Perhaps the most important use of earthbag building is found in quickly deployable, easily constructed houses for refugees and those suffering through natural disasters. Organizations like Cal-Earth and the Lhasa Foundation are popularizing earthbag dome structures as quickly build-able structures using locally-sourced materials that are earth-quake safe.

Earthbag construction is a simple process used to build homes that cost as little as $650 U.S., according to World Habitat Awards. Such earthbag homes, made of “Superadobe” were developed by Cal-Earth founder, Iranian architect Nader Khalili. These structures were a finalist in the habitat awards in 2007. Khalili’s process for building these simple but beautiful, earthquake-proof dome-shaped homes, is entirely low-impact since they require no lumber and few building materials that aren’t already onsite. The main building material, dirt. The main energy source for building, sweat.

The patented process, free for humanity, requires that a twelve-inch deep foundation trench is dug, then long, tubular bags are filled with slightly dampened earth, placed into position, tamped down by hand and then a strand or two of barbed-wire is placed atop the bags, two strands for larger homes and foundation layers. The next long tubular bag is placed atop and slightly inward of the first tube, creating the gentle sloping that will lead to the rain-shedding dome shape.

The barbed wire, the damp earth used and the dome shape of the structures are key developments that make these structures earthquake-proof, even by California’s stringent standards.

As the buildings are erected, spaces are left for doors and finally an earthbag archway is constructed for the doorway. Small windows are cut out of the structure later and plastics tubes are placed in for ventilation. A barrel or bucket section may be used during construction to hold the space for a larger window.

Cal-Earth’s refugee housing is just one example of earthbag building. One downfall to its use as refugee housing is that the structures may be too permanent. Countries with refugees and their home countries worry that Cal-Earth’s Superadobe buildings create a  structure that encourages refugees to stay in these structures, which were supposed to temporary.

Other earthbag homes are built using a number of lumber-reducing tricks that help maximize sound and heat absorbing properties of earthbags and use their versatility to create truly original homes. Many of these homes use earthbags in the same way that brick homes are made, by piling earth-filled bags on top of each other and then offsetting subsequent rows slightly.

In such structures wood, metal and/or concrete are used to reinforce the structure and create spaces for windows and doors. The reinforcement also allows multiple floors to be built. Finally, the home is finished with an adobe or cement mixture to make sure the structure is water and wind proof. Such earthbag homes are still inexpensive to build and minimize use of wood and other materials.

In the end, the look and feel of an earthbag home can be traditional, spacey or a home that blends into the natural surroundings. The vision for an earthbag home is limited only by the architect’s and owner’s imaginations. Natural Homes has a map of earthbag homes around the world, showcasing their looks and features.

Cheap, Sustainable Building With Earthbags is a post from: Cool Home Facts

But despite the fact that more and more people are building green, many people still are confused about some stereotypes that persist about green building practices. Here are 10 green building myths that some people still believe…

1. Going Green Costs Serious Green

Many people still believe that building with green materials or renovating to green specifications is cost prohibitive. While some environmentally-friendly materials do cost more than their traditional equivalents, that money is usually recouped by lower energy costs. In addition, a number of green home materials like solar panels, low-e windows, or energy-saving appliances can help you to qualify for federal tax credits.

So why do so many people associate green building with deep pockets? “A lot of the high-profile green projects that get builders’ attention are very high-end, and that’s one reason this myth is still around,” says Alex Wilson, president of BuildingGreen Inc. in Brattleboro, Vermont and executive editor of Environmental Building News. “But the simple fact is that there are plenty of strategies for inexpensive green building, from right-sizing the structure to optimal value engineering to reducing waste, among many others.”

2. Green Building Doesn’t Use Cutting Edge Technology

A lot of people taking on home renovations want to use products that are going to last, and for many that means using top-rated materials made to the latest specifications. But does going green mean that you have to use all-natural materials, or use techniques developed half a century ago? Absolutely not.

