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#Post#: 2383--------------------------------------------------
Re: Carbon Neutral Buildings
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: December 14, 2014, 4:46 pm
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[center]
Your Home Fits In The Van
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[/center]
Welcome to a Yurt, or Ger, an old Mongolian style tent for
nomadic populations.
Boyan and his partner moved into their 21 square meter yurt and
they love its simplicity and the freedom it affords them to move
with the seasons, or jobs.
They can be used even in climates with harsh winters, as most
yurt companies now make their covers from a reflective
insulation developed by NASA, and are designed to withstand
winds up to 100 mph. Their round shape makes yurts more
efficient to heat than square houses.
For a basic yurt, prices range from under $5,000 for a twelve
foot yurt, to about $10,000 for a thirty footer—not including
the many customizations and add-ons that can transform your yurt
from rustic to luxurious.
About 10 minutes in to this video you can see in fast forward
motion how the couple dis-assemble and re-assemble the yurt by
themselves, all in a single day with no professional tools or
skills.
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A layer of sheep's wool is actually rolled out around the
structure, functioning as one of the most important layers of
insulation.
It's an alternative to a tiny home, at 226 square feet and of
course all the space is, well, in one huge space.
Could you live in a big circular tent with your family?
"Sometimes I think people like to live in bigger and bigger
houses with smaller and smaller families, somehow to hide, not
from the outside world, but from themselves." says Boyan. "Here
there is nowhere to hide"
This couple loves it anyway, and this fun, sustainable form of
housing is on the rise.
--Bibi Farber
This video was produced by Fair Companies
- See more at:
HTML http://www.nextworldtv.com/videos/shelter/the-yurt-a-home-you-can-fold-up-and-move.html#sthash.z59DGGvn.dpuf
#Post#: 2412--------------------------------------------------
Re: Carbon Neutral Buildings
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: December 18, 2014, 11:03 pm
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Mycelium House
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[center]
Welcome To The Mushroom House! [/center]
By far the most imaginative, sustainable Tiny House design yet!
Literally, this 64 sq foot house was grown from organic matter,
mycelium, which is the vegetative part of a fungus.
This stuff makes up not just the insulation of the walls, but
the structural form of the building.
It was all grown in one piece, inside the wall cavities that
already had wiring and plumbing. The mycelium "knit the wall
together", glued the tongue and groove pine boards together. It
forms the structure and it's the insulation all at once.
Not only is it organic matter that is biodegradable, that can
be "grown" instead of manufactured- but it comes with other
benefits: it has outstanding thermal performance, it's fire
resistant, and has no nasty things like VOC's or "aldehydes".
This is a sustainability fairy tale come true!
For more info on how to get started on your mycelium tiny
house, see www.ecovativedesign.com
--Bibi Farber
This video was produced by: CNN Money
HTML http://www.ecovativedesign.com/
- See more at:
HTML http://www.nextworldtv.com/videos/shelter/tiny-house-grown-with-mycelium-.html#sthash.xycdOmeF.dpuf
#Post#: 2414--------------------------------------------------
Re: Carbon Neutral Buildings
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: December 18, 2014, 11:33 pm
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You get a LOT of fantastic lighting effects with this house!
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#Post#: 2446--------------------------------------------------
Re: Carbon Neutral Buildings
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: December 24, 2014, 10:25 pm
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12/22/2014 02:46 PM
In Wisconsin, Nation's First Net-Zero Energy Health Complex
SustainableBusiness.com News
In 2009, the Department of Energy announced the launch of the
Hospital Energy Alliance, an industry-led partnership to get
hospitals on board with energy efficiency and renewables.
We're seeing the results as more hospitals make announcements
like this: a 6.3 megawatt solar system just turned on at New
Jersey's CentraState Medical Center - one of the largest
distributed energy systems outside of utilities.
KDC Solar owns and installed the system and sells the power to
the hospital. There are 21,408 ground-mounted solar panels on 26
acres of land. It's providing electricity to a medical center
that serves 14,000 inpatients and 250,000 outpatient visits a
year.
In Wisconsin, Gundersen Health System - a network of hospitals,
medical clinics and nursing homes - announced they are producing
more energy than they consume - the first net-zero energy health
system in the US. ;D
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Gundersen Hospital
They are doing this through a combination of energy sources:
biogas from three local farms; methane from a local landfill;
wood chips from local suppliers; solar installed on a parking
lot; geothermal; and wind from two local projects.
Energy consumption is down 40%, saving $2 million a year, and
they earn another $2 million by selling the electricity and
manure byproducts of biogas production.
