Focus on Green Building Materials — Bamboo

Bamboo flooring has become hugely popular in recent years for a couple of reasons. First, it is good looking flooring, but second it is also an easily renewable resource that takes less than 5 years to grow to maturity. When you compare that to the 50-100 years that traditional hardwoods you can see why bamboo has potential. Bamboo is affordable to boot!

One thing to consider when purchasing bamboo for your home is where it was produced. Most bamboo is produced in Asia and shipped to the US. In my opinion that is far from green. However, there are some local US producers of bamboo. They should be your first choice in bamboo providers. If you can’t find a local producer make sure and ask your distributor if they do carbon offsets for the bamboo they ship from Asia.

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845

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Spurred by corporations and consumers with an eye on the bottom line, the green building industry grew from $7 billion in 2005 to nearly $12 billion last year. The reason for the growth is economics, building green saves money.

Many homeowners who undertake green renovations aim to improve energy efficiency. As they should, it’s a no brainer these days with ballooning energy prices. The facts are that studies have shown green building projects cost just 2 - 10% more than their non-green equivalents, but can save on average over 20 - 50% annually on energy bills. What’s even bigger to some homeowners is that green homes fetch more on resell, as much as 6% more for many homes. When you ice that cake with Government incentives and utility company credits you reap even more savings. So, you have a project that cost 2 - 10% more, which you can more than recoup your first year through incentives and energy savings, you can garner a premium when you sell AND you save money every year you own the home. Why wouldn’t you build green?

Contact us today to find out the new incentives that were passed in the recent Housing Bill to help make Energy Efficient Mortgages and Green Renovation cheaper and more accessible.

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845

Let’s face it: the North American bathroom isn’t the most glamorous of rooms. Ranging from staid and boring to downright dangerous, with slippery showers and water hogging toilet tanks and tubs set in a poorly ventilated, water-tight box, many modern bathrooms just haven’t been designed as thoughtfully the rest of our homes.

This is an odd development, given that bathrooms are one of the most expensive rooms in the house to build, averaging about $10,000 a pop. Still, for all their expense, the design hasn’t evolved too far beyond shiny fixtures and his ‘n her sinks: many of us are still using the five-by-eight bathroom with the three fixtures — toilet, sink, and tub — all lined up in a row. And while it might help maximize space, having a dirty fixture where you deposit your waste (the toilet) next to two where you clean yourself (the sink and the tub) doesn’t make for the healthiest environment.

Add to that all the water that literally can get flushed down the drain every day, the poor ventilation that plagues many a bathroom (that leads to poor indoor air quality), and all the energy that goes in to heating your water and lighting the room, and it might mean that it’s time to update your abode’s commode.

