So the new Blu | Origin pre-fab homes from Blu Homes aren't necessarily introducing us to any new concept. But that should take nothing away from what is new about the company's Blu | Origin line. Built to be used in a wide variety of manners, the Blu | Origin spaces are eco-friendly, factory built living modules that can be affordable shipped within weeks -- anywhere in the country -- and assembled on site within days.
The units feature open layouts, numerous windows for natural light, renewable bamboo floors, recycled paper countertops, low-flow fixtures and energy star appliances, no or low VOC paints and finishes, and even hybrid or electric car plug-ins. This is green living, for sure.
The website is worth the visit, just to check out the images of the new line of living spaces.
What do Smart Homes running off a Smart Energy Grid need to be complete? Why, Smart Plugs, of course!
The energy conservationists at Zerofootprint are adding IQ points to each outlet in the home with their new carbon emission-reducing socket supplements, called "TalkingPlugs™." Designed to fit right on top of an existing outlet, each TalkingPlug™ comes equipped with technology that enables control of a plugged-in appliance across a network as well as real-time measuring of energy consumption. You know how the "Stand-by" mode of every plugged in appliance or electronic device consumes electricity even when said device is turned off? The TalkingPlug™ can be programmed to cut power to the device during certain hours (sleepy time) to conserve electricity.
Widespread installation of TalkingPlugs™ across neighborhoods, municipalities and even the country will result in a sort of mesh network -- information gathered from each home can be sent to Zerofootprint and individual homes can check in to see how their energy usage compares to others.
The current $50/plug price is a little prohibitive. I want to conserve, but I also want to have enough money to actually pay the electricity bill (lower though it may be). I'm not sure if I'm sold on the name, either. I envision cartoonish plastic wall pods from some animated kids' movie fighting for the attention of the human characters. "Plug ME!" "No, plug ME!" Lower the price, change the name, and I'm as game as the next guy.
LEED rates buildings on a number of factors that reflect a home’s sustainability. The first LivingHomes was the first home to receive a LEED’s highest designation of Platinum.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to help identify and implement practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
To qualify as LEED certified, homes must earn a minimum of 45 points in eight categories including: Innovative Design Process (ID), Location and Linkages (LL), Sustainable Sites (SS), Water Efficiency (WE), Energy and Atmosphere (EA), Materials and Resources (MR), Indoor Environmental Quality (IQ), and Awareness and Education (AE).
LEED certified homes save more energy, conserve more water, create less waste and are healthier for homeowners than non-LEED certified homes. These green homes offer homeowners health benefits, significantly reduce their utility bills and lessen their impact and dependence on the environment. While not every home will be built or retrofit to LEED certification standards, a number of smaller steps can be taken by homeowners and builders with the LEED standards in mind.
Federal stimulus packages create additional incentives for homeowners to incorporate energy-efficient products into their homes including a 30 percent tax credit (up to $1,500) on windows and doors, insulation, roofs (metal and asphalt), HVAC, water heaters (non-solar) and biomass stoves for those products purchased for existing homes from now until 2010. Tax credits for existing homes and new construction are available at 30 percent of the cost on geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, solar water heaters, small wind energy systems and fuel cells through 2016. With more than 1,800 exhibitors -- many of which boast LEED credits for homes -- and 100 educational sessions on sustainable building including a keynote opening by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, GreenBuild 2009 demonstrated the growing interest, importance and need for eco friendly building and design. Touting the theme, “green building on every street” and through its first-ever Green Job Fair, the conference and expo proved that going green has never been more mainstream.
What does this mean for homeowners? Not only will your homes be healthier for your family and the environment, but as more and more companies offer green products and services, more options and competitive pricing will emerge for homeowners looking to go green. For homeowners interested in more information on LEED, green building or to view a list of builders dedicated to sustainable homes, visit the USGBC Web site.
GreenBuild is an international conference and expo on bringing green living to Main Street. It is being covered for BobVila.com by the editors of EcoNewsNetwork.org, a blog that provides news, trends and commentary on ecological issues, challenges, products, processes, science and leisure.
Indoor air quality continues to remain a popular topic among today’s homeowners as it has been linked to a variety of health concerns and issues including asthma, respiratory ailments, cancer and even death. Poor indoor air quality stems from inadequate ventilation, high temperature and humidity, which can all cause indoor air pollution and damage to your home’s structure by a variety of volatile organic compounds and airborne pollutants including mold, radon, carbon monoxide and toxic chemicals.
The good news is that there are a host of companies responding to the need to improve our homes’ indoor air and reduce health issues attributed to these issues. These systems are a major step in the direction of protecting us from the air we breathe.
Below are three of our favorite companies offering innovative, eco friendly products that clean up the air you breathe:
1. Venmar
Venmar provides an array of products to improve your indoor air quality including attic ventilators, air exchangers, range hoods and whole house filtration and ventilation systems. Our favorite is the Venmar Air Exchanger that moves the polluted and humid air from inside your home to the outdoors and replaces it with fresh air throughout the day. Visit www.venmar.ca for more information.
2. Genteq
Genteq offers a whole house comfort system that improves your indoor air quality through a HEPA (high efficiency particulate arrestance) air cleaner that removes odors, smoke and microscopic airborne particles that can trigger allergies and asthma. The system also includes a humidifier that is attached to your ductwork, bringing your home to a comfortable humidity level. The Genteq comfort system further reduces your home energy costs as it uses the Evergreen high-efficiency motor that uses up to 74 percent fewer watts than a standard motor blower. Check out www.genteqcomfort.com for more information.
3. Dynamic Air Quality Solutions
Dynamic Air Cleaners are installed into the existing tracks of your heating and cooling systems and use electronic polarized-media technology, meaning the system captures even the smallest particles that pollute the air you breathe. Visit www.dynamicaqs.com for more information.
Improving your indoor air quality is an important step to safeguard the health of your family. Even better, many of today’s companies offer whole house filtration systems that allow you to breathe easy, go green and save money!
Stay tuned for more updates from GreenBuild 2009!
GreenBuild is an international conference and expo on bringing green living to Main Street. It is being covered for BobVila.com by the editors of EcoNewsNetwork.org, a blog that provides news, trends and commentary on ecological issues, challenges, products, processes, science and leisure.
From funky furniture made from recycled plastic bags to gorgeous countertops manufactured from the glass of old traffic light lenses, this year’s GreenBuild Conference & Expo is home to a plethora of innovative manufacturers using recycled materials in a variety of different products for the home.
What does this mean for everyday homeowners? With the advancements in companies’ manufacturing and product development processes, today’s homeowners have more opportunities now than ever before to choose products for their home that are safer and more durable -- and also help to reduce their carbon footprint.
Below are our top four picks for the best recycled building products we’ve seen at GreenBuild 2009.
1. Vetrazzo
Made from recycled glass, Vetrazzo exquisite glass countertops are a great eco-friendly addition to any home. Even cooler, Vetrazzo provides homeowners with a Certificate of Transformation that tells you exactly where your glass came from such as bottles from curbside recycling programs or from post industrial waste like windows, dinnerware, stemware, automotive windshields and even decommissioned traffic lights. Visit www.vetrazzo.com for more information.
2. Rotoluxe, (pictured)
As we walked up and down the aisles at GreenBuild, Rotoluxe caught our attention due to its fresh, unique and contemporary furniture designs -- as this glowing planter shows. Offering true “cradle to cradle” products, Rotoluxe’s indoor/outdoor furniture is made from 100 percent post-consumer waste and is 100 percent recyclable. Check out www.rotoluxe.com for more information.
3. Vermont Natural Coatings
Using whey, a by-product of cheese making that pollutes our rivers, lakes and oceans, and turning away from using petroleum, a non-renewable resource that oil-based wood finishes and other coatings use, Vermont Natural Coatings has created a professional wood finish gone green. Aside from their beauty, Vermont Natural Coatings are long lasting and safe for your family. Check out www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com for a retailer near you.
4. Eco Domo
Eco Domo recycled leather tiles are a gorgeous eco-friendly alternative to traditional flooring and interior furnishings. Available in crocodile or buffalo recycled leather texture, Eco Domo offers luxurious and stylish flooring and interior furnishing options for today’s eco-savvy homeowners. Visit www.ecodomo.com for more information.
There you have it, our top four picks for the best recycled building materials showcased at GreenBuild. Stay tuned for more of our favorite finds from GreenBuild.
GreenBuild is an international conference and expo on bringing green living to Main Street. It is being covered for BobVila.com by the editors of EcoNewsNetwork.org, a blog that provides news, trends and commentary on ecological issues, challenges, products, processes, science and leisure.
We were recently thrilled to discover a new green blog that covers everything from eco-couture to sustainable building. EcoNewsNetwork.org knows we recognize the importance of buying sustainably and taking care of the Earth. They seem to understand that we go green when we can and have the desire to be greener and gentler, but sometimes just need more guidance to propel us on our way.
That's why they arm us with small bursts of info and cool products and advice so we can start living more responsibly in steps large or small.
The best part: The editors of EcoNewsNetwork.org are going to blog for us this week as they visit GreenBuild, an international conference discussing the advancement of cost-effective, energy-efficient, water-saving green buildings. Check back here to find out what they learn.
In the meantime, we suggest becoming a fan of the Eco News Network through Facebook, Twitter, or subscribing to their RSS feed. Hope you find it as eco-fabulous as we did.
Most window blinds are used to keep the sun -- and heat -- out of the home. These SolarChoice blinds do the exact opposite -- they increase the heat in the home. The "Heaters", as they are called, are winter window treatments that purportedly reduce heating costs up to 35%. How does it work? Each plastic vane has a hollow channel running its length. Cold air enters the channel at the bottom of the blind, warms up through passive solar heating, and exits out the top of the vane -- at temperatures as high as 140 degrees.
The website has a video to teach homeowners how to install the product, as well as measuring guides for ordering. Installation looks pretty straight-forward: Drill a few holes, fasten a few clips, hang the header and blinds, and presto! Thousands of BTU's of heat are exhaled into the room with zero emissions, zero operating cost and zero maintenance needs.
As if that wasn't enough to pique your interest, the Heaters qualify for Federal Solar Energy tax incentives.
The design isn't fancy -- a brushed aluminum-style finish faces the interior of the room -- and you'll probably want to be removing them during the warmer summer months, which is a slight bother. Oh, and the blinds aren't cheap -- one 6'x8' treatment sells for close to $1500. That certainly had me whipping the calculator out to determine how quickly the Heaters would pay for themselves, given a 35% savings in heating cost.
Here's one last consideration: there's really no point in having them installed on windows that don't see the sun, so your home decor may suffer from a slight imbalance, at least as window treatments are concerned. If you can get beyond that, I'd say the Heaters are worth taking a look at.
Would you consider the SolarChoice Heaters for your home this winter?