"We did not set out to be the greenest health system, we set out
to make the air better for our patients to breathe, control our
rising energy costs and help our local economy. We believe we
have made more progress on all three than anyone else in the
country," says CEO Jeff Thompson.
He notes that hospitals typically consume 2.5 times more energy
than commercial buildings, and Wisconsin has one of the most
energy-intensive climates in the nation. They reached these
goals even while they built two new hospitals. The cost: $30
million of its own money and $11 million in state and federal
grants.
Waste reduction is another big goal in a system that relies on
disposal items like syringes and sample cups - 5.9 million tons
a year. Hazardous and pharmaceutical waste is down 40%, food
waste by 70%, and styrofoam is gone.
Since Hurricane Sandy, when hospitals were flooded and even the
sickest patients had to be evacuated, hospitals are on the front
lines to protect themselves from severe weather events. About
200 hospitals use cogeneration and many are developing
microgrids. St. Luke's Hospital in Pennsylvania is pioneering a
"farm to hospital" model.
Read our article, Greening Hospitals Would Cut Health Care
Costs.
Summaries of some of Gundersen's projects:
Website:
www.gundersenenvision.org/gundersen-reaches-first-days-of-energy-independence
HTML http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26068
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Merry
Chrsitmas to all. And to all a good night.
#Post#: 2510--------------------------------------------------
Re: Carbon Neutral Buildings
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: January 6, 2015, 8:35 pm
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HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgdcBOWPYZc&feature=player_embedded
Short Construction time of a carbon neutral home with modular
construction technique
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naGAnhax-tI&feature=player_embedded
Hemp Crete Construction is biosphere friendly!
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#Post#: 2564--------------------------------------------------
Re: Carbon Neutral Buildings
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: January 18, 2015, 1:39 pm
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Solar-Powered Furnace
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The SRCC certified Solar Powered Furnace (SPF) is the industry
leading, state of the art, solar air heating system. These
patented solar panels are designed and manufactured by RREAL to
integrate seamlessly with residential and commercial buildings
of all sizes. Made in USA. Patent 8,757,143
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The fan moves air through the collector(s), where it is heated,
and then redistributed to the building using conventional,
off-the-shelf, HVAC ducting and air handling equipment.
Check valves prevent reverse thermo-siphoning and uncalled-for
heat, so you get clean, free, solar heat only when you want.
Solar air heat is often the most efficient and cost competitive
solar technology available in colder climates, saving clients
many thousands of dollars and eliminating toxic emissions!
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HTML http://www.rreal.org/solar-powered-furnace/solar-air-heat-basics/
HTML http://www.rreal.org/solar-powered-furnace/
Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL)
HTML http://www.rreal.org/
#Post#: 2670--------------------------------------------------
Re: Carbon Neutral Buildings
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: February 12, 2015, 2:10 pm
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Maine Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage
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A Glimpse Inside a Super Energy-Efficient Home
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Sarah Lozanova
February 12, 2015
One year ago, my family joined Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage in
Midcoast Maine and moved into a high performance house, with
triple-pane windows and doors, large south-facing windows, lots
of insulation from the slab to the attic, and a metal roof. Our
home is heated largely by the sun, appliances and occupants, but
a modest heating system is available as needed. Our heating
bills are 90 percent less than a typical code-built home in the
same climate.
It’s rare to have a house with so many energy-efficient features
under the same roof. Many people have been curious about our
home and asked numerous questions. These are some of the top
questions we’ve received.
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I’ve heard of mildew and air-quality problems in super energy
efficient homes. Has this been an issue?
I’ve heard some concerning stories about super energy efficient
houses without ventilation systems, and the mold and air quality
issues that occur. Our home however has a Zehnder heat recovery
ventilation system, which constantly supplies fresh air while
removing stale air from our kitchen and bathroom. By utlizinging
a heat recovery ventilation system, intake air is filtered,
removing dust and pollen, then preheated from recycled heat from
the exhaust air before it exits our home. Although we can boost
the speed of our system with a switch in the bathroom or
kitchen, the default mode is sufficient the vast majority of the
time and we’ve had no mold or moisture issues in our bathroom
and elsewhere.
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If your house heats itself largely by the sun, appliances, and
occupants, won’t it overheat in the summer?
It would seem that a home that stays so warm and cozy in the
winter would overheat in the summer, but this is not our
experience. Last summer, the house was cooler than the outside
temperature on hot days. For additional cooling, we opened the
windows when the outside temperatures dipped at night. The heat
recovery ventilation system helps maintain cooler indoor
temperatures; when it’s warmer outside in the summer, our
ventilation system pre-cools the incoming air from the exhaust
air.
