my-new-house
Archived Posts from this Category
More Monitoring
Posted by davidwfox on 31 May 2008 | Tagged as: energy efficiency, my-new-house
A few weeks ago I wrote about Agilewaves, and today CNet has a great overview of more than a dozen ‘dashboard’ technologies ranging from simple wall plug adapters that offer a kw reading for individual devices, to a half dozen startups competing in the whole-house market - including Greenbox which was founded by the co-creators of Flash. (My background is in software distribution and Internet publishing, so its great to see former compatriots leveraging their tech skills into sustainability. Some others switchers are noted in this listing of 25 who “ditched infotech for cleantech.”)
San Jose Home Show Gets Greener
Posted by davidwfox on 27 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: events, my-new-house
It was a relatively small event in downtown San Jose, but still a number of green products on show, and a great daily one hour introduction to green building and remodeling by Joshua Foss of Thrive Design Studio - check out his blog that goes by the name “Metro Hippie“.
Home Comfort Zones
Posted by davidwfox on 21 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: energy efficiency, my-new-house
Cleve Reeves from Home Comfort Zones called by the new house today to demonstrate their solution indoor climate control.
Nothing impacts your comfort at home more than maintaining the proper temperature. Unfortunately most homes don’t have the control to ensure every room is the temperature you want it to be. Home Comfort Zones provides a room-by-room temperature control and energy management system that guarantees you’ll always be comfortable in every room of your home….
…No more cold or hot spots and uneven temperatures upstairs or downstairs; just perfect temperature control … and that’s just the beginning. The MyTemp™ temperature control system is “zoning” taken to the next level. Simple to use yet powerful and flexible, it can provide energy savings of up to 40%.
Builders are a fairly skeptical bunch when it comes to new fangled devices, but my (green) builder was nodding in agreement as Cleeve presented his solution. Its not inexpensive, but when you add up the energy savings plus the increased comfort…seems like a smart choice. Check it out at Home Comfort Zones.
New Wave Monitoring
Posted by davidwfox on 18 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: energy efficiency, my-new-house
Energy and water monitoring systems were once the exclusive purview of facilities managers responsible for industrial buildings and large office blocks. More recently some high-end green buildings have adopted the technology to showcase the impact of efficiency and alternative energy sources. Earlier today I talked with the founder/CEO of Agilewaves about a new system that is scaling down to the residential home level and I think they have a winning product.
Agilewaves’ flagship product, the Resource Monitor, constantly monitors electric, gas, and water consumption of a home or office and reports consumption and carbon footprint through a built-in touchscreen interface or a password protected web page.
The system measures the ecological footprint of a property in real time. It monitors each electrical circuit, water line, and the main gas line, as well as temperature in key locations throughout the building. In addition to the overall footprint, it tracks the performance of major appliances and calculates the resource consumption by room or floor. Current and time-series information is displayed and stored for future reference, allowing the user to compare data with any past period. More at http://www.agilewaves.com/.
You’ll find a good picture of the dashboard over at CNet. This looks like a comprehensive solution that will be ideal for my new home. More as I dig deeper…
Picture Credit: Agilewaves
Wind in the City
Posted by davidwfox on 16 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: my-new-house
Cnet reports that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently toured the ‘Sunset Idea House’, talked with some “green” bloggers, and announced a “strike force” of business and government leaders to discuss ways of encouraging more homeowners to install wind turbines.
Here’s hoping they have more success than with the currently stalled Solar Incentive Program, which of course I hope to tap. Its said to be a ‘tax break for the rich’ which in a way it is, but the $4k rebate represents a tiny fraction of the property tax I’ll be paying (tax basis for house quadrupled with change of ownership), so come on SF, get with the program!
Photo Credit: CNet.
Green Theme Abounds At KBIS 2008
Posted by davidwfox on 13 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: events, my-new-house
I’m just back from the annual Kitchen and Bathroom Industry Show and I’m pleased to report that green was the theme. Of course much of it is ‘light green’, but many of the exhibiting companies are taking the work seriously.
More signs of the time: http://picasaweb.google.com/DavidWFox/KBIS2008GoesGreen
CEC Report: Biggest, Easiest CO2 Emissions Cuts…Green Buildings
Posted by davidwfox on 30 Mar 2008 | Tagged as: climate change, energy, my-new-house, research & reports
As I begin a very expensive green remodel project, its heartening to read this news:
Promoting the green design, construction, renovation and operation of buildings could cut North American greenhouse gas emissions that are fuelling climate change more deeply, quickly and cheaply than any other available measure, according to a new report issued by the trinational Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC).
North America’s buildings cause the annual release of more than 2,200 megatons of CO2 into the atmosphere, about 35 percent of the continent’s total. The report says rapid market uptake of currently available and emerging advanced energy-saving technologies could result in over 1,700 fewer megatons of CO2 emissions in 2030, compared to projected emissions that year following a business-as-usual approach. A cut of that size would nearly equal the CO2 emitted by the entire US transportation sector in 2000.
Read the full report: Green Building in North America: Opportunities and Challenges
Smart Appliances
Posted by davidwfox on 30 Mar 2008 | Tagged as: my-new-house
Its a great time to be remodeling a kitchen with a growing range of ’smart’ appliances like the new Inspiro oven from Electrolux. Less energy, easier cooking. Sounds like a great combination. Check out the video…
Getting into Hot Water
Posted by davidwfox on 25 Mar 2008 | Tagged as: my-new-house
Work on our green remodel begins next week. There are 101..maybe 1001!…things to consider. Fortunately our local utility provider PG&E runs a regular series of workshops and events. Today’s focused on water. I met some interesting folks including the CEO of Metlund, makers of “Advanced Conservation Technologies: D’MAND Hot Water Systems”:
At the push of a button, the D’MAND® System circulates the ambient temperature water in the hot water pipes (water that is normally lost down the drain) back to the water heater. This occurs up to 80% faster than just letting the water run down the drain—the usual scenario. Depending on the plumbing layout, the route and time can vary. The Metlund D’MAND System moves the water so rapidly, that hot water arrives at the fixtures before the heat is lost through the pipe. Continued…
D’MAND looks like it would play very well with our planned hot water system which will combine rooftop solar thermal system,
an on-demand electric water heater,
and a large well insulated storage tank.
Many other interesting efficiency-related systems on display. I’ll blog more over the next few days.
Let There Be Light
Posted by davidwfox on 06 Mar 2008 | Tagged as: my-new-house, products
This week we (my wife and I) closed on a new house. Well, actually its an old house, built somewhere around the turn of the 20th century. Needless to say, we’re taking a green approach to remodeling. Perhaps the most challenging aspect is a basement that captures little natural light. We plan to use as our office - so it will be see more use than the rest of the house combined.
A novel approaches to daylighting internal rooms is “Fiber Optic Solar Lighting”. One of the first to market with a solution is Swedish company Parans. The solutions starts at over $6k, but the upside is zero running costs. I’ll keep you posted as I investigate this and other solutions.