In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website states that “Green building research is being done by national laboratories, private companies, universities, and industry. According to a USGBC report published in 2006, over 70 percent of the green building research is focused on energy and atmosphere research.

The next largest category of research is materials and resources.”

3. Green Appliances and Fixtures Don’t Work Well As Traditional Ones

Many Americans want top-end appliances in their homes, and tend to be doubtful that green items like low-flow toilets or Energy Star-approved dishwashers will be powerful enough to get the job done.

However, this is just another myth. While it is true that appliances and fixtures can vary greatly from model to model, most low-flow toilets and similar products on the market have been around for at least a decade, and have been tested by numerous consumers over the years.

If you are concerned about the performance of a given green-friendly appliance or fixture, you can easily find product reviews online or in magazines like Consumer Reports.

4. You Can Only Go Green By Buying Special Materials

So you want to start a green building project…I guess that means you’ll need to buy materials made from all-natural and recycled waste, right? Wrong. Green building involves making smart decisions about sustainable building materials, but that’s only a fraction of the picture.

Green building is also about reducing energy costs (and thereby reducing your home’s carbon footprint), as well as making use of the environment around your home, such as designing a home that can be heated using passive solar energy.

5. Green Renovations Have to Use Solar Technology

Mention “green building” to some people, and the first thing that comes to mind is a home covered with solar panels or solar collectors. But solar panels can be very expensive, and solar energy is not always the best option for working towards a greener home.

While the solar panels are arguably the most visually striking feature of many eco-friendly homes, the energy benefits that they can provide often are not maximized until the rest of the home’s energy concerns have been addressed. For homeowners looking to create a “net-zero-energy” living space, solar technology is just one small part of the equation.

6. Going Green Means Living in a Wacky House

Lots of people still labor under the delusion that ordinary homes can’t become green-friendly; that the greenest of homes are made of adobe, are placed up in a tree, or are shaped like a geodesic dome.

While it’s true that some materials and shapes are better suited for green building, a “normal” home can easily be made more eco-friendly with any number of simple improvements.

7. Finding Green Materials is Too Difficult in My Area

Finding green materials seems to get easier with every passing year. Granted, even a decade ago it was hard to find eco-friendly or energy-saving materials at a reasonable price, but today green building is more popular than ever…and also more accessible.

Between internet shopping and the willingness of your local home improvement superstore to special order the items you need, sourcing green building materials is easier than you think.

8. Green Techniques Are Just for One Type of Building

Green building techniques and materials can be used during projects at homes, office buildings, schools, factories, hospitals, and nearly any kind of building where people work, live, or play.

Existing buildings can be retrofitted with energy-saving materials, and buildings under construction can take advantage of natural solar energy, topography, and other natural features of the area.

9. Green Building Only Benefits the Homeowner

Not only can green building help you save energy costs and protect the environment, but it can also help boost your local economy. Obama has promised to spend $150 billion over the next decade on promotion green energy practices, and numerous states around the company are helping out-of-work construction workers train in green building techniques to help them find more lucrative jobs in the industry.

10. Green Building Isn’t For “Average Joes”

After reading this article, it should come as no surprise that this last myth is also busted. Green building and renovations aren’t just for hippies, the affluent, or celebrities looking to make a cool political statement.

Everyone from federal agencies to public schools to local non-profits in your area are investigating the benefits of going green, and over 40 percent of Real Estate Investment Trusts in the United States are actively pursuing energy efficiency and green building upgrades. The bottom line is this: green building benefits everyone by invigorating the economy, protecting the environment, and saving you money.

10 Green Building Myths Debunked is a post from: Cool Home Facts

While it seems almost counter-intuitive that during a recession people would be interested in green building techniques (which can be expensive in some cases), there is a logic behind the trend. When many construction workers lost their jobs, they opted to enroll in courses that gave them a new skill set.

