Archive for the ‘Green Building’ Category
March 11th, 2010
With the economy the way it is, retiring folks are downsizing or losing their homes, while newly educated folks are graduating with slim pickings. Not to be grim, but this is causing people to use property in new ways, such as with accessory dwelling units. The space can be used for family or as a rental to cover loose ends. In Vancouver, this is happening with laneway housing. Smallworks, a Vancouver-based design and build firm, specializes in small and laneway houses, just like this one, the West House.
West House is a two-level home with 610 square feet of living space — living/dining/kitchen area, loft bedroom, nook desk space, and bathroom — and a 226 square-foot garage.
The energy-efficient home, designed by Birmingham and Wood, was on display at LiveCity Yaletown, David Lam Park, during the Olympics.
On the exterior, West House is clad in cedar, while on the inside, the home is set up with locally sourced materials and smart technology. The appliances are Energy Star and per occupant energy use is estimated to be about half of that of someone using a standard-sized home.
When a home is built to be efficient from the ground up, a little bit of on-site green energy can go a long way. The roof has integrated, grid-connected solar panels that generate about one kilowatt of electricity per day.
[+] Learn more about West House at Smallworks.
Photo credits: Smallworks and Keith Henderson Photography.
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March 10th, 2010
Across the pond in the London Borough of Hillingdon, this infill development of five ultra-green buildings continues to garner attention. The project, Birchway Eco-Community, was built to Level 5 of the Code of Sustainable Homes (with 6 being the highest possible score) and provides 24 one- and two-bedroom affordable housing units. These buildings were finished on site after being prefabricated and delivered with kitchens and bathrooms already installed.
Designed by Acanthus LW Architects for Paradigm Housing, these homes were built with recycled steel and minimal construction waste.
Green features include a sedum-covered green roof, photovoltaics, solar thermal, rainwater capture for toilet usage, high insulation, abundant natural light, passive ventilation, biomass boiler for heating and hot water, and heat recovery systems.
It’s rare to find style, sustainability, and affordability in one package, but when you do, people tend to notice — even if they’re located halfway across the world.
[+] Watch a video on Birchway Eco-Community.
Photo credits: Paradigm Housing.
March 10th, 2010
Just a few days ago. the $41 million Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental & Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE), a 55,000 square-foot building designed to LEED Platinum certification, was dedicated. The facility was built to be a living laboratory and platform to showcase technological innovation. Currently, the south facade of the laboratory wing includes a spot to test building envelope and window systems, and it’s currently testing this innovative integrated concentrating dynamic solar facade.
The facade system provides electrical power, thermal energy, enhanced daylighting, and reduced solar gain, all at the same time. It was designed by the Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE), which is a research consortium co-hosted by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
According to the Associated Press, a company called HeliOptix is licensed to market that system which is currently being tested at SyracuseCoE. The 8′x8′ prototype installation has 64 concentrators.
Here’s how it works. There’s small concentrating PV technology housed within a weather-sealed window. Inside the window panes, several clear pyramid lenses track the sun and concentrate solar rays onto a high-efficiency PV cell. Power not converted to electricity is captured for hot water or radiant heat for the facility, and some solar gain is minimized through absorption or reflection.
You can see a video of the system tracking the sun’s rays at HeliOptix. The integrated concentrated solar facade system is interesting … we’ll see how much success is achieved through prototype testing at SyracuseCoE and report back in the future.
Photo credits: HeliOptix.
March 9th, 2010
The other day, Martin Holladay of Musings of an Energy Nerd, a nested blog of Green Building Advisor, mentioned this energy-efficiency pyramid, which I found to be quite interesting. He said The Pyramid of Conservation originated from Bob McLean, CEO at Hunt Utilities Group, and was created for Minnesota Power. Minnesota Power uses the interactive graphic to help customers determine where to start when taking on energy efficiency projects.
The conservation pyramid has 10 levels that, as you climb from the bottom, become increasingly more expensive and complex.
As a point of interest, two of the most popular areas to get government money show up at the top, while the bottom level is just now being targeted by the proposed HOMESTAR program. I’m not saying that this is good or bad, but I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts.
Also, this pyramid was designed for the residential context. When you break down energy use, lighting accounts for a large portion of energy use in commercial buildings, while heating accounts for a large portion of energy in the residential context.
Certainly, every home is different and may require a tailored energy-efficiency approach, but as Holladay explains: “The rules displayed in the energy conservation pyramid are not set in stone; every house is different, and different climates dictate different strategies. But it’s hard to quibble with the pyramid’s basic hierarchy.“
Now, this graphic seems straight forward, but some folks get this all messed up. They go for the green gizmos from the start, and blow the wad without making needed efficiency changes. Some might say this is akin to powering a Mustang with solar panels while riding down the freeway with the windows down.
