Home Energy articles from March 2004

Home Energy archives from March 2004

Zero Home Energy?(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... These days at DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C., all the talk is about zero-energy homes. Or is that zero Home Energy? Lots of planning is being devoted to how best to fund the building industry to develop the new technology required to...

A new homeowner's dilemma.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Our new 2,000 [ft.sup.2], two-story home (heated with a high-efficiency gas furnace) was supposed to have taped ducts. The contractor didn't do this. I know he is not going to pull the walls apart to put tape around the joints, but can he do...

Stud snugglers or snaps for steel studs.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I read your article "Steel Stud Walls: Breaking the Thermal Bridge" (July/Aug '01, p. 42) after I installed my steel 2 x 4 studs to my block basement walls. The steel studs are secured directly to the block, and between the studs is R-3...

Central air in new home.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... My builder, in El Paso, Texas, said that I need two 3-ton air conditioner units for my 2,000 [ft.sup.2] single-level home. I have never heard of anyone having two units to cool their home. He said that he will install them on opposite sides of...

Termites and microwave technology.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Is getting rid of termites with microwave technology something new or just a scam? I only see two ways: gas or fumigation. Carlos Baldwin Park, California Steve Greenberg responds: There are more ways to deal with termites...

Water conservation.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... My house has long runs from the water heater to the bathroom. Consequently, we waste a lot of water getting hot water from the water heater to the bathroom by running cold water down the drain until the hot water arrives. I have heard there...

What were they thinking?(House Doctor)
March 1, 2004... This unique means of venting a furnace in Chicago, Illinois, caught the eye of one of our Weatherization crews. Submitted by, Parliament Builders, Incorporated Weatherization Contractor Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic...

Sealed-attic retrofit.(House Doctor)
March 1, 2004... Q. I live, near Palm Springs, California. However, it is 10[degrees]--15[degrees]F cooler in the summer and winter where I live than it is in Palm Springs. My house is a single story and was built two and a half years ago. It has a vented...

Moving toward zero energy affordable housing.(New Construction)
March 1, 2004... Over the years, we in the home performance field have learned that housing for low- and moderate-income people can be made significantly more affordable by improving its energy efficiency. Tiffs learning has come from demonstration projects and...

Solar catalyst.(Photovoltaics)
March 1, 2004... Whoever coined the saying, "You can never be too rich or too thin was probably not thinking about solar cells. But when it comes to solar power systems, the saying is half right. Solar cells can never be too thin; nor can they ever be too...

Preventing particle penetration: with residents' health increasingly dependent on a home's indoor air quality, ventilation strategies become more important than ever.(IAQ)
March 1, 2004... As anyone who has stood over a smoky campfire can attest, breathing in fine particles is a health hazard. The health risk associated with inhaling dust and other small particles is directly related to the level of exposure, which is why...

Charge! A new battle cry for energy efficiency: beware the rarely used, but still plugged-in, cell phone charger! Rechargeable electronic products are consuming more power than one might think, even when the product is disconnected from the charger.(Appliances)
March 1, 2004... Over the last two decades, a slew of new portable electronic products have been introduced into the consumer marketplace and are growing steadily in popularity. With the rising sales of camcorders, digital cameras, laptop computers, cordless...

Strategies for success: what business practices do whole-house contractors need to consider adopting in order to see strong growth in the coming year?(Home Performance)(Cover Story)
March 1, 2004... Whole-house contracting businesses, which implement comprehensive solutions for performance problems that include a combination of HVAC and building shell improvements, are rare breeds. And successful whole-house contracting businesses are...

HEED-advised affordable housing: a free design tool can help identify the most cost-effective strategies for improving building energy efficiency and occupant comfort.(Software)
March 1, 2004... Designing energy-efficient housing that is also affordable is an especially complex challenge. There is a limited budget available for special features; tight time lines are imposed on the design team; and there are many decision makers whose...

Streamlining steam systems: the Boston Housing Authority is learning that old steam-heating systems can still provide comfort and efficiency--with some tweaking and help from the occupants.(Field Notes)
March 1, 2004... Steam-heating systems can have clear advantages for multifamily housing. For a relatively low cost, they distribute heat throughout a development (no circulation pumps required), and they deliver significantly higher heating output per...

Book sets high mark for green building.(New and Notable)(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... A new book, elegant enough for a coffee table, offers solid information on energy-efficient building along with a gallery's worth of photographs to inspire getting started. Good Green Homes, by Jennifer Roberts, sets forth a variety of ideas...

ASHRAE and DOE set mutual goals.(New and Notable)
March 1, 2004... Improving the efficient use of energy is the goal of a partnering agreement signed by ASHRAE and the DOE. A new memorandum of understanding will support the continuing development of Standard 62.2, "Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality...

California's new building standards to save 500 MW by 2008.(New and Notable)
March 1, 2004... Last November, the California Energy Commission adopted updated building standards for energy efficiency in residential and nonresidential construction. The new rules were designed to curtail the state's peak energy demand by more than 180...

Finding the money.(New and Notable)
March 1, 2004... A new version of the Funding Green Buildings Toolkit, a 150-page resource directory of green building funding and technical assistance resources, is now available. The Toolkit, which includes a CD, is also the workshop manual for one-day...

A really green top 10 list.(New and Notable)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The 2003 winners in BuildingGreen's annual competition for green building products were announced at November's U.S. Green Building Council conference in Pittsburgh. A number of this year's winners were for residential products: BioBase 501...

First certification exam for PV installers.(New and Notable)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) held its inaugural examination for installers of solar PV electric systems in October. Nearly 100 candidates took the exam, which was administered at 14 sites around the...

Arizona doubles incentives for solar energy.(New and Notable)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Arizona Public Service (APS), the state's largest electric utility, began doubling its incentive for grid-connected solar power systems, starting in January. The utility had been offering an incentive of $2 per watt, up to half the cost of the...

Energy-efficient mortgages.(New and Notable)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HomeFirst Mortgage Corporation, a mortgage broker specializing in Fannie Mae's energy-efficient mortgage program, has launched a Web site dedicated to energy-efficient mortgages and energy saving incentive--www.energy-mortgage.com. The company...

Calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... March 1-3 RESNET Conference, San Diego, California. Contact: Residential Energy Services Network, P.O. Box 4561, Oceanside, CA 92052-4561. Tel: (760) 806-3448;Web site: www.natresnet.org. March 1-3 Power-Gen Renewable Energy...