They hoped that with a freshly padded resume and certificates in asbestos abatement, lead remediation, weatherization, air quality monitoring, or green building techniques, they would become more appealing to potential employers. With experience in construction techniques that could reduce energy costs and remove environmental hazards from buildings, these out-of-work men and women hoped to once again become gainfully employed.

Many of these training programs were financed by Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided millions of dollars in funding for these kinds of programs in nearly every state across America. For example, at one such green job training program near Westport, Connecticut, announced last month that it had placed 45 of its 60 new graduates in paying positions, a placement record that program operators say is impressive when compared to other training programs in the area.

A similar initiative in Michigan is also helping people to make their homes more green, and invigorating the local economy at the same time.

“We’re hiring local folks to do that [kind of weatherization] work. It’s skill training for them, real green jobs… and not only that, but then they’re buying the materials locally. So, they’re going to the local lumberyard to buy that insulation, to buy the caulk and to keep that money right here in Pontiac and Oakland County,” said Don Jones with the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency in Michigan.

“We’re helping neighbors and neighborhoods to become more energy efficient, which ends up saving people money. So, people can save money while putting people to work. It’s the kind of investments that the Recovery Act was really designed to do,” added Rep. Gary Peters.

With the Obama Administration’s continuing support for green initiatives, it seems likely that these newly-trained construction workers will have many work opportunities awaiting them over the coming years. Obama has promised to spend $150 billion over the next decade to promote energy from the sun, wind and other renewable sources as well as energy conservation.

In addition, he hopes to create 5 million new green jobs over that same 10 year time period. And with other federal organizations such as the U.S. Green Building Council touting the benefits of LEED-certified buildings and other similar green initiatives, workers with educational backgrounds in green construction and hazardous materials abatement will almost certainly be in higher demand in the coming years.

Additional Information:

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/04/business/fi-greenjobs4

http://inspiredeconomist.com/2008/12/16/obamas-green-job-plan-x-10/

http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/04/nj_green_jobs_creation_slow_de.html

Green Jobs: How the Struggling Economy is Boosting Green Building is a post from: Cool Home Facts

A tightly sealed house offsets the effects of outdoor temperatures, keeps your home more comfortable, and reduces your heating and cooling costs. However, a well-sealed home may not be properly ventilated, allowing the air inside to get stale with chemical off gassing form carpeting, plastics, paints and more or smelling of old cooking odors, chemicals, moisture or perhaps dirty socks, among other things.

Installing a ventilation system that moves fresh air into your home while retaining, as much as possible, the indoor air temperature is one of the best ways to make sure your home breathes as well as you smell. Many solutions exist and depending on where you live you may also need to install either a humidifier or dehumidifier to help regulate humidity in your home.

To help homeowners and builders avoid this problem, The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) established a mechanical ventilation standard (Standard 62.2) for residences. To meet the standard, residences must be able to move air at a rate of 1 cubic feet per minute (cfm) for every 100 square feet of livable space and for each resident an additional 7.5 cfm must be moved. So, to meet the standard, a 2,000 square foot house occupied by three people needs 42.5 cfm of ventilation to meet the standard.

Simply opening a window isn’t the cheapest way to get stale air out of your home, especially in the winter or summer months. Depending on your needs, better, more cost-effective methods of home ventilation include:

Exhaust-only, pushing air out through leaks in the home envelop. This can be accomplished either with a continuos or intermittent exhaust fan;

Supply-only, a fan pushes outside air into the home, slightly pressurizing it and forcing stale air out through any leaks in the building; and

Balanced ventilation, this is the most expensive, it uses one fan to bring fresh air into the home and another remove stale air from the home, keeping the amount of air in the home balanced. They generally can provide a more equal distribution of of fresh air throughout the home.

These systems may be coupled with a heat- or energy-recovery ventilator system to help reduce any heating or cooling losses associated with the system.

