March 13th, 2009
Green Prefab, West Virginia Style!
Stumble it!
Our journeys through the green modular landscape often take us to the big cities of America. That’s not surprising, for that’s where you find the high densities of green architects / builders, green consumers and manufacturing plants that really make a prefab company sing. Recently, though, we came across a prefab company from rural West Virginia that will give any of its urban counterparts a real run for their money: Eco Structures, out of Maidsville, West Virginia.
Eco Structures is the brainchild of John Garlow, who has been building timber frame homes and using structural insulated panels (SIPS) out of his own workshop since the late 1970s. Several years ago, when it became clear that the green prefab housing market was ripe for liftoff, he decided to put his many years of prefabrication expertise to use with a new “green” twist. He designed and built a prototype modular Eco Structure on his own property and a new company was born.
The Eco Structure homes are targeted for LEED Platinum certification by the USGBC (process under way), and they come in 450 square foot modules that can be assembled in various configurations according to a client’s needs. Some of the more innovative elements of the Eco Structure system:
- Passive Solar and Ventilation Design. Almost all of the home’s heating, cooling and hot water is provided via smart use of passive solar design. The south side is primarily glass, and awnings and decks provide shade in the summer but allow sunlight in during the winter. Exterior air is drawn in through large pipes buried in the ground, which warms it in the winter and cools it in the summer.
- High Efficiency Building Envelope. The home’s exterior walls and roof are all made out of SIPS that attain insulation levels of R-36 to R-46 and meet the latest in energy codes across the country. Windows are all quad-paned - energy-efficient dual-pane windows are combined to surround a layer of inert gas, offering maximum efficiency.
Rainwater Harvesting and Water Efficiency. In John’s prototype, rainwater is filtered to drinking water standards and stored in a 2,400 gallon cistern. The system provides nearly 100% of the home’s fresh water demand. The prototype also employs graywater recycling and composting toilets (although these might not be to code in all jurisdictions).- Advanced Home Automation System. A home automation system made by Home Automation, Inc. controls all of the energy, security, smoke detection and home entertainment systems in the house, and can be configured and monitored over the Internet.
- Solar Thermal and Radiant Heating System. Water is heated via two separate solar thermal systems (one on the roof, one embedded in a vertical wall) and then stored in an in-home tank. Hot water goes to both fixtures and an in-floor radiant heating system. In the prototype, the radiant system is also connected to a backup wood-fired boiler.
(Click here for more information on other green building components and systems.)
Clearly, some of these elements aren’t appropriate for all settings. Each base module can be configured with any of the various options above, depending on client needs and local permitting standards. The 450 square foot modules are easy to transport, so Eco Structures can serve most of the Eastern and Southern US. And, they are compatible with pier foundation systems, so you don’t necessarily need a crane to move them into place. The target price (confirmed in the prototype) for an Eco Structure home is approximately $150 - $175 per square foot.
Popularity: 9% [?]
March 3rd, 2009
EPA Announces Top 10 Cities for Energy Star Buildings
Many people think of energy-efficient appliances when they hear Energy Star, but they also rate buildings. The EPA today is announcing the top 10 US cities with the most Energy Star-rated commercial buildings.
Why is this important? Well energy use in commercial buildings and plants accounts for nearly half of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 50 percent of energy consumption nationwide. In 2008 alone, more than 3,300 commercial buildings and manufacturing plants earned the Energy Star rating for excellent energy performance. These energy-efficient buildings saved more than $1.1 billion in energy costs and reduced more than 7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2008, which is a savings equal to the emissions from electricity use of more than 1 million homes for a year.
The Top 10 cities announced today are, not surprisingly, led by two California cities– Los Angeles at number 1 and San Francisco at number 2. Los Angeles weighs in with around 250 Energy Star buildings, and San Francisco has around 200. Quite surprisingly Houston, Texas is number 3, with 150 buildings. (They prove once again, Don’t Mess with Texas.) Also on the list are Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, and Washington DC. You can see the full list of the Top 10 and learn more about their green buildings here.
What makes a building an Energy Star building? To qualify for EPA’s ENERGY STAR, a building or manufacturing plant must score in the top 25 percent using EPA’s National Energy Performance Rating System. Buildings can be rated on an energy performance on a scale of 1-100 relative to similar buildings nationwide using the EPA’s Portfolio Manager tool. Buildings that earn a rating of 75 or greater may qualify for the Energy Star designation. Buildings are rated on such factors size, location, number of occupants, number of PCs, heating and cooling systems, etc. You can learn more about the Energy Star building system here.
Popularity: 4% [?]
