Home Green Home: Rich Green, Poor Green

An Energy-Saving Home Rises in Vermont

Green is my Favorite Color

Going Green is not only good for the environment, but also for your wallet. While living in a green home doesn't require any lifestyle changes, be prepared to pay as much as 50% less on your utility bills. The newer green homes have also been constructed using less toxic materials than traditional construction, which is better for your family and the environment. Some have a misconception that green building or buying is far more expensive than traditional construction practices, however, this is not true.  

Cathy Zoi on the new Home Energy Score pilot program

Green living: Hotels adopt energy-efficient technologies, green practices - Winnipeg Free Press

Toronto hotel going green by installing solar panels, using LED lighting, and other energy efficient solutions!

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Five innovations to make your home more energy-efficient this winter

(ARA) - Old Man Winter brings a variety of gifts for us each year - cold winds, snow and, of course, higher energy bills. You can't control the cold and the snow, but you do have a little control over how much energy you will use this winter.

With today's technological advances, it has never been easier to lessen your impact on the power grid and reduce your heating bills. An energy audit is a good place to start to find out areas where heat is escaping from your home. After you've identified those areas, you may also want to think about outfitting your home with devices or systems that will make it more energy efficient.

Here are five recent innovations that can help you conserve energy this winter:

* Freewatt home energy system. This eco-friendly heating system features micro-CHP technology that is integrated with a high-efficiency natural gas or propane furnace or boiler and generates both heat and electricity for your home.  Such a system has the potential to generate half of a typical home's annual electrical needs, according to ECR, makers of the freewatt and freewatt plus home energy systems. Additionally, a water heater may be added to the system to produce even more electricity. If your state and utility company have net metering programs, you can also sell back additional electricity generated by your system to be used elsewhere. The freewatt plus system also acts as a back-up generator should your home lose power.

* Rooftop solar water heaters. Why pay for energy to heat water when the sun will do it for you at no cost? While a solar water heater may cost more up front, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that you can save 50 to 80 percent on your water heating bill. It's possible that you may also be able to receive a tax deduction if you roll the cost of the heater into your mortgage. If you are interested, it may also be wise to check with the Department of Energy or retailers to see if there are any other tax benefits available for any efficiency upgrade you are thinking about making.

* Solar light tubes. Adding these to your house can add fresh and natural light to a space that might otherwise need electric light, thus reducing the electricity you'll use. These can be added during construction or installed at a later date.

* Radiant barriers. This strategy, using reflective barriers, often in the attic, can reduce the amount of heat that is lost through the roof of your home. It also can reduce the amount of heat coming in from the attic in the warmer months.

* If you determine you are losing a lot of heat through your windows, it might make good financial sense to replace them with more energy-efficient ones. It might be helpful to work with your energy auditor or window company to determine the best option, as it can often be dependent on what kind of windows you have and where they are located.

What is Green Living All About?

Author: David Drennan


Green living is a lifestyle that is adapted by those who want to save the Earth's natural resources and its environment. This type of living enables you to live your life in an eco-friendly and responsible manner. When you decide to carry out this lifestyle then you have to minimize the size of your ecological footprint. This lifestyle teaches you how to conserve organic food choices, alternative energy, green construction, sustainability, recycling, resources and other environmental topics.


Green Lifestyle – It is true that your decision of accepting the green lifestyle will definitely affect the environment in a positive way. Your ecological consciousness and care for the earth really benefits the whole environment and all the human beings. Green living contains proponents that play a very important role in preserving the earth for future generations of human beings and other life.


Green Technology –The importance of this technology is evident from the fact that it works wonders when it comes to conserving the energy, green nanotechnology, green chemistry, environmentally preferred purchasing, green building and soil health. You can easily develop green technology through smart electricity grids, toxic-waste-eating tress and floating environmental sensors.


Green Building –This is known as the practice of applying eco-friendly building materials. In doing so, most residential and commercial projects are designed in order to be more energy efficient.


Green Energy – According to green technologists, the production of energy should take place with the help of world's fossil fuels and natural resources instead of using the entire world's coal.
Organic Food – The food items come under the category of organic food that are processed, produced and packaged without taking the help of chemicals. In the present scenario, most people are using this food as this alternative provides more health benefits as compared to conventional food.


Renewable Energy – This energy is considered as the center of green living and encourages the one to use the wind, solar and other alternative forms of energy.


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/what-is-green-living-all-about-3324137.html


About the AuthorDavid Drennan is a famous writer who comprises several dedicated years of experience on providing the content on various ultimate and advanced traditions for living well. He also covers topics ranging from natural living, natural remedies, quick healthy meals, health and wellness, inspirational stories, spirituality to work and family.For more information visit Green living.