The DOE Berkeley National Laboratory’s report, “Energy Implications of Meeting ASHRAE 62.2”, examined the cost-effectiveness of different ventilation methods in different U.S. climates. In addition to evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the venting methods themselves, the report looked at heat gains and losses associated with the types of building envelops.

The results of the study showed that the most energy-efficient means of providing mechanical ventilation was through the use of an intermittent exhaust fan. According to the study, most ventilation systems used between 800 kilowatt/hours to 1,700 kWh per year or between $50 and $100 in electricity costs per year, “for the most efficient options, which typically represented about 5% of the heating and cooling energy” used in the home.

Additionally, except for those systems that distributed air throughout the home, energy usage of such systems are directly associated with the “space conditioning” they provided for the home.

The second most cost-effective means of providing ventilation for the home was through a continuous-exhaust fan. Exhaust fans come in various sizes and powers to meet your needs, they start at around $100 and can be found at most hardware stores.

The study also found that homes with air leaks suffered from severe energy-usage penalties to regulate temperatures, without “necessarily providing more ventilation then a house with a better envelope and mechanical ventilation.”

Supply-only systems, which consist of a fan blowing air into the house, weren’t as effective. That’s because they can only blow so much air into a home and a well-sealed home doesn’t allow the air that’s inside the home out easily. Exhaust-only systems, on the other hand, work because any air lost will come in through outside leaks or whenever you open the door or a window.

However, both supply-only and exhaust-only systems suffer to a certain extent because they are not able to help distribute the air throughout a home. This can leave some areas of the home with more stale air than other parts.

If you’re worried about this, than you should look into a balanced-air ventilation system. Such a system utilizes the existing ductwork of a forced-air heating or cooling system and a motorized damper, along with a fan to bring fresh air into the home. These are more expensive systems to install and to operate, but can provide superior ventilation throughout your home.

Balanced-air systems can also be coupled with a heat recovery system or a energy recovery system to make sure outdoor air temperatures don’t change the temperature inside the house. However, these add some additional cost and complexity to the system and aren’t considered a cost-effective investment in most U.S. climates.

Tight House, Fresh Air: Cost-Effective Means of Ventilating a Well-Sealed Home is a post from: Cool Home Facts

1. Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies by Eric Corey Freed

The “For Dummies” series of books has been around for years, and is a great place to start your research. The book uses clear, non-technical language that is easily understandable to even the most novice of DIY junkies, and includes a number of helpful graphics, top ten lists, definitions, and diagrams. These edition promises to help first-time green renovators to understand the lifecycle of building materials, work within your budget, avoid asbestos exposure, and refinish old fixtures and materials.

Other books in the “For Dummies”  series that may also be of assistance are Green Your Home All in One For Dummies and Energy Efficient Homes For Dummies.

2. Green Building A to Z: Understanding the Language of Green Building by Jerry Yudelson

Once you’ve got a basic understanding of what your project is going to entail, chances are you might have a couple of questions about the precise definition of certain green building terms like “zero-net-energy buildings” or “conservation economy”. That’s where this book comes in. In addition to hundreds of definitions, the book also contains a number of helpful visual aids to help you fully comprehend even the most technical of green building terms. Yudelson really knows his stuff, which explains why he has helped to train over 3,000 people in the US Green Building Council’s LEED system, and has also chaired Greenbuild, the world’s largest green building conference, for over three years.

3. Green Remodeling : Changing the World One Room at a Time by David R. Johnson and Kim Master

Johnson and Master pose a simple question in their book: “How do you remodel in a healthy, environmentally friendly way?” Their tactic is to break down each area of your home, and tackle them individually, starting with foundations and framing and moving up to finishes and other final touches. The format is easy to read, and includes a number of simple checklists that will help you mark your project’s progress.

