GreenSpec Insights
Installing A Group Net-Metered Solar Array
Posted by Alex Wilson on 06/12/2013
The 18-kW photovoltaic array on our barn roof is nearing completion
When we started planning the rebuild of our house and the rest of the farm in West Dummerston, Vermont my wife and I knew that we wanted to produce all of our energy onsite. That meant a solar photovoltaic (PV) system that would generate as much electricity as the house and barn are consuming—net-zero energy.
We also wanted to protect as much of the ten acres...
Mineral Wool Boardstock Insulation Gaining Ground in the Homebuilding World
Posted by Alex Wilson on 05/15/2013
Roxul ComfortBoard IS has some important environmental and performance advantages over XPS and polyisocyanurate insulation
Readers of this Energy Solutions blog may be aware that I’ve been critical of some of our foam-plastic insulation materials. I’ve come down hardest on extruded polystyrene (XPS), which is made both with a blowing agent that contributes...
Why Can’t I Buy a Non-Toxic Sofa?
Posted by Nadav Malin on 05/14/2013
After years of living with a nice-looking but rather uncomfortable daybed in our living room, my family and I went shopping for a new sofa. We explored a range of styles and configurations, trying to find something that looked good, would be cozy, durable, and fit in our rather small space. Oh, and we also wanted to