1. Waste Water Not, Want Not
   Saving water is the most important thing to consider when doing a bathroom makeover, as the toilet alone can use as much as 27 percent of household water. Although much of the waste is caused by bad habits, installing and maintaining water-saving bathroom fixtures is an enormously important step. Here’s how: Start by installing low-flow showerheads and faucets; next, fix any leaks as soon as they happen (including continuously leaky toilets, which can waste as much as 300 gallons of water every day). A further step is to set up a gray-water system that collects water from the sink and shower and feeds the toilet and the garden. You can also read our How to Go Green: Water guide for more helpful ideas.
2. Come Out of the (Water) Closet
   Given the amount of time each of us spends in the bathroom, we think we should all be able to enjoy it. So why do American bathrooms resemble closets? In a traditional Japanese bath, for example, the view framed by the window is an important part of the design of the bathroom. Make sure your bathroom includes windows, for natural light, the view, and ventilation. Forget the American dream of a bathroom for every bedroom (and then a powder room for the guests!). Put the toilet in a separate space to isolate bacteria — it takes up just a little more space, and is almost as good as having a second bathroom as one person can be using the toilet while another is using the sink or tub.
3. Don’t Flush Resources Away
   Almost everything about our toilets is wrong: Drinking water is used for flushing waste, which becomes “black water,” which contaminates the “grey water” waste that comes from everything else in the bathroom (and could otherwise be reused). Black water is hard to clean and flushes away valuable resources (see the Getting Techie section for further discussion of gray- and black-water). For example, urine is a valuable source of phosphorus, and poo could be composted into fertilizer if it weren’t hauled off to the nearest water treatment center. Plus, toilets aren’t designed around the way our bodies work: Sitting, rather than squatting, has been linked to hemorrhoids, constipation, and colon cancer.
4. Build a Better Toilet
   So, the ideal toilet would be a squat-friendly, urine-separating, composting toilet (like the one I installed in my cabin) with a pop-up bidet. But since these can be hard to find these days, in lieu of this imaginary ideal loo, we offer these small steps to help you green your commode:
   • Replace the lid of the tank with a washing lid — a sink on top of the tank — where the water for the flush first goes through a faucet where you can wash your hands.
   • Use a no-flush urinal, for the men (and agile women) in your house.
   • Install a low-volume toilet or dual-flush mechanism — that’s one for, er… a number one, and two for a number two.
   • Get the lowest toilet you can find, with an elongated bowl then adapt it for squatting.
   • For sitting toilets, buy a toilet seat that can be removed for cleaning.
5. Think About Your Sink
   Beyond the big step of purchasing a hybrid sink-toilet, such as the one mentioned above, where the grey water from the sink is used in the toilet bowl, there are many other options to consider when choosing the right sink. First, the sink vanity height should be at least 36 inches, which will allow you to stand up straight while you wash, which is easier on the back. Next, consider a kitchen-type faucet with sprayer, so that you can rinse the sink easily — you can save water and wash your hair with it, too. Finally, consider the materials and layout of your sink: Hospital-plumbing brass sinks, which have big paddle handles that you can operate with your elbows (so you don’t have to touch ‘em with your dirty hands), and go with recycled and eco-materials, such as natural ceramic or non-toxic cement, for your hardware and sink basin.
6. Cease Slippery Showers
   Standing barefoot on a curved, smooth surface, while adding water and soap might not be the safest way to start your day, but that’s what many of us do in the shower each day. Instead, we recommend building a shower stall, separate from the tub, or just forget about the tub altogether, as taking a bath can use seven times the amount of energy as taking a short shower. Install a handheld showerhead so that you can aim it up as well as down, and put in grab bars; no matter what your age, people slip in showers a lot. Consider a molded fiberglass shower instead of a tiled one, as they are easier to keep clean. Avoid vinyl shower curtains — either PVC-free plastic or even hemp is a good alternative — and if you get glass doors, use a squeegee to clean them after you shower, which will help you avoid using chemicals to remove the scum that forms otherwise.
7. Keep Yourself Out of Hot Water
   More than 10 percent of our energy bills typically come from heating up hot water. Although the best way to reduce that number is to use less of it for bathing, washing your hands, and doing household chores (such as doing the laundry in hot water), you can also consider these options:
   • Set up a solar powered water heater — they used to be either expensive or just not very effective; now many companies are selling evacuated tube water heaters for under $5,000.
   • Install a waste-heat recovery system (pdf) that preheats the shower water with the warm water going down the drain.
8. Ventilate Your Vanity
   Bathrooms are warm and damp, a perfect environment for mildew and mold. You can attack this problem with chemicals and bleaches, or you can simply keep the humidity levels down below their comfort zone. Every house or renovation should include the installation of a Heat Recovery Ventilator, or HRV; if you build to any kind of standard, you need fresh air intake. When you bring in fresh air you need to balance it with exhausted air, so take it from the bathrooms. This will ensure that there is a constant flow of air and continuous removal of excess humidity. Increase the air flow in your bathroom further by using a low power consumption fan (preferably remote installation, where it is mounted at the exhaust point rather than the intake point). Include a timer switch so it will turn off after the bathroom moisture has subsided.
9. Don’t Slip on the Floor
   We line cover our bathroom floors with big, shiny, pore-less tiles, often radioactive granite; just the thing to slip on. Use non-slip tiles including a tiled baseboard, and put in a floor drain - let it take away excess water when you get out of the shower, instead of a using a soggy bath mat that keeps releasing moisture.
10. Select Mold Mitigating Materials
    Use materials that don’t promote mould and mildew growth, are eco-friendly, and are easy to clean. In Japan, a lot of baths are lined with cedar and wood; cork and water resistant woods have natural mold inhibitors in them. For floors and walls go with recycled glass or ceramic tiles, Marmoleum (a good old fashed linoleum material), low-VOC paints, and natural plasters like American Clay, which absorb and release moisture, mitigating the potential for mildew. For countertops, consider those made from recycled glass cullet, or compressed, sealed, recycled paper, such as Paperstone and Richlite.

