This New House - SEED - Sustainable Energy-Efficient Design

This New House - Passive Solar Design

Friday, 27 January 2012 15:17

Passive Solar Design: Energy Savings At No Cost

To get the most from your home - think sun. That's right, the sun can heat and cool your home and reduce its energy use. More importantly, the energy from the sun can make your home comfortable year round. There are two types of solar design systems -passive and active.

Homes constructed as passive solar design use the natural movement of heat and air to maintain comfortable temperatures, operating with little or no mechanical assistance. It's called passive solar because the design of the home maximizes the benefits it receives from the sun with standard construction features. Passive solar takes advantage of local breezes and landscape features such as shade trees and windbreaks, and uses a simple system to collect and store solar energy with no switches or controls.

On the other hand, active solar systems use mechanical devices such as pumps and fans to move heat from collectors to storage or from storage to use. Photovoltaic panels that collect solar energy, turning it into electricity, are also considered an active solar system.

This New House - D.C. tops list of greenest states

Friday, 20 January 2012 15:34

The District is leading the nation by a wide margin among greenest states.

In a top 10 list released Thursday from the U.S. Green Buildings Council, D.C. had more than 10 times as many green buildings per capita as the runner-up, Colorado.

The U.S. Green Buildings Council listed the District plus 10 of the greenest states.

“The District packs in a substantial amount of green buildings due in part to the tremendous leadership from the federal government,” a U.S. Green Building Council spokeswoman said in a statement.

This New House - Sustainable Products and Trends for 2012

Friday, 13 January 2012 15:24

Green building expert Alex Wilson, founder of Environmental Building News and winner of the 2010 Hanley Award, shares his industry predictions for the new year.

What are some of your favorite products for the new year?

This New House - This New House - 7 Green Home Tech Trends Of 2011

Friday, 06 January 2012 15:10

The top green home technology trends from Green Tech Advocates.

Here Come the Service Providers

ADT, Comcast, Verizon, Vivint, and Alarm.com have rolled out basic energy management systems with wireless thermostats and lighting control—operable from your smartphone. Verizon even has a package with an energy monitor to measure your home electricity use. The jury is still out on whether these services, marketed primarily as security and connectivity systems, will thrive. But with every sale of energy management options they are showing people that it’s easy to be energy-efficient. Maybe even fun.

People Want Energy Efficiency

Being energy efficient is no longer about being green. It’s about saving money, eliminating waste—and maybe doing the right thing. That’s pretty cool. Though studies show that while most are more receptive to being energy efficient, they either don’t follow through or have wrong ideas about how to save energy. Conclusion: More education—much more education—is needed. And that’s not such a bad thing.

This New House - GREEN BUILDING 101: Indoor Environmental Quality

Friday, 16 December 2011 12:47

Feeling good in our homes or offices isn’t just a matter of having a beautiful space. No matter how fabulous your furnishings, a poorly designed indoor environment can literally make you sick. Building green means considering not only the environmental impact of materials and construction, but also the physical and psychological health of the occupants.

The next phase of our series covers Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) — one of the criteria of the USGBC‘s LEED-H rating system. IEQ addresses the subtle issues that influence how we feel in a space. It’s not some airy-fairy concept; these are scientifically proven facts. Companies that make the move to green buildings have employees with lower turnover rates, fewer sick days and higher productivity; schools demonstrate higher test scores, lower absenteeism and heightened academic enthusiasm among students. At home, of course, these factors are vital, since the way we feel at home affects every area of our lives.

This New House - Zero Energy Construction Crosses The Ocean

Friday, 09 December 2011 11:52

Enviornmentally friendly and conservation-minded building techniques have been around for decades. But only in recent years have standards, like the LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, been developed for builders to follow.

Now one of the most exacting standards, called “passive house,” is making its way to the United States from Europe. Passive, or “zero energy,” houses maintain a comfortable interior climate without active heating and cooling systems, according to the Passivhaus Institut, which administers the standard. That is achieved through a system of interior and exterior air exchange, an airtight building envelope and energy-saving appliances, among other things.

This New House - EcoBuild America Comes to Washington DC

Friday, 02 December 2011 16:17

EcoBuild America is set to take place December 5 thru 9 in Washington, DC. SEED Homes will be at the event to learn about cutting edge green building technology. Read a summary of the event, included below:

EcoBuild America - High Technology for High Performance Building

This New House - First National Green Building Code Approved!

Friday, 18 November 2011 15:19

For the first time, the US has a national green building code.

The International Green Construction Code (IgCC), approved last week after two years of development, applies to all new and renovated commercial buildings and residential buildings over three stories high.

The historic code sets mandatory baseline standards for all aspects of building design and construction, including energy and water efficiency, site impacts, building waste, and materials.

Although the final code won't be published until March 2012, many local and state governments have begun to officially adopt it.

"It represents a change in the standard of construction," says Jessyca Henderson Director of Sustainability Advocacy at the American Institute of Architects. "It will effect everyone that touches buildings...it will be a big leap."

This New House - Howard County Considers Green Building Tax Credits

Friday, 11 November 2011 11:52

The Howard County Council is considering this month a bill to authorize property tax credits for homeowners whose property meets environmental design standards, a measure that would make the county one of the few local governments to give such breaks.

Under the bill, owners of newly built homes that meet the "silver" standard in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED certification, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council, could receive up to a 25 percent discount on their county property tax bill, while homes with the highest LEED rating could earn a 75 percent discount the first year.

This New House - Leading The Way In Sustainable Building

Friday, 28 October 2011 12:36

A central component of solving the climate crisis is our built environment — the homes in which we live, the buildings in which we work. Forty percent of energy consumption in the United States is related to buildings, especially heating and cooling. On Thursday and Friday, the T.C. Chan Center is hosting the United Nations Environmental Programme – Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative (UNEP-SBCI) Symposia at the University of Pennsylvania.

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