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Given that Maine has a cold climate, how long is the heating
season?
When viewing our home's electric bills, I was struck by how low
our energy usage was from April through October. Although we may
experience below-freezing temperatures during April and October,
our home typically remains in the upper 60s and low 70s, without
supplemental heat. We turned our heat on in November and turned
it off in March, trimming two months off.
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What is the lighting like in your house?
Because the south-facing living room windows are 5 feet in
height, lots of daylight comes into the home. Of course, our
north-facing bedrooms get less ldayight. Even during cloudy
days, we rarely use lights during the day, especially in the
south-facing rooms. When the angle of the sun is lower in the
sky during the winter months, sunlight fills the living room and
helps keep the winter doldrums away. During the hot summer days,
the angle of the sun is higher in the sky and less sunlight
enters the home. The only downside to all our south-facing
glazing is cleaning all the little fingerprints that appear from
my two young children. We also use LED lightbulbs in most of our
fixtures to reduce energy use.
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What are the heating bills like for your new home?
Our home is all electric, therefore we don’t use wood, propane
or natural gas,
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191258.bmp<br
/>[b] and receive only one energy bill. Before we installed a
photovoltaic solar system, our largest electric bill was $120
for January for nearly 900 kWh of electricity. The summer
electric bills were around $50 for nearly 400 kWh, because we
don’t need air conditioning.[b] Now that our home is net-zero
and we have a solar system that generates all of our energy over
the course of the year, we pay $9.75 monthly for the delivery
fee.
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Main Belfast Cohousing Aerial View
#Post#: 2697--------------------------------------------------
Re: Carbon Neutral Buildings
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: February 19, 2015, 1:44 pm
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California Taking Significant Steps to Support Clean Energy in
Low-Income Housing
Agelbert NOTE: It's better than nothing but the STEPS ARE TINY.
:(
Maria Stamas, NRDC
February 19, 2015 | 1 Comments
California has announced a major new set of initiatives and
finalized two agency decisions that will bring increasing
amounts of weatherization and solar benefits to low-income
residents of affordable multifamily properties, which represent
one-third of the state's low-income housing stock.
Until now, this sector has received little attention when it
comes to clean energy initiatives in California. But state
action over the past few weeks is changing that, which will
benefit thousands of Californians living in low-income housing.
Cap-and-trade Funded Low Income Weatherization Program
In mid-January, the Community Services and Development
Department finalized guidelines for its single-family and small
multifamily low income weatherization program (LIWP). In
addition to helping the state meet its greenhouse gas goals to
cut dangerous emissions, LIWP will help reduce air pollution,
improve public health, and reduce energy bills and water
usage--all while stimulating the economy and creating jobs.
Funded through revenues from the state's cap-and-trade auction
of the gradually declining amount of permits for the state's
largest emitters, a total of $75 million over two years will go
directly toward improving the efficiency of households in
disadvantaged communities and providing solar photovoltaic
panels to eligible homes. Measures are far ranging and go beyond
current weatherization programs implemented by utilities through
the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). For example,
the new program will offer LED lighting; smart power strips;
cooling, heating, and hot water replacements; and upgraded
windows.
Distinguishing between Small and Large Multifamily Buildings
What may seem like a categorization nuance of these final
guidelines is in fact a big deal. In its program, the Community
Services and Development Department distinguishes between small
and large multi-family dwellings based on whether apartment
buildings have individual water heaters and heating/cooling
systems (classified as small) or central systems (classified as
large).
Why is this important? Previously, low-income energy efficiency
programs have tended to neglect properties with central systems,
at best, treating only tenants with individual heating or hot
water units. As a result, the large multifamily building stock
is especially in need of energy savings measures and tenants in
these buildings have received far less benefit from
weatherization programs.
The Community Services and Development Department is developing
a unique pathway for this large multifamily subset of buildings,
which will include whole-building audits and corresponding
efficiency measures for the building as a whole. These
guidelines are under development and are expected to be
published in June 2015.
Governor's Partnership with HUD
On January 29, Governor Jerry Brown and U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro
announced a number of actions to expand financing for energy
efficiency and solar energy in multifamily housing--following on
the heels of the governor's new goal to double the efficiency of
California's building stock.