4. Natural Remodeling for the Not-So-Green House: Bringing Your Home into Harmony with Nature by Carol Venolia and Kelly Lerner

If you are the sort of person who finds inspiration from photographs of other people’s homes, this 280 page book is a great sourcebook for you. Lavishly illustrated with stunning photographs of completed projects, this guide also includes helpful diagrams, user-friendly graphics for step-by-step projects, and case studies from other green home renovators. The book was a finalist for the 2007 Nautilus Book Awards.

5. The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling by Daniel D. Chiras

Chock-full of region-specific design guidelines and specifications, The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling outlines a number of ways to design and renovate your home using natural sunlight to your advantage. A number of different strategies for passive cooling and heating are discussed, with sections devoted to the pros and cons associated with each technique.

6. Green By Design: Creating a Home for Sustainable Living by Angela Dean

Recognizing that there is no “one size fits all” plan for tackling a green home renovation project, Dean outlines a number of tactics and techniques that can be of use during nearly any DIY project. Topics covered include natural building materials, renewable flooring, using gray water for landscaping, taking advantage of local materials and labor, energy-efficient systems, passive solar design, and indoor air quality issues.

7. Green from the Ground Up: Sustainable, Healthy, and Energy-Efficient Home Construction by David Johnston and Scott Gibson

This book has been favorably reviewed by numerous newspapers and magazines since its release in 2008. Sustainable Industries Magazine said that “Green from the Ground Up is easy to flip through…and easy to understand. Whether you are a veteran or new to green building, and whether it’s tar-paper spline covering the joints on a rain screen or the latest in dual-flush toilets that you are looking to learn more about, the authors have a page you can turn to.”

Clocking in at over 330 pages, this comprehensive reference guide is great for DIYers looking to refresh their memory of basic green building techniques, or to learn completely new information.

8. Green Remodeling: Your Start toward an Eco-Friendly Home by John D. Wagner

A great guide for beginners who are new to the world of green building and renovations, this book outlines helpful ideas for reducing home energy use, selecting nontoxic products for your project, conserving water, and selecting products that support responsible and sustainable harvesting of natural resources. The book is organized by type of renovation, with the key points of each project (such as kitchen cabinet replacement or selecting new countertops) summarized with tips on what steps of the process can be “greened up”.

9. Green Building: Project Planning & Cost Estimating by R S Means

With a hefty retail price of nearly $130, this book might not seem like it’s worth the investment. However, if you have problems budgeting your home improvement projects, this book could potentially save you hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars. In addition to helpful information on budgeting for your green renovations, the book also comes packaged with a CD-ROM that lists over 7,000 green renovations items that are commonly used during an average project. Reference tables and localized cost estimates for various geographical areas are also included.

10. The Green Studio Handbook: Environmental Strategies for Schematic Design by Alison Kwok and Walter Grondzik

When a book on green building design has the seal of approval from a US government official, it’s safe to assume that the book is worth perusing. This practical guide to implementation of green building concepts was hailed as “an excellent resource for both educators and practitioners,” by Karol Kaiser, the Director of Education US Green Building Council. Covering everything from roofing options to ventilation systems to aerobic tanks to direct gain systems, this helpful book is an excellent resource to complement a collection of beginner-level green building guidebooks.

Further reading:

http://www.greenbuildconsult.com/books

10 Books You Must Read Before Beginning a Green Home Renovation is a post from: Cool Home Facts

The goal of the EPS label, according to Energy Trust, is to quantify a home’s energy efficiency, it’s utility costs and environmental impact. The program also helps to document a house’s and identify it’s carbon footprint by purchasing renewable energy from utilities or other carbon offsets. EPS may be assessed for new homes, including those receiving certification from Earth Advantage, Energy Star, the USGBC’s LEED for Homes or other energy efficiency certifications, the organization says.

Energy Trust’s labeling system jumbo-sizes the EnergyGuide label found on many major appliances. The EnergyGuide label is required on many major appliances and shows consumers how much energy the product will use annually. The label places the appliance’s consumption on a scale relative to similar appliances and tells whether the appliance will use less or more energy than other like appliances and whether it will cost you more or less to use than other choices.

