: Energy Efficiency, energy star | Category: Energy Efficiency, energy star, Green Living |
Leave a comment | A recent White House task force on the middle class finds that our homes generate more than 20% of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions. If we make our houses more efficient, we can significantly cut emissions and reduce energy use by 40%, a move that could lower our bills by $21 billion annually. Continue reading No place like home for energy savings |
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