See the original post at: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/green-guides/bathroom-renovation/index.html or call us to find out how we can use a FHA 203K or Fannie Mae Homestyle Renovation loan to finance your green improvements.

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845

Green building is a trend that is rapidly gathering steam, but that won’t stop they naysayers and ne’er-do-wells out there from claiming it is a waste of time, energy, and money. So, how do you approach the concept of renovating green for the folks that are not into environmental responsibility? I always start with economics and lead into health.

Renovating green provides the following pocket book affecting benefits:

• Lowered ongoing operating costs in the form of monthly savings on your energy bills
• Marketability at the time of resell

Both of those aspects can put a chunk of change in your pocket. Those aren’t the only two benefits outside of saving the planet though, your health is also benefited from renovating green. In fact, it is proven that alternative paint and floor finishes are less toxic at application & over time for those who are sensitive to chemical particles, dust, or other materials. A cleaner, healthier environment will reduce your medical bills. This is especially true of childhood asthma, many parents will be more than happy to tell you they have greatly reduced the symptoms of asthma in their children by using the proper building materials and providing the proper ventilation.

It is time for you to start studying how renovating green will affect you.

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845

Most energy-efficient financing programs will encourage you to have an energy rating for your new or existing home, which will tell you and the lender how energy efficient it is. A rating typically involves an inspection by a professional energy rater who is certified under a nationally or state accredited home energy rating system (HERS). There are several options regarding HERS, so the type of HERS used will depend on where you live. Some states even have more than one HERS.

For the most part, an energy rater will inspect the energy-related features of a home, such as insulation levels, window efficiency, heating and cooling systems, and air leakage. After the inspection, the energy rater will probably give you a report that includes the home’s energy rating, along with an estimation of annual energy use and costs. The report also may include recommended energy improvements, if needed, and their costs, as well as the potential annual savings and eventual payback of the improvements.

To help qualify for most energy-efficient financing, the report usually must show that the home is energy efficient or that recommended improvements are cost effective. Ultimately, any improvements will save you more money than you’d be borrowing to install them. While calculating whether a borrower qualifies for a mortgage, a lender can recognize these savings and add the cost of the improvements into the mortgage. Or, if the home is already energy efficient, the lender can stretch the debt-to-income qualifying ratio, which is expressed as a percentage (the ratio is calculated by dividing a borrower’s monthly payment obligation on long-term debts by the borrower’s net effective income or gross monthly income).

The cost of a home-energy rating and how it can be paid—by the borrower, the seller, the lender, the real estate agent—or financed as part of the mortgage, as well as the availability of certified energy raters, can vary from state to state and from one energy-efficient financing program to another.

For more information on who to contact for a HERS report in Atlanta contact us today.

Jonathan Blackwell

404-551-3845

While we are still combing through the new 800 page housing bill, we have noticed a few huge items designed to increase the market for energy efficient mortgages. Previously, FHA EEMs allow lenders to add 100 percent of the additional cost of cost-effective energy efficiency improvements to an already approved mortgage loan (as long as the additional costs do not exceed $4000 or 5 percent of the value of the home, up to a maximum of $8000, whichever is greater). No additional down payment is required, and the FHA loan limits won’t interfere with the process of obtaining the EEM. The new rule eliminates that $8000 cap and changes it to 5% of the purchase price / appraised value of the home. On a home that sells for $300,000 that means you can get $15,000 of energy efficient improvements with having to qualify for the additional debt to income produced by the higher loan amount or putting the extra down payment that would also be required by the higher loan amount.