Sun Tran introduces first LEED transit facility in Tucson

U.S. Green Building Council Launches Push for Energy-Efficient Schools

Stoddert Elementary School Principal Marjorie Cuthbert sees her school as a "microcosm of solving future world problems."

The Washington, D.C., public school reopened recently after a renovation that added a geothermal heating and cooling system, energy usage displays, information kiosks in three different languages, numerous new windows, a greenhouse made from recycled water bottles and carbon dioxide censors.

Students are assembled in "green teams" and give tours to visitors using a guide put together by the U.S. Green Building Council. The school is attaining gold certification from the council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, one of 6,500 schools in the country that are registered for certification or already LEED-certified.

With this "microcosm" as its backdrop, the USGBC launches its newest program today, the Center for Green Schools, with the goal of giving everyone the opportunity to attend a school like Stoddert within this generation.

New New York Jets and Yingli Solar Announce Completion of NFL's Largest Solar Power System at Team Headquarters

BAODING, China and FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: YGE), a leading solar energy company and one of the world's largest vertically integrated photovoltaic manufacturers, which holds the brand "Yingli Solar," and The New York Jets today announced the completion of a solar power system at the Jets' team headquarters and training center in Florham Park, NJ. This is the largest photovoltaic (PV) installation at a NFL team headquarters, utilizing over 3,000 Yingli Solar panels. Syncarpha Capital, the system owner, selected SunDurance Energy, LLC for the turnkey design and construction of the project, and partnered with Evolution Energies, LLC as the project developer. All of the power generated by the system will be sold to The New York Jets under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

Water Use and Green Building

Among green building professionals, the relative importance of water conservation has increased as a topic of concern during the past two years. As energy-efficiency measures have become more widely adopted in new construction, the green building industry has shifted more of its focus to water conservation. In the LEED 2009 rating system, for example, certification requires that buildings reduce water use by at least 20 percent from a baseline or “code” building. A 2008 survey found that 85 percent of real estate professionals believed that water efficiency would be a very important aspect of green building in 2013, compared to 69 percent who said that it was in 2008.

The same survey found that early adopters of new water-conservation technologies are building owners/occupiers, with 42 percent of owners reporting in the same survey that more than three-quarters of their projects have water-efficient practices incorporated in the design. This compares with only 28 percent of architecture and design firms and 20 percent of contractors who reported that they used water-efficient technologies in their projects. One possible explanation is that owner/occupiers have likely inflated their own adoption figures owing to the utility cost saving they have already decided to pursue.

Johnson Controls HQ gets top green certification

Johnson Controls Inc. has been awarded Platinum certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, the highest such recognition, by the U.S. Green Building Council, for its energy efficiency and sustainability projects at its Glendale corporate headquarters campus.

The LEED certification is for four buildings at the corporate campus in North Green Bay Road.

“As a company that’s been in the energy efficiency business for 125 years, we believe it was important to set an example and demonstrate the benefits of incorporating the latest green technologies, including many of our own, into a multi-building campus setting,” said Stephen Roell, Johnson Controls’ chairman and CEO. “Hopefully, it will encourage others to improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of their properties, be it for one building or several.”

Midtown home to get energy acclaim

The first house in Southern Arizona likely to receive the highest rating, LEED certified platinum, for energy efficiency.

A north-side home, built by a father-and-son team, is slated to be the first in Southern Arizona to receive the highest rating for energy efficiency given by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The house at 1240 E. Blacklidge harvests rain water, uses runoff from showers, laundry and dishes to irrigate desert landscaping, and has a 3.2-kilowatt-hour solar panel system.

Of course, the first thing a meticulous, eco-friendly homebuyer may notice when walking up to the house is the fountain bubbling in the front yard. Fountains use power and lose water through evaporation.

But Drew Lutz, who built the house with his father, David, said the two balanced the energy cost of each component with the comfort it may provide. Someone, after all, is going to live there. The fountain adds aesthetic appeal and drowns out the street noise from nearby Mountain Avenue, he said.

A Developer Builds in Solar Power

HERE’S an idea: Buy a house, and make money off the investment. Guaranteed. So long as the sun keeps coming up.

Installers with the Solar Center arrange photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Riverwalk Commons apartment building in New Brunswick, N.J.

That is the pitch being made at River Pointe, an age-restricted community in Manchester where PulteGroup Inc. is installing, as a standard feature in each house, solar technology that earns energy credits.

PulteGroup, a company based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is not the only builder offering solar-equipped homes in New Jersey. But it is among the first to start offering solar units as a standard feature in every house in a development, and to tot up the ways that buyers can earn as much as $30,000 over 15 years."

