We complete our ENERGY STAR designated House in 2005. Prior to receiving the designation, energy auditors performed a blower door audit to confirm that the house met the standards for weather efficiency. We passed with flying colors. Fast forward, six year later and house shifting, I decided to hire another company to audit the […]
RE_Home, U of Illinois’ Solar Decathlon House: Reactive to Disasters
The University of Illinois designed The Re_Home for the 2011 Solar Decathlon with disaster response in mind. It is a very adaptable, flexible space to accommodate different family situations. Why a disaster response house? The state is prone to destructive tornadoes. The beauty of the house is that two modular components of the Re_Home can be transported on one trailer. In addition, the solar […]
Wool Insulation by Oregon Shepard: Natural, Energy Efficient, NonToxic
Many of my readers know that green building has always been my passion. However, some of the building products used are less than green in my book. I am guilty as well for using them since I didn’t have a viable alternative. As many of you know I used Icycnene, an open cell foam insulation […]
Outlet and Light Switches Suck Your Money Right Out the Window
Have you ever notice how cold your outlet or switch covers are in the winter? This winter was extremely cold in the northeast. Periodically, I would go around and see if air was emanating from the outlet. Sure enough, the outlets were cold as ice. Despite the fact my house is an Energy Star […]
Green News for April 4 , 2010, Ford Motor, Facebook Green, Fake Energy Star Approvals
Photo by Fernando de Sousa. I don’t know what got into everyone this week, but my email box was jammed with interesting green news. Is it Spring? New clothes? Lost Weight? New Love Interest? A recent Hook-up? Heck, I have no idea, but get a cup of Joe, tea or tap water (forget the […]
Recycle Your Jeans at the Gap March 5-14, 2010
Photo by permission of Ben Donley One of my most popular post is “Recycle your Blue Jeans.” I guess I have a lot of jean wearing, need to get rid of old jeans readers. Well, for a limited time, Gap is taking back old jeans as part of the CottontoBluetoGreen.org campaign. The time period is short: […]
Garage Door Insulation Helps to Reduce Winter and Summer Energy Bills
Photo courtesy of Falcon Foam. Updated 12/20/2011: Falcon Foam’s garage kit is not known as Matador. How many of you use your garage as a work area? Or how many feel like their bedroom above the garage is cold despite adequate insulation? Are your garage doors insulated? I did not think. My prior house had […]
AirKrete Fire Proof Foam Insulation: Peace of Mind with Lower Energy Bills
[podcast]http://www.green-talk.com/podcasts/aircrete.mp3[/podcast] Note: post has been updated as of 2/15/2010 due to conversation with Keene Christopher, CEO of AirKrete. The other day as I was sitting around of table of women at a Super Bowl Party, one of the women commented on how cold this particular winter has been Quickly the conversation turned to how cold […]