Whatever the comparison, if you’re thinking about energy efficiency — or net-zero energy — it’d be wise to keep The Pyramid of Conservation in mind. This is how you get there.
Media credit: Minnesota Power.
March 8th, 2010
We
are giving away one (1) copy of this book to a random commenter, so
make sure to comment before the end of Friday, March 12, 2010.*
Solar power is exploding these days, what with generous financial incentives and the price of products going down. All sort of people are looking at the technology to provide green power, but they need good information. One place to find that is in a new book called Solar Basics by Neil Kaminar. Kaminar, a solar engineer with nearly 40 years of industry experience, explains most of what you need to know about solar modules and how to make a solar system work.
In Solar Basics, Kaminar details the ins and outs of solar energy at all stages of the life cycle, including financing, installation, testing, maintenance, repair, and recycling. More specifically, here’s the general flow of the book:
- Chapter 1 Solar Module Basics
- Chapter 2 Applications
- Chapter 3 Types of Modules
- Chapter 4 Inverters
- Chapter 5 Batteries
- Chapter 6 Charge Controllers
- Chapter 7 Solar Water Systems
- Chapter 8 The Basics of System Sizing
- Chapter 9 Federal and State Incentives
- Chapter 10 Sources
- Chapter 11 Calculating Cost
- Chapter 12 Installation
- Chapter 13 Instrumentation and Testing
- Chapter 14 Maintenance and Repair
- Chapter 15 Safety
Each chapter is full of considerable detail, so this table of contents may not seem that helpful. Within the text, Kaminar also includes over 100 illustrations — mostly in color — to drive home key points.
If you’re a solar professional or serious DIYer, you may want to check out Solar Design, which is by the same author. This book goes into further detail about how to design a solar system and includes a CD with software to help with the design. It’s a little more expensive, too.
I’ve been given a review copy and educated by the insight Kaminar provides in Solar Basics. This is highly recommended reading for anyone thinking about buying a solar array or system. Click on over to Kaminar’s Solar Design website to learn more or grab a copy of the book at Amazon:
[+] Solar Basics by Neil Kaminar at Amazon.
*If you’re interested in winning a copy of this book, drop a
comment by midnight MST on Friday, March 12, 2010. Say where you’re from if you don’t know
what
to say. By leaving a comment, you agree to the terms and conditions relating to giveaways on Jetson Green.
March 8th, 2010
Elizabeth Rogers, co-author of The Green Book, has a new book being published this week called Shift Your Habit, and we’ve been given a review copy. Shift Your Habit is more of a resource book or a toolkit of ideas, rather than something that you would read on a snowy day, but I guess you could do that, too. The premise is that moderation is revolutionary, or more specifically, that living greener doesn’t just help the planet but it helps you save money.
Thus, save money and save the planet at the same time. It’s a theme that’s been played out quite regularly in the media with headlines like “Earn green by going green.“ But that’s not to say there’s no value in the message.
Rogers actually quantifies the incremental, monetary benefit to shifting your habit from one behavior to another. And she does this with hundreds and hundreds of eco-friendly tips, just like this one:
The Shift: Replace the air filter on your air conditioner and furnace every three months. Dirty air filters slow down the air intake and make the unit work harder, increasing the energy it uses.
Save $$: Up to $80 per year on heating and cooling costs.
Save the Planet: Save up to 15% on cooling energy and up to 5% of home heating energy, for a total of up to 725 kilowatt-hours per year.
Good for You: Clean filters keep dust and grime from building up, which reduces the presence of allergy triggers as well as the need for expensive appliance repair or replacement.
Understanding the value of making these changes is what makes this book worth having. Certainly with some of these tips, readers will find the low hanging fruit but other tips may not seem so commonplace or simple. Click on over to Shift Your Habit for more information or grab a copy at Amazon:
[+] Shift Your Habit on Amazon.
March 8th, 2010
- Sustainability is a growing theme.
- Are we prepared for an 8.8 earthquake?
- LEED v. Passive House: what's the difference?
- 10 things to consider before building a green home.
- Historic preservation and green architecture.
- How's the environment? Ask the buildings.
- Starting to see the value in green building.
- How to plant a lush vertical garden.
Also, follow @jetsongreen on Twitter or fan Jetson Green on Facebook for more news, links, and commentary.
March 8th, 2010
Elizabeth Rogers, co-author of The Green Book, has a new book being published this week called Shift Your Habit, and we've been given a review copy. Shift Your Habit is more of a resource book or a toolkit of ideas, rather than something that you would read on a snowy day, but I guess you could do that, too. The premise is that moderation is revolutionary, or more specifically, that living greener doesn't just help the planet but it helps you save money.
