#energy efficency

[westeckwindows]

How net-zero homes produce energy.

Not every net-zero home is the same, but they all include their own sources of renewable energy, including energy efficient windows.

This week in Westeck News - How net-zero homes produce energy. 

[texasborderbusiness]

REPORT: Energy Efficiency Employs 2.25 Million Americans

REPORT: Energy Efficiency Employs 2.25 Million Americans

Top 10 States: Calif., Texas, N.Y., Fla., Ill., Mass., Mich., N.C., Ohio, Va.

Energy efficiency jobs grew 3% in 2017

17 states have more than 50,000 energy efficiency workers; 25 have more than 30,000

Energy efficiency employs 2X as many Americans as fossil fuel industries

Texas Border Business

WASHINGTON AND BOSTON – Energy efficiency added more new jobs than any other industry in the entire…

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[we-buy-houses-blog1]

Add To Your Home's Value With These Energy Tips

A Kitchen Remodeling project that adds energy efficiency boost your home’s value significantly. Handling home improvements and renovations on your own is also a way to keep your expenses down. It can become your new hobby! The tips in the following paragraphs, will help you get any project off to a good start, and may make your home more energy efficient. Cathedral Ceilings:  Over-sized cathedral ceilings that did not heat or cool well were common in this era.  If you have one that looks good but wreaks havoc on your heating or cooling bills, you may be able to install ceiling fans to blow hot air down in the summer and pull cold air up in the winter.Fans are great for cooling your home. Ceiling fans are great for increased circulation and cooling. Try to avoid using the air conditioner unless absolutely necessary.

Add Energy Efficiency

To stop air from going through your door, buy sealant strips and draft excluders. Draft excluders go underneath the doors to prevent hot air from leaving and keep cold air from entering. Sealant strips will also do the job in preventing air from seeping out of door frames. You can find them at your local hardware store.

Drafty Windows:  Inefficient steel and aluminum windows were common in this era.  While seen at the time as a modern upgrade to iron-weighted wood windows that swelled and rotted, time has proven these windows to be just as problematic.  Steel windows rust badly and unless they have rusted shut, are probably very drafty.  If you are still nursing some of these antiques, they should be replaced, as I can guarantee you they won’t become more valuable over time!

Roofing

Replacing an old roof can prove to be expensive for any homeowner. Get price quotes from no less than three contractors and make sure you have verified their references. You have lots of choices when it comes to roofing. You can choose from a traditional roof covering such as shingles or wood shake, or you could choose a metal roof or a lightweight tile roof. A good contractor can help give you options.

Poor Roof Ventilation:  In the 1960s and through to the mid ’70s, attics typically did not have enough ventilation.  As a result, moisture buildup over all those years caused the roof sheathing to eventually rot away.  If you own a home that was built in this era, your best home repair is to add more ventilation.  Continuous ridge and soffit venting works best.  This system will flush warm or moist air out of the attic 24/7, leaving the structure in good shape while keeping both heating and cooling costs in check.

Stay Safe

Keeping everyone in your home safe is easy if you take the time to make an escape plan. If you have a fire or earthquake, your natural inclination is going to be to panic. You can also have a burglar system installed. Gather together, come up with routes, and think about how effective each of them will be.

Most home basements are designed to let in very little natural light. To turn your basement into a more livable space, come up with a plan to include artificial lighting to brighten it up. If you happen to be one of the lucky few, your basement walls will be slightly higher than the normal ground level. If that is the case, you can put in windows that use natural light.

If you’re taking on a remodeling project yourself, make sure you use high quality supplies and tools. It may seem more costly at first, but you will be happy you made the choice when the tools are still working at the end of your project. As a general rule, better quality products have longer lifespans and can take more punishment before they break. Tools, especially, can be costly and you do not want to need replacements often.

Home improvement projects can make you feel good about your home and yourself. With these tips at hand, you can make good choices, find some great ideas and save yourself some money as well.

[virginiatowncrier]

Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Monday he's speeding up efforts to meet energy efficiency goals under the Virginia Energy Plan, a move praised by conservation groups worried about the state's poor record on efficiency.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Monday he's speeding up efforts to meet energy efficiency goals under the Virginia Energy Plan, a move praised by conservation groups worried about the state's poor record on efficiency.

Under the new plan, the state will reduce retail electricity consumption by 10 percent by 2020 — two years earlier than the previous goal. To help make it happen, McAuliffe appointed 12 individuals from the public and private sectors to an Executive Committee on Energy Efficiency.

"The energy sector is a key strategic growth area as we work to build a new Virginia economy," McAuliffe said in a statement. "And improving energy efficiency is one of the real opportunities."

