Green Building
Tankless water heaters have been the rage for sometime but if you still crave a more traditional water heater but want the energy savings then you may want to consider the Hybrid Water Heater from GE which we saw at the 2010 Builders Show.
It's the first water heater to be to be listed on the U.S. Department of Energy's website as Energy Star rated. GE claims it will reduce energy expenses up to 62%, saving as much as $320 annually on energy bills. This is achieved through a unique technology in addition to electric power explained below.
Universal design was a major theme at the 2010 Builders' Show and Kohler delivered with their assisted living toilet, Fountainhead elongated one-piece toilet.
It was displayed prominently in their gorgeous exhibitor space and you couldn't help but press the buttons to see the seat rise and fall effortlessly. The toilet as all others in their display were working models and this toilet looks as if it was designed by engineers who saw form and function equally.
We appreciate simple products that upon visual inspection are easy to recognize what purpose they serve. The PermaFLOW is one such product. Simply remove your current p-trap located below a kitchen or bathroom sink and replace it with a the PermaFLOW which will allow you to easily remove a drain buildup before a clog develops. This in turn eliminates the use of plunging, toxic drain cleaners and expensive service calls.
If your drain starts to slow down you reach under the sink and give the external dial a spin which moves the debris back into the water stream and you've got a clear drain again. This product is clear which also makes it easy to locate lost jewelry or valuables that may have fallen into a sink. Because it also eliminates the need for drain chemicals your home waste water will always remain much cleaner.
While attending CES last week we took a brief diversion to checkout the newest addition to the Las Vegas skyline, City Center, which bills itself as "Capital of the New World". That's quite a boast in a city built on big claims but after walking through Crystals (only 40% occupied), Aria and Vdara we think they've got the goods to back it up.
It's truly a marvel and such a unique and fascinating departure from anything else on the strip, which is really what all great Las Vegas strip properties are seeking to achieve.
The City Center new slogan should scream "I'm so 3008, you so 2000 and late" just as Fergie from BEP does. Regardless of whether or not this is a true "green build" the City Center is a must stop on any itinerary.
We hope these photos provide enough of a glimpse that you'll be wanting more.
Today California approved a building code that is the most aggressive eco-friendly statewide code in the US.
"Calgreen" won by unanimous approval by the state and will take effect in 2011. All homes, hospitals, schools and shopping malls must abide by this code.
Highlights include:
Builders must divert 50% of construction waste from landfills to recycling
Building materials must be eco-friendy such as low-pollutant paints, carpets and floorings.
Water-efficient plumbing and fixtures must be used.
This new building code had support from the Chamber of Commerce, many builders and realtors and the Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ironically it was opposed by the US Green Building Council who is worried that it will create confusion for builders who want to achieve a standard.
Seattle, one of our favorite (and we feel most underrated) cities in the world, has an enormous amount of interesting homes and a plethora of DIY resources. From luxury houseboats to modern and modest bungalows there are homes of every taste and many are gorgeous and green.
There also plenty of house bloggers in Seattle that chronicle their home improvement projects or builds and one of the most compelling to read and look at is A House By The Park. The homeowner is building his dream home 10 minutes from Seattle and in his words is "sustainable, energy-efficient, capturing the full potential of the property without spending an arm and a leg."
We love the live web cam and the time lapse feature is fun to look through. The live cams we had setup at This Old House were always the most popular house project feature and its great to see a house blogger implement the same.
Home Depot won't come into your home to perform an energy audit, but with the Cash for Caulkers program a go they should consider it. Hey if President Obama delivered a speech from our store we'd do what we can to capitalize on that.
Home Depot is doing their part online as they've built an interesting website application that allows you to self-diagnose your energy use through a series of questions regarding your at-home energy and resource consumption.
We went through the questions and the results were a great reminder of what more we can do to save energy and money. An on-demand water heater, more energy star rated appliances and a low-flow toilet would make the most impact right now for us, new windows no so much.
If you've never given energy savings a second thought you might learn a lot from this online energy audit.
It's official the Cash for Caulkers program is a go. Today while speaking at the Brookings Institute, President Obama announced that new spending is required to give the economy another push. The new plan would cut taxes on small businesses, increase spending on infrastructure and offer new rebates to reward energy efficiency.
The plan would include a so-called Cash for Caulkers incentive program that would provide rebates for consumers who make energy-efficient retrofits on their homes. The official name is Home Star taking a cue from energy efficient appliances, Energy Star.
All the mainstream media news outlets are finally taking notice of this story and we chatted with a rep from Neil Cavuto's show on Fox today who was interested in our take on the Cash for Caulkers program and how it will effect "Joe the Plumber".
Let's hope this program raises awareness for energy efficiency in homes. Even without this program there are many techniques you can apply to your home to save energy and money.
We read this letter regarding the American Clean Energy and Security Act to the Mesquite Local News and thought it deserved a partial re-print
The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, HR 2454 (Cap & Trade), has passed the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate for final approval.
If this bill passes, energy efficiency of homes will need to be measured and posted via a label on the premises.
Section 202 creates a Building Retrofit Program to mandate a national retrofit program to increase the energy efficiency of all existing homes one year after enactment.
You will not be able to sell your home unless you retrofit it to comply with the energy and water efficiency standard of this act.
Section 204 creates a Building Energy Performance Labeling Program that will establish labeling for each individual residence to identify the achieved energy efficiency performance standard.
Within five years after the date of enactment, 90% of all residential homes in the U.S. must be measured and labeled.
We'd be interested to hear your opinion on this section of the bill. We fully support building homes using sustainable materials and techniques but is more government involvement in the process a good thing for the green building movement? The retrofit option doesn't sound great as we'd hope current buildings would be "grandfathered" into the bill.
Maybe we've got it all wrong. What do you think?
Old homes are not the only ones likely to be contaminated with lead paint. Any home built before 1980 should have it's interior and exterior paint tested for lead. The older the home the more likely a significant amount of lead was used in the paint.
In the mid-19th-century lead was used extensively by the more wealthy homeowners. So if your old home is of better construction and condition it could be more likely toxic. Children are much more susceptible to lead absorption and the consequence is irreversible brain damage.
Lead can be absorbed via fumes but also from paint chipping off and going into the soil or floors. This lead can be picked up in dirt and toys and ingested by children unknowingly.
Lead is most dangerous when sanding and scraping are going on. This ambient lead hazard is caused by lead particles hanging in the air and can be inhaled or settle on skin and clothes.