March 2nd, 2009
More Money In Your Pocket From Obama Stimulus Plan
We’ve already written several pieces about the benefits of President Obama’s economic stimulus plan for homeowners looking to go green, but there are some pretty important wrinkles that we haven’t highlighted that could really save you some significant money.
If you’re looking to make a major new green home improvement, here are some items you definitely want to keep in mind:
- Solar Hot Water Heaters. The NEW credit removes a $2,000 limit on the credit you could receive for a new system, so larger solar hot water systems will be eligible for the full 30% tax credit.The previous tax credit cap of $2,000 meant that you wouldn’t get any additional help if your solar hot water system cost more than $6,667, which many do. To qualify, the solar hot water system must provide at least 50% of your home’s hot water, and it can’t be used for heating pools.
- Solar Photovoltaic Systems. As with a solar hot water system, the NEW tax credit removes the previous $2,000 maximum benefit cap. You now get 30% of the cost as a credit regardless of the total amount. Because solar PV systems are so expensive, this is a MAJOR new benefit.
- Geothermal Heat Pumps. We’ve written about geothermal heat pumps before - they’re among the most efficient ways to heat or cool our homes, but they’re very expensive. The new stimulus package gives you a 30% credit with no upper cap for installing one, as long as it is an Energy Star version. As with solar PV systems, this can mean thousands of dollars for you. Previously, the credit was for 30% but was capped at $2,000.
- Cool Roofs. Cool roofs can save major money if you live in a climate where air conditioning bills dominate your utility spending. Now, you can get up to a $1,500 tax credit (30% of the intallation cost) for a cool roof, whereas the previous amounts were only 10% of the cost with a maximum of $300. To count, it needs to be an Energy Star qualified roofing product.
- Residential Wind Energy Systems. Today there are more options for residential wind turbines than ever before. Now, you can get up to 30% of the cost back as a tax credit with no cap on the total amount. This isn’t as much of a benefit as in other categories, for the previous maximum credit amount for small wind systems was $4,000. To get any added benefit, you’ll have to spend at least $13,300, which is a pretty large turbine on your property!
- High Efficiency Hot Water Heaters. The new tax credit is for 30% of the installation cost up to $1,500. However, the new unit must have an energy factor of at least 0.82, which rules out even the new Energy Star storage hot water heaters. All new Energy Star tankless hot water heaters will qualify, as will some very high efficiency storage versions (such as the AO Smith Vertex).
As with anything tax-related, you need to consult with your accountant before assuming any of these credits are “in the bank.” Some important caveats to note:
- The credits are for improvements made in 2009/10, with the exception of geothermal heat pumps, solar HW/PV, and wind turbines (2009 - 2016).
- The cool roof and standard hot water heater credits are NOT standalone - you get up to $1,500 for ALL of your energy efficiency improvements together, which includes windows, insulation and the other more typical upgrades we’ve written about previously. The other credits we’ve discussed above (solar HW/PV, geothermal, wind energy) are standalone credits and do not count towards the $1,500 energy efficiency cap.
- Only the solar HW/PV, geothermal heat pump, and wind energy system credits can be claimed by folks building new homes. There’s another set of incentives for typical energy efficiency measures in new home construction that flows through contractors.
For more information on all of these programs, please visit Energy Star’s great tax credit summary.
Looking to start a project? Check out Low Impact Living’s directories of solar installers, green plumbers, geothermal heat pump installers, wind power installers or energy auditors / green home consultants to get a quote near you.
Popularity: 8% [?]
February 27th, 2009
The Latest in Green Heating and Home Energy Systems
We often write about the many ways to cut your utility bills and carbon footprints. From Energy Star appliances to low-flow showerheads to new efficient lightbulbs, there’s a project for every budget and skill level.
These types of projects, though, are at the end of the efficiency pipeline. This means that if your heating/cooling system, electricity generation or hot water heater is inefficient, you’ll still be using much more energy after these projects than you could be. As an example, nearly 70% of the energy contained in fuels for powerplants is wasted BEFORE the electricity makes it into our homes (due to generator inefficiences and transmission losses). Replacing an incandescent bulb with LEDs does nothing to get this 70% back - it just makes sure that the remaining 30% is used more efficiently! The same is true of heating/cooling and hot water. If your furnace, air conditioner or hot water heater is inefficient, then your duct sealing projects or low-flow fixtures are fighting against these upstream inefficiencies.
Replacing any of these core systems can be expensive - we just wrote about better hot water heater options, and the cheapest of those will probably set you back $600 or more after installation. But a number of companies are coming up with innovative products that package these different systems together - boosting overall efficiencies to levels not seen before AND potentially saving on installation costs. If you have to replace a furnace or AC unit, there are some real interesting options. Here are some of the latest and greatest.