EPS basically takes all the available energy consumption information related to the home, including the energy used by its appliances, its size, heating and cooling systems, lighting, windows and doors, and insulation. And shows how many millions of BTUs (British Thermal Units) the home will use throughout the year. The usage of BTUs allows the system to show both how much electricity and how much gas the home should use on an annual basis. The system also measures the carbon emissions related to the home’s energy usage. Lower scores on both mean the house is more efficient.

Since EPS considers the size of the home, it differs from some other home-energy rating systems, like Passive House, which rewards larger homes because they can have more energy saving measures purely because of their size. EPS however, considers that smaller homes often use less energy overall when compared to larger homes. This means even without more efficient appliances, a smaller home may use less energy than a larger house.

EPS now is being used on for new homes in Oregon and is being piloted on existing homes in Washington states. Both Oregon and Washington are considering mandatory new home energy labeling programs. EPS coincides with the DOE’s goal of establishing a voluntary energy-efficient home rating standard. Such a standard could allow lenders to provide preferred financing options for energy-efficient homes.

Other organizations, including some utilities also are taking steps to help consumers reduce their use of energy, like Minnesota Power’s Pyramid of CONSERVATION.

Energy Trust of Oregon’s EPS Helps You Get the Best MPG in a New Home is a post from: Cool Home Facts

1. Before you begin your renovations, hire a licensed inspector to make sure no asbestos, lead paint, or other hazardous materials are present in areas you plan to renovate. Asbestos dust, toxic molds, lead-based paints, etc. can become airborne during renovations and can cause health problems and environmental issues. You can find a licensed firm in your local Yellow Pages.

2. Recycle lumber, metal, glass, and other “debris”. Consult a construction materials exchange in your area, which can be located through the Yellow Pages or at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide. It should be noted that recycling materials that contain asbestos or lead paint is prohibited, so any contaminated debris should be kept separate from materials you want to recycle.

3. Purchase renovation materials in reusable containers. Some retailers will ship or sell you the materials you need wrapped in blankets or stacked on wooden pallets, and may reimburse a portion of the purchase price to you when you return the packing materials.

4. Donate any surplus or unneeded materials to local charities, or to individuals through Craigslist or FreeCycle. Items that are often in demand include copper, lumber, or masonry. Local school districts may also be in need of these materials, either for their own renovations, for classroom projects, or for extracurricular activities.

5. Think about the sun, and then plan your renovations accordingly. If you are looking to cut energy costs, place windows and/or sunlights in the renovated area thoughtfully in order to help reduce heating or cooling costs. Boost those energy savings (and your project’s environmental friendliness) by installing soy-based foam insulation.

6. Replace old appliances and water fixtures with Energy Star items. Energy Star items are rated by the U.S. Government, and include washing machines, dryers, electronics, faucets, showerheads, and many other household items.

7. Buy local. Whether you are purchasing wallpaper, lumber, or anything in between, common renovation items and materials that are bought locally can reduce your project’s carbon footprint, as you have to drive a shorter distance to pick up the items. And if the items are also locally made, that also means that the cost of transporting the items to the store was low, also reducing a project’s impact on the environment.

8. Build to LEED specifications, espescially if you are remodeling with an intent to sell. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a voluntary, consensus-based standard to support and certify successful green building design, construction and operations. Depending on your exact situation, LEED projects may qualify you for tax credits and other incentives.

8 Ways to Keep Your Home Renovations Green is a post from: Cool Home Facts

People are a little more independent, a little more likely to take things into their own hands…

And conditions are a lot more arid, which makes people a lot more concerned about squeezing the last drop of utility out of every – you guessed it – last drop.

No wonder greywater controversies are starting to percolate.

Greywater refers to water that’s been used in a household’s sinks, showers, dishwashers, washing machines – anything but toilets.