Thus, save money and save the planet at the same time. It's a theme that's been played out quite regularly in the media with headlines like "Earn green by going green." But that's not to say there's no value in the message.
Rogers actually quantifies the incremental, monetary benefit to shifting your habit from one behavior to another. And she does this with hundreds and hundreds of eco-friendly tips, just like this one:
The Shift: Replace the air filter on your air conditioner and furnace every three months. Dirty air filters slow down the air intake and make the unit work harder, increasing the energy it uses.
Save $$: Up to $80 per year on heating and cooling costs.
Save the Planet: Save up to 15% on cooling energy and up to 5% of home heating energy, for a total of up to 725 kilowatt-hours per year.
Good for You: Clean filters keep dust and grime from building up, which reduces the presence of allergy triggers as well as the need for expensive appliance repair or replacement.
Understanding the value of making these changes is what makes this book worth having. Certainly with some of these tips, readers will find the low hanging fruit but other tips may not seem so commonplace or simple. Click on over to Shift Your Habit for more information or grab a copy at Amazon:
[+] Shift Your Habit on Amazon.
March 8th, 2010
When you buy a house, there’s no clear way to know what you’re getting. There’s no miles per gallon sticker, as with cars, or nutrition label, as with foods. You’ll pay for an inspection and walk through the place any number of times, but you definitely can’t see through the walls. It’s strange that we allow ourselves to spend, or mortgage, so much with so little information.
But recently, we’ve seen several efforts to change this. Michelle Kaufmann once released a white paper on nutrition labels for homes, and the climate bill from last year included a building energy labeling provision. Local legislators are even looking at requiring property sellers to provide energy audit data to purchasers upon listing or prior to sale.
In the Pacific Northwest, momentum is building for the Energy Performance Score, which was conceived by the folks at the Earth Advantage Institute. The non-profit company, you may recall, published a list of green building trends for 2010 and one trend was energy labeling on homes and office buildings.
EPS is a rating of the total energy consumption of a home with an associated carbon emission score. To get the score, a trained professional conducts an EPS audit by collecting utility bill information; measuring and sketching the home; recording window type and shading, insulation values, exterior and interior lighting fixtures, and appliances; inspecting ducts; and performing a blower door test.
Picture above is a snapshot of the EPS scorecard, and you can view the rest of the information here [PDF].
In a recent press release, Earth Advantage Institute says task forces have been created by Oregon and Washington legislatures to explore the potential for mandatory energy labeling at the time of listing a property for sale. Already, Oregon is using EPS voluntarily for new homes, while Seattle is testing a 5,000-home pilot for existing residences.
Tom Bruenig, director of communications and marketing for the Earth Advantage Institute, recently explained to Jetson Green how EPS is used in the Pacific Northwest. Currently, in Oregon, the Energy Trust of Oregon pays for the cost of the EPS audit on new homes, while in Seattle, the city pays for most of the cost of the EPS audit and the homeowner pays $95.00. The cost of an EPS audit is about half that of a HERS audit.
On the federal level, in September 2009, the EPA and DOE entered into a memorandum of understanding, which includes a plan to create a building energy labeling scheme to compare actual energy use of existing buildings. Bruenig tells us that Earth Advantage Institute has met with these agencies to share the successes of EPS.
So we see support brewing for EPS and building energy labeling at the local, state, and federal levels. There’s a lot of movement here. Once the building energy label gets rolling, at some point, we’d like to see water data included on the same label, but we’ll see where things go for now.
If you like EPS and want to support the program, it’s in the running as a finalist for America’s Top Ten Best Ideas for America at Change.org, where you can vote to push it to the top.
Media credit: Earth Advantage Institute.
March 8th, 2010
Sacred Heart Schools' new Michael J. Homer Science and Student Life Center in Atherton broke some records recently. It's the first school to obtain LEED Platinum certification under the LEED for Schools program and the first school in San Mateo County to use fruits and vegetables from an on-site organic garden for food service in the school cafeteria. It's also designed to use 69% less energy than a typical school and features some incredible green features.
The Michael J. Homer building is part of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton,
which is a Roman Catholic school for students in preschool through
twelfth grade. The new building has a living roof with native foliage on top that insulates and reduces stormwater runoff.
The same roof also holds 73 skylights to help bring natural light into the classrooms, as well as a 40k solar photovoltaic system. Water-efficient fixtures inside reduce water consumption by over 40%, and drought-tolerant native plantings reduce exterior water consumption even more.
Students and faculty, under the supervision of Dr. Stewart Slafter, will use the 10,000 square-foot organic garden in Environmental Science and Global Studies courses. One can only imagine the experiences these students will take away in such a fascinating and innovative green building.
Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects designed and DPR Construction, Inc built this two-story, 44,000 square-foot new green school.
Photo credits: Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton.