I will still have the blog, it will just become a sub of this website.  More to follow.  Thank you for your support.

Dale

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency website provides a searchable comprehensive database of state, local and utility based incentives.

Visit their library to learn more about Federal tax credits and to access links to tax forms.

This Home was built in Snohomish County and was a qualified Energy Star home. It also met many of the other programs such as Built Green and won many awards for its construction.

Technorati Tags: built green, energy star

What is “Green” in the construction industry? I don’t think I can give each person an exact answer, but I can ask some questions that may help answer individuals questions.

• Is it energy efficient (or adds energy efficiency)?
• Is the ‘embodied energy’ low?
• Does the air quality remain high?
• Does a higher cost mean it will last longer? In other words a lower cost overall since it lasts longer and does not need to be repaired or installed. An example is a high quality metal roof. It has a high cost but lasts longer than an asphalt roof (and looks better).

Just some examples to think about.

On another note, everyone is greatly concerned about gas and energy prices. I mentioned in an earlier blog that Solar power is making headway in our state and now some of the solar equipment is being manufactured in Washington. I have to agree with many people that Washington is not the sunniest state, but solar power has been making headway and is becoming more efficient and the cost is coming down.

That said, you can get information about solar power in Washington from www.solarwashington.org. There is a wealth of information from products to incentives to installers.

*Buildings Account for 48% of CO2 emissions in the United States —more than either the transportation or industrial sectors, and over the next 25 years, CO2 emissions from buildings are projected to grow faster than any other sector.

*Buildings consume 70% of the electricity load in the U.S.

*The U.S. population and economy are projected to grow significantly over the coming decades, increasing the need for new buildings – to meet this demand, approximately 15 million new buildings are projected to be constructed by 2015.

Home Depot Improvement
Home Depot will collect CFLs for recycling

Home Depot announced last week that it will collect compact fluorescent light bulbs and send them off to be recycled. The home-improvement behemoth hopes the new program will keep the bulbs, which contain a small amount of mercury, out of household trash and recycling bins. IKEA also collects CFLs for recycling but doesn’t have the market saturation of Home Depot; more than three-quarters of U.S. households are estimated to be within 10 miles of a Home Depot store. The company’s 1,973 U.S. stores will also switch to CFLs in light-fixture showrooms by the fall, a move expected to save it $16 million annually in energy costs.

• Green Washing - Making an items seem ‘greener’ than it really is. In this day and age there are lots of ‘marketing’ schemes being used to make people think they are helping the environment. One item to consider if you are taking ‘too much’ from the environment, is how much embodied energy are you using.
• Embodied Energy - is the total energy it takes to create an item or product. So how much ‘total’ energy does it take to make a dime? Does it cost 10 cents? Really? Or does it cost more, but because it lasts longer, the total energy is less. Think of it in terms of socks. I can go to a big chain outlet (no names please) and spend $5 on 8 pairs of socks. But they only last a year. Or I can go and spend $5 per pair of socks and they last 5 years (or more and still be comfortable). So which on uses more energy? Really the you need to count how many times you went to the store plus the energy used to make the additional socks, how far did it travel, etc. There are a lot of variables and they all ad up to more energy and more money.
• Fly Ash – A by product of a coal fired plant. Is coal the best energy source? Maybe not. But we have many around the country and there is one in Centralia, WA. Does it make sense to just scrap it? I am not sure about that. What about it’s fly ash? Where does it go? Right now most of it is stockpiled. Where can it go? It can be added to concrete (locally in Washington). It is a great additive. Plus it does not then end up in land fills.
• Sustainable Development – think smart and be responsible. What happens with the wildlife, the water flow, etc when development comes into an area. I believe we should be responsible and develop in a sustainable manner. The earth is not getting bigger and so far as I know it. We only have one planet that we can live on. We better take care of it.

Generally speaking LEED is a Green Building Rating System, one of the major systems.

Hope this helps you understand.