It’s estimated that greywater makes up 50-80% of the thousands and thousands of gallons of residential wastewater we send to water treatment facilities every year.

And some say that’s a damn shame, because greywater can still be useful for landscape irrigation.

Greywater advocates say restrictive plumbing codes are the only thing holding up more widespread use of greywater.

So they advise people to just do it on their own.  Do-it-yourself systems are frequently referred to as “bootleg.”

Steve Bilson, the founder of ReWater Systems, has installed hundreds of legal greywater systems (costing about $7,000 each) and was a consultant to the development of California’s greywater legislation.  Yet the WaterCheckBiz website quoted him as saying, “The code is so overbuilt that I’m beginning to think it’s better to just have everyone do it bootleg.”

Groups like the Greywater Guerillas emerged, to help residents learn how to install their own greywater systems and bypass the permit process.  The group has now changed its name to “Greywater Action,” (find them at www.greywateraction.org ) to better reflect their broad-based approach to building a sustainable water culture and infrastructure.

Advocates like Art Ludwig, of Oasis Design, maintain that greywater is the perfect poster child for a more environmentally friendly approach to building and regulation.

No one is exactly sure how many bootleg greywater systems are currently operating in the U.S.  For residential systems, the legal consequences seem to be minimal, but some say a less muddled regulations could lead to clearer water all around.

The benefits of greywater are clear:

• Reduce use of fresh water
• Reduce the strain on treatment plants or septic systems
• Reduced use of energy and chemicals
• Better treatment
• Groundwater recharge
• Better use of nutrients.

But where it gets a little murky is the issue of human waste.  Authorities tend to approach greywater systems as if they were septic systems, while advocates claim such controls aren’t necessary.

There are signs that attitudes might be changing.  A bill was recently introduced in the Wisconsin state legislature which would simplify and ease restrictions on residential greywater use.  In addition, the US Green Building Council and the City of Santa Barbara have already endorsed greywater standards, so it just might be the wave of the future.

Learn more about greywater at the Oasis Design Greywater Information Central web site, www.greywater.net/.

Greywater: Legal Liability or Untapped Resource? is a post from: Cool Home Facts

The ten-level pyramid is read from the bottom up, with easiest and least expensive means of energy conservation in the home as the pyramid’s  base. As you read up the pyramid’s levels, the steps become more complex and expensive. Topping the list is installing alternative energy on your home.

Homeowners wanting to reduce their energy consumption should start at the bottom level, and move up the pyramid until they’ve reached a level of energy reduction that they’re satisfied with. Each pyramid level links to information about how to take each action.

The first three steps include learning about your energy usage and taking simple steps to reduce your use, including turning things off when not in use and replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Depending on where you live and what you’ve already done, you may want to alter how you achieve the goals. And some of the information that the pyramid links to is Minnesota-specific.

The ten steps are:

1. Understanding (Home energy audit)

Learn online about home energy audits. You can do a basic one yourself like Energy Star’s Home Energy Saver, or hire a home energy auditor to check your house. Make sure the auditor is certified (BPI and RESNET are two certifying firms) and ask for references. Audit are often subsidized by local utilities or governments. An auditor can help you identify priority retrofits in your home to maximize your home’s energy efficiency.

2. Low-cost No-Cost

This is the simple, oft-forgot, money-saving message: Turn it off! Simply turn off the lights when you’re not using them. Unplug transformers and chargers when not in use (as long as their plugged in, they’re eating the juice). Power-strip it. Put TV’s, computers, stereo equipment and other devices on power strips and turn the strip off when connected devices aren’t in use. These simple steps can make a big difference on your electric bill.

3. Lighting

Get rid of those old, energy-hungry incandescent bulbs and replace them with CFLs or LEDs. These newer bulbs sip on energy compared to incandescents. And older fluorescent fixtures use more energy than new ones.