Retail Construction Services Expands LEED Building Capacity

Retail Construction Services (RCS), a leading and award winning national general contractor, has been expanding its LEED building capacity this year. Founded in 1984, RCS has built over 8,200 major projects, and over 23,000 store refreshes, retrofits other Facilities Management work in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada representing over $1.1 Billion in company revenue."

Retail Construction Services shares the concern with its customers with regard to the impact of their work on the communities and the environment. As members of the USGBC, the company completed their first LEED certified project in 2006. Two of the more recent projects this year are; The University Center for the Black Hills State University, which is designed for silver certification and hoping to qualify as gold, as well as a Toyota dealership in South Dakota’s Black Hills that is designed for gold certification. “Today, as sustainable construction awareness increases, we continue to pursue those partnerships where we can help clients reach their certification goals, whether LEED Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum,” says Joni Fletty, Vice President of Operations for RCS. “While the targeted certification is the goal, we help our clients also qualify for tax allowances, zoning accommodations and other incentives to lower costs of operation and increased asset value of their properties.”

Best states for energy efficiency | ElisaWood

If you live in Connecticut, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, North Carolina, New Jersey or Ohio your state is doing something right – a lot right – when it comes to energy efficiency.

The ten states deserve kudos, in that order, for policies that encourage energy efficiency, according to a report issued this week by the Center for American Progress and Energy Resource Management Corp.

If other states achieve similar market dynamics, the US construction industry may pull out of its current slump, says the report, “Efficiency Works: Creating Good Jobs and New Markets through Energy Efficiency.”

The US could add 625,000 full-time sustained jobs over the next decade if it retrofits 40 percent of the nation’s homes and commercial buildings, according to the report. Such an effort would bring $500 billion in new investments to upgrade 50 million homes and office buildings and generate as much as $64 billion a year in cost savings for U.S. electric ratepayers.

Businesses see advantage in green buildings

CHICAGO -- The Subway sandwich shop on Chicago's State Street may look like any other new restaurant, but its tile, crown molding and most wall coverings are made from recycled materials. In the bathroom, sensors control water flow, timers manage lights, and the toilet has a low-flow option. A smart air-conditioning system normalizes temperature between the bread ovens and the eating area.

A few blocks north at Macy's, the Starbucks cafe features LED lighting, manually operated hand meter faucets to conserve water and a wooden coffee bar with a plaque explaining it was salvaged from a fallen local tree."

Humane Society facility embraces solar, green technologies

MILPITAS, CALIF. — The Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) animal community center is now home to the largest solar installation here, which was completed this July, and a variety of other energy and water conserving technologies and products. Once the building receives LEED Gold certification, it will be one of the first animal community center in the U.S. to obtain this status.

Owned and operated by Tioga Energy, San Mateo, Calif., a provider of renewable energy services to commercial, government and non-profit institutions, the 274 kW solar parking shade structure and rooftop systems are composed of 1,335 photovoltaic modules that will provide an estimated 33% of all energy used at the 48,000-sq.ft. animal community center. The photovoltaic system is expected to save up to $50,000 in energy costs in 2011."

Spotlighting the Green Benefits of LEDs

The capability to provide artificial sunlight has dramatically expanded the boundaries of time and space, adding hours to the day when we may see and illuminating where sunlight was unable to penetrate. Since the first humans carried a torch to provide light, heat has been a by-product of producing light.

Traditional electric lights continue to give off more heat than light. An incandescent light bulb uses a paltry 10 percent of its energy to create light. Fluorescent lighting -- which has been the green standard in energy efficiency -- still wastes nearly half of the electricity it consumes in generating heat. All of this lost energy is significant considering that lighting devours more than a quarter of a typical commercial building's electricity, as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/09/02/spotlighting-green-benefits-leds#ixzz0yNUcx0tm

How to save energy around the house

U.S. consumers spend a collective $241 billion on home energy use every year

Solar panels get installed on the south facing side of the roof of this home. Fitting one of the panels into place are Joe Bartolomei, left, and Lee Sterling, of Solartistry Incorporated, of Poway.

U.S. consumers spend a collective $241 billion on home energy use every year — keeping the home comfortable, the lights lit, the food cold, the clothes clean and the gadgets charged, according to Evan Mills, who leads the Home Energy Saver ( http://hes.lbl.gov) project at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The fuel burned to provide this energy pumps 1.2 billion tons of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. Mills says improvements in efficiency could cut home energy use by more than half, leading to lower energy bills and a smaller carbon footprint. Click ahead to learn how to save energy at home by making the home more energy-efficient.