Access to Building-level Data
While many have highlighted the governor's new financing
initiatives in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation, HUD,
and the U.S. Department of Energy, fewer have emphasized his
accompanying commitment to improve access to building level data
for owners. Namely, the governor committed the state to
--- Quote ---
>
> "obtain and ensure owner access to energy usage data, with
appropriate privacy protections, for multi-family buildings and
set data standardization and benchmarking efforts to ensure the
data that is collected in a way that is accessible and can be
used to track progress toward achieving their energy and climate
goals."
--- End Quote ---
As building owners currently can't assess even the monthly
energy usage of their entire property due to utilities' current
interpretation of privacy regulations, this is a most welcome
announcement.
MASH Program Extended and Improved
Also on January 29, the California Public Utilities Commission
approved $108 million in additional funds for the solar
affordable housing programs known as MASH (Multifamily
Affordable Solar Housing) and SASH (Single-Family Affordable
Homes). Half of these funds, $54 million worth, are allocated to
the multifamily sector (via MASH), with a goal of 35 megawatts
of installations. Established in 2008, the MASH program offers
solar incentives to qualifying affordable multifamily
properties. For additional details, see this blog by Everyday
Energy or the full decision here.
Groundbreaking Policy Change to Overcome Split Incentives
The decision adopts a unique policy tweak designed to overcome
the split incentive between the building owner's investment in
solar and the tenants' payment of utility bills. The CPUC
approved an enhanced incentive level for solar installations in
order to deliver direct tenant benefits on utility bills. The
reduction in bills will come through Virtual Net Metering. This
added incentive level will, for the first time, ensure that
benefits to low-income renters will be equivalent to those of
single-family homeowners.
What's Next
These program decisions and new initiatives all demonstrate a
growing commitment to cut bills and electricity waste for
California's low-income multifamily tenants, while increasing
the health and comfort of their homes. For example, improved
insulation and furnace repairs or replacements result in
reductions in unsafe indoor air particles.
Over the next several months, we can look forward to the CPUC
tackling the state's largest low-income energy efficiency
program, the Energy Savings Assistance Program. The commission
has scheduled a proceeding to set ESAP's direction for at least
2016 and 2017 based on previous commission directives to make
significant program enhancements for the multifamily sector. We
can also look forward to the Community Services and
Development's launch of its large multifamily weatherization
program this June.
California's multifamily efficiency milestones represent a
growing momentum toward providing more significant energy,
financial, and health benefits to affordable multifamily
tenants, and in turn, to our climate and environment at large
because when smarter energy use leads to reduced electricity
consumption we don't need as much polluting fossil fuel
generation to make it.
This artice was originally published on NRDC and was republished
with permission.
Read More Solar Energy News Here
1 Comments
A. G. Gelbert
February 19, 2015
This is interesting and positive. However, I am a bit concerned
about eligibility requirements and the definition of "Low
Income". For example, anyone who lives in a trailer park should
NOT have "Income" hoops to jump in order to be eligible.
The so-called Government determined "poverty level" used to "net
worth test" people to determine if they are SNAP eligible has
been a cruel farce for at least a decade.
Federal money at the SAME rates that Wall Street Bankers get
(i.e. about 0.25% interest) for speculation (that does nothing
to help this nation's GDP) should be available for individuals
for the purpose of absolutely any renewable energy
infrastructure installation. And it should be available FIRST in
manufactured homes, regardless of arbitrary "poverty level"
hoops or SNAP type sleight of government hand to deny or shave
benefits if the person has a few thousand dollars in the bank or
owns a car, never mind the gamed inflation numbers that keep low
balling the "poverty level" to lower and lower levels of
desperation.
It is an absolute scandal how the government has shafted the
landless poor of this country while it falls all over itself to
baby the rich profligate speculators.
The fact that renewable energy has not been backed by an
affirmative action program favoring the landless poor (most
manufactured home owners and other poor do not own the land
their home sits on) is testament to the fact that utilities
would lose profits currently extracted from those poor.
What part of "Renewable Energy is good for the nation and the
planet" does the government and the Federal Reserve not
understand? Or does "Federal Reserve" really mean "Only the Rich
Deserve"?
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#Post#: 2739--------------------------------------------------
Re: Carbon Neutral Buildings
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: February 25, 2015, 1:55 pm
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World’s First Carbon-Positive Prefab Home Hits the Market ;D
HTML http://ecowatch.com/2015/02/24/archiblox-carbon-positive-prefab-home/
#Post#: 2751--------------------------------------------------
Re: Carbon Neutral Buildings
DIR By: AGelbert
Date: February 27, 2015, 2:08 pm
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Delivery of, not Carbon Neutral, but CARBON POSITIVE :o ;D,
house.
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