The bipartisan proposal was put forward by Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici, chair and ranking member of the Senate Energy Committee. Here’s what they had to say about the amendment…

Sen. Bingaman: “With high energy prices expected to continue, a streamlined energy efficient mortgage process would make energy efficient new homes and energy retrofits much more attractive to builders and consumers. Promoting energy efficient homes will reduce the amount of energy we consume in our homes while also helping mitigate the effects of global warming.”

Sen. Domenici: “American homes serve as the front-line for improved energy efficiency. I’m pleased that the bill managers have accepted our amendment to identify obstacles that are making it more difficult to build, buy or renovate energy efficient homes. In this time of rising energy costs, we should do everything possible to help people use less energy — and spend less money.”

Along with that, the bill also releases more money dedicated to the funding Energy Efficient Mortgages. Expect to see more and more incentives coming in the near future as lenders AND consumers start to understand the importance of going green at home.

Scientists mimic essence of plants’ energy storage system

Anne Trafton, News Office
July 31, 2008

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn’t shine.

Daniel Nocera describes new process for storing solar energy
View video post on MIT TechTV

Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With today’s announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

Requiring nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, this discovery could unlock the most potent, carbon-free energy source of all: the sun. “This is the nirvana of what we’ve been talking about for years,” said MIT’s Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the work in the July 31 issue of Science. “Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon.”

Inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants, Nocera and Matthew Kanan, a postdoctoral fellow in Nocera’s lab, have developed an unprecedented process that will allow the sun’s energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Later, the oxygen and hydrogen may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power your house or your electric car, day or night.

The key component in Nocera and Kanan’s new process is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water; another catalyst produces valuable hydrogen gas. The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water. When electricity – whether from a photovoltaic cell, a wind turbine or any other source – runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode, and oxygen gas is produced.

Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, that can produce hydrogen gas from water, the system can duplicate the water splitting reaction that occurs during photosynthesis.

The new catalyst works at room temperature, in neutral pH water, and it’s easy to set up, Nocera said. “That’s why I know this is going to work. It’s so easy to implement,” he said.

‘Giant leap’ for clean energy

Sunlight has the greatest potential of any power source to solve the world’s energy problems, said Nocera. In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet’s energy needs for one year.

James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis who was not involved in this research, called the discovery by Nocera and Kanan a “giant leap” toward generating clean, carbon-free energy on a massive scale.

“This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind,” said Barber, the Ernst Chain Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London. “The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated since it opens up the door for developing new technologies for energy production thus reducing our dependence for fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem.”

‘Just the beginning’

Currently available electrolyzers, which split water with electricity and are often used industrially, are not suited for artificial photosynthesis because they are very expensive and require a highly basic (non-benign) environment that has little to do with the conditions under which photosynthesis operates.

More engineering work needs to be done to integrate the new scientific discovery into existing photovoltaic systems, but Nocera said he is confident that such systems will become a reality.

“This is just the beginning,” said Nocera, principal investigator for the Solar Revolution Project funded by the Chesonis Family Foundation and co-director of the Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Center. “The scientific community is really going to run with this.”

Nocera hopes that within 10 years, homeowners will be able to power their homes in daylight through photovoltaic cells, while using excess solar energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen to power their own household fuel cell. Electricity-by-wire from a central source could be a thing of the past.

The project is part of the MIT Energy Initiative, a program designed to help transform the global energy system to meet the needs of the future and to help build a bridge to that future by improving today’s energy systems. MITEI Director Ernest Moniz, Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, noted that “this discovery in the Nocera lab demonstrates that moving up the transformation of our energy supply system to one based on renewables will depend heavily on frontier basic science.”

The success of the Nocera lab shows the impact of a mixture of funding sources - governments, philanthropy, and industry. This project was funded by the National Science Foundation and by the Chesonis Family Foundation, which gave MIT $10 million this spring to launch the Solar Revolution Project, with a goal to make the large scale deployment of solar energy within 10 years.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oxygen-0731.html