The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently proposed two new federal rules to regulate formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. Materials affected include both domestic and imported particleboard, medium-density fiberboard (MDF), hardwood plywood, and also any finished product made from these materials. This move by the EPA is one of the first major restrictions on […]
Energy Efficiency Should Yield 10 Percent-Plus Return, Study Says
A recent study published on HousingEconomics.com supports the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) policy that a change of building codes is only cost effective if it returns at least 10 percent in energy savings within the first year. The common alternative to this policy is one in which the current mortgage rate is used […]
Can We Get Rid of Plastic Foam in Our Buildings?
Complaints about plastic foam use in building generally raises eyebrows. They are cheap and provide great, effective insulation. Even the argument that foam is created from fossil fuel can be casually dismissed by the fact that the great insulation will end up saving more fossil fuels in energy efficiency than it takes to make the […]
A 3-Ton Air Conditioner Will Rarely Give You 3 Tons of Cooling
There are several reasons why a three-ton air conditioner won’t actually provide three tons of cooling, beginning with the clarification that three tons doesn’t represent weight but rather cooling capacity. This article will provide three explanations as to why a three-ton unit, or any other unit really, may not be providing exactly as much cooling […]
Why Do We Measure Air Conditioner Capacity in Tons?
While an HVAC contractor may know that a four-ton air conditioner does not in fact weigh four tons, but rather represents the capacity of the unit, there is a sense of consumer confusion on the subject. Put simply, the measurement represents the amount of heat an air conditioner can remove from a space in one […]
Taking the Environmental Sting Out of Concrete
Concrete is widely used today for construction, although it has a large amount of carbon emissions during manufacture. Concrete has been used in construction for centuries, however, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently announced that some researchers working in Naples, Italy, took samples from a 2000-year-old Roman breakwater that showed the concrete they used […]
Go Green and Save Green at Home
There are many arguments to be made about why we should go green with our homes, not the least of which is that going green can actually save you money. The US Green Building Council reports that buildings consume 40% of raw materials, 39% of energy, and 14% of drinkable water in the United States. […]
The Case for Green Roofs
The creation of green space is something that is becoming increasingly valued by businesses, apartment owners, and homeowners. This includes green spaces on the roof: literally a layer of vegetation that covers the roof. Green roofs are considered a good long-term investment which will bring value not only to the building but also to the […]
Does a Composting Toilet Stink Up Your House?
Dr. Allison A. Bailes III of the Green Building Advisor built a green home for himself a decade ago. One of the most notable green features of the home is the composting toilet. Many people are cautious about the idea, wondering about the odor from a toilet that is composting waste in the house, but […]
Mineral Wool Boardstock Insulation Gains Ground
In the world of green building materials, insulation has an exciting new product that can solve the issue created by XPS (extruded polystyrene) and polyisocyanurate. ComfortBoard mineral wool boardstock is manufactured in Canada, and has both residential and commercial applications. Roxul, the company that manufactures the board, is certified to produce it at a minimum […]