my-new-house
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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.