Soon after the announcement, Dawone Robinson at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network in D.C. called the measure a "win-win situation."

"Increasing energy efficiency is our lowest-hanging fruit when it comes to reducing the carbon emissions fueling severe weather and sea-level rise," Robinson said. "Currently, Virginia ranks toward the bottom of U.S. states in reducing energy use, which is a big reason our families pay the eighth-highest average electric bills."

Click on the headline to read the full story. ~ Newport News Daily Press

[chicagoarchitect]

Free Seminar: High-Performance Walls for Energy Efficiency & Disaster Resilience

Designers today are challenged to create homes that meet stringent energy codes and can stand up to Mother Nature’s worst—all while remaining competitive and cost-effective in the marketplace. Proper design and detailing of wall systems plays an integral role in meeting these requirements.

APA-The Engineered Wood Association is hosting a free half-day seminar on October 8 that will help ease the burden on designers and builders by offering key strategies and tools for high-performance walls that are energy efficient, structurally sound, durable, and cost effective.

Topics include: —Advanced Framing: Learn simple techniques to increase whole-wall R-values, reduce thermal bridging, and optimize building materials, resulting in energy and cost savings —Energy-Efficient Wood Walls: Learn how to design and build energy-efficient wood wall assemblies, comply with codes, and communicate with the project team and building officials —Disaster Resilience and Durability: Learn disaster-resistant construction concepts, how to prevent water intrusion, and how to meet the IRC’s wall-bracing provisions 

Details: October 8, 2014 8 a.m. to noon Light breakfast provided

Location: The Meridian 1701 Algonquin Road Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

Cost: Free

Continuing Education Credit Available: 4 HSW CEUs for AIA members,  or 4 Professional Development Hours (PDH)

Download a registration form here: http://www.apawood.org/eblast/APA_AF_Chicago_Flier.pdf

[chicagoarchitect]

Be Energy Smart: An Update on the 2030 Commitment by Marya Graff, Assoc. AIA

For four years running, the AIA Chicago 2030 Working Group has compiled project data from multiple firms. Each year we paint a picture of how our collective work fares in terms of design energy performance, and employment of practices which foster energy literacy. This Spring, we collected design work data from 18 local offices. This was the highest level of participation to date, and we aim for even more next year.

Sharing is easy. Signatory firms to the AIA 2030 Commitment collect data annually, and submit a summary to the AIA each March. The AIA Chicago 2030 Working Group takes this a step further by compiling not only summary information but enough source data to enable analysis by building sector, project size, etc.

Of course, we have a very long way to go before carbon neutral design is standard practice. Advancing our understanding of the role of energy in our design work is the first step. Elevating the topic of energy for all our projects, not just a few exemplary ones, is an important feature of the Commitment.

Make sure that your firm is part of our progress; join the AIA 2030 Commitment today!

Contact Joan Pomaranc at AIA Chicago to request a discussion in your office about the AIA 2030 Commitment, what it means to be a signatory, the amount of effort involved, and the benefits to signatory firms.

See the article in this month's Chicago Architect for more.

- Marya Graff, LEED-AP, Assoc. AIA Associate Sustainability Consultant, Cannon Design

[chicagoarchitect]

Retrofit Chicago Benchmarking Ordinance

As early supporters of efforts to maximize the market conditions for energy efficiency, AIA Chicago is proud to see Mayor Emanuel's introduction of the Retrofit Chicago initiative.

Mayor Emanuel writes in a recent op-ed for the Huffington Post:

"To further accelerate energy efficiency today I introduced an ordinance that will require energy benchmarking and disclosure for thousands of the largest commercial, residential and municipal buildings in Chicago. One percent of all buildings in the city collectively use 22 percent of all building energy use. Data transparency unlocks markets, and an energy reduction by these buildings of just 5 percent would result in approximately $250 million in investment and be equivalent to taking over 50,000 cars off the road."

Under the proposed ordinance, buildings over 50,000 square feet would

be required to track and verify energy consumption. Joining cities such as Philadelphia, Boston, New, York, Seattle, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Austin, and Washington DC, this ordinance not only makes strides toward monitoring city-wide energy efficiency goals, but also presents opportunities for architects to certify the benchmarking data, as one of the professions designated by the city to do so.

    Read the city of Chicago's press release on the Benchmarking Ordinance here.

[leefilters]

We know most of you are quite familiar with most of these terms. But we also know many of your friends and family members are not. So next time they ask you what the differences between all these light sources are, you can send them this handy guide as great reference to help them out!

http://www.retrofitcompanies.com/glossary-of-lighting-terms.php#A