NTI Matrix Total Home SystemThe NTI Matrix Total Home System combines a very high efficiency boiler, furnace, tankless hot water heater and heat recovery ventilator all in one package. All of the standalone pieces are high efficiency (would likely qualify for Energy Star status), but the system gets even more efficiency out of the combined package. The Matrix is best in homes that use forced hot air, hydronic heating (such as radiant heat or pool heating) and normal water heating together. And the heat recovery ventilator also helps to cool a house in the summer. The Matrix system was one of BuildingGreen’s Top 10 Green Products in 2008.
ECR Freewatt Home Heating System
The freewatt is what is called a “combined heat and power”, or CHP system. It combines an efficient natural gas or propane generator with an Energy Star gas furnace or boiler. The furnace/boiler makes use of the hot waste gas from the generator, so you are generating BOTH electricity and hot air/water from the same fuel source. The 1.2 kilowatt generator can produce up to 5,000 kWh of electricity per year, AND can cut your carbon footprint by up to three tons of carbon dioxide as compared to using electricity from your utility. Oh, and in certain areas you can even tie the system into your electricity grid and run your meter backwards, much the same as you would with solar panels or a wind turbine. The company that makes the freewatt system is one of two vendors recognized by the EPA’s Climate Choice program, which recognizes advanced technologies that protect the climate.
These technologies are still pretty new, so you might have some trouble finding them near you (but definitely check each manufacturer’s website for local installers). With the coming transformation of our electric grid and energy efficiency policies, you’re likely to start seeing them in a home or building near you.
Popularity: 3% [?]
February 11th, 2009
At Last: Energy Star Water Heaters For Your Home
We’ve always found it a bit strange that one of the most energy-intensive systems in our homes wasn’t covered by the Energy Star program: water heaters. Water heaters are particularly challenging to select. They’re expensive, they employ several different technologies, and unlike many appliances you can’t just judge their merits based on what you see in a store.
Well, Energy Star has finally stepped up and given us some guidance. The standards for hot water heaters were released last year, and as of January 1 many different manufacturers now offer Energy Star models. So what does an Energy Star water heater mean for you? As you might expect, it differs by category, so we’ll run through them and list some good options for you below.
Storage Hot Water Heaters
Storage hot water heaters are the ones most of us have in our homes - a big tank with a burner at the bottom. They’re the least efficient type of hot water heater, for significant energy is lost as the hot water sits in the tank regardless of the insulation level. The new Energy Star standards say that a storage hot water heater must have an Energy Factor of at least 0.62, meaning that 62% of the energy in the fuel burned is converted into heat in hot water. This is about 7% more efficient than the current minimum federal standard for storage hot water heaters. If you’re on a budget, then these models are best.
Some options include:
Tankless Whole-House Hot Water Heaters
The new Energy Star standard for tankless hot water heaters is that they must have an Energy Factor of 0.82. This isn’t that stringent: most quality tankless units already meet or exceed this level. However, the Energy Star certification also specifies that the warranty be at least ten years on the heat exchanger and five years on parts. This is a major upgrade for some manufacturers. Tankless hot water heaters make sense if you don’t have huge hot water demands and if space is at a premium in your home.
Options include:
Gas Condensing Water Heaters
Gas condensing water heaters are very similar to the traditional storage hot water heaters from the outside. But inside, there’s a major difference: they have very efficient heat exchangers that capture much more of the heat from burning fuel than do traditional models. An Energy Star condensing model must achieve an Energy Factor of at least 0.8, which puts most of these models right up there with tankless versions. That efficient heat exchanger comes at a price, though, so they’ll be more expensive than your typical storage model. Condensing models are great if you have a large family with high hot water demands - the storage gives you a bit more capacity than a comparable tankless unit.
Heat Pump Water Heaters
The previous three hot water heaters all employ gas as a fuel. So what happens if you use electricity? Consider a heat pump hot water heater. Like a normal heat pump or air conditioner, a heat pump water heater uses a refrigerant to “move” heat from outdoors inside to heat your water. Because you’re moving rather than creating heat, the efficiencies are incredibly high: Energy Star heat pump water heaters have Energy Factors of > 2.0. Per unit of energy, though, electricity is often much more expensive than gas or propane, so this higher efficiency might not translate into higher savings.
Solar Hot Water Heaters
Solar hot water heaters convert the sun’s energy into hot water, so why isn’t every solar hot water an Energy Star? The answer is that if they’re too small then they won’t make much of a difference. Therefore, an Energy Star solar hot water heater must have a Solar Fraction of > 0.5, meaning that it provides at least 50% of your total hot water heating needs.
Options include:
Popularity: 7% [?]