4. Air sealing

Tightening your home’s envelop by ais-sealing it can help you save up 20% of your heating and cooling costs, according to Energy Star. Sealing and insulating your home’s envelope or shell of your home, including outer walls, ceilings, windows, doors and floors can greatly improve energy efficiency in a home.

5. Appliances

Since Energy Star came into effect in 1992 many former energy-hungry appliances have been made much more efficient. For instance, the pea green fridge from the 70’s you still have, well a new Energy Star fridge could save you about $200 a year in energy costs alone.

6. Insulation and Ventilation

Check to make sure your home is properly insulated. The Department of Energy offers  the ZIP-Code Insulation Program to help you determine what type of insulation you need for your home. Simply type in your ZIP-code and it will tell you how high an R-value your home needs to be most efficient.

7. Water Heating

Consider a drain water heat-recovery system can help recover heat otherwise lost to the sewers. And newer water heaters, like old fridges, are much more efficient. You can even buy super-efficient gas or electric water heaters or a on-demand (tankless) water heater, or you can install a solar water heater on your roof.

8. Heating and Cooling equipment

If your old furnace or boiler is outdated and groaning at night, replace it with a new, energy-efficient unit. This should be done after taking earlier steps, such as sealing and insulating. The other efficiencies gained might mean you can get away with a smaller, less-expensive system.

9. Windows

If you live in a home with old fashioned single-paned windows, you know how much heat passes through those panes. If you need new windows anyway, invest in new windows. The Efficient Windows Collaboration offers a window selection tool that will help you determine which windows are best for your location.

10. Renewable Options

Finally, we get to the most expensive and longest payback. Going renewable by installing a solar power system, microhydro or small wind turbine, costs the most. You might consider a renewable energy system for new construction where the grid doesn’t reach already.

Put Your Home On an Energy Diet With the Pyramid Of Conservation is a post from: Cool Home Facts

In fact, establishing the financial benefits of green building and making sure they’re accounted for in a building’s appraisal is one of the more significant challenges facing the industry today.

When appraisals for green construction don’t reflect the value of the technology used to build it, buyers and builders have a hard time getting the financing they need.

Real estate appraisers, along with consumers and lenders, have been identified as key target markets for green building marketing and education efforts.

Somehow, green builders need to make sure real estate appraisers recognize and articulate the cash value of what they do.

After all, green building elements like super- efficient heating and cooling systems will lower energy costs.  When a building is less expensive to run than others, and less likely to make employees sick, or any of the other green building benefits, it should be of greater value to potential owners.

In Seattle, for example, GreenWorks realty reports that green buildings sell 22% more quickly and for 8.5 % more per square foot than similar, traditional buildings.

But such facts aren’t always well known in the building community and, in areas where foreclosures are high and green building starts are low, they might not hold true.

Real estate professionals note that it’s not easy to establish a value for green buildings, when there aren’t many available for comparison.  In addition, procedures for evaluating construction costs in light of long-term benefits and operating costs aren’t exactly standardized.

But help may be on the way, from the Appraisal Institute (AI), a membership organization for professional real estate appraisers with more than 25,000 members and 91 chapters around the world.  AI instituted seminars in valuation of green residential and commercial buildings in 2008, and it seems they have significant expectations for the green building industry.

Following the 2008 kick-off of seminars on green building and property values, the Austin Business Journal quoted AI President Jim Amorin as saying, “The green building industry is expected to value between $19 billion and $38 billion by 2010.  It’s vital for appraisers and other industry professionals to understand the importance of this sector of the market going forward.”

The more progress that’s seen in the measuring of the green, the more progress we’re likely to see in building that way.

For more details, see the Austin Business Journal article (www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2008/06/23/daily41.html), the Appraisal Institute Web site (www.appraisalinstitute.org), CNNMoney (http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/10/real_estate/green_homes_redlight/index.htm?postversion=2010031004) .

Do Building Appraisers Understand the Value of Green? is a post from: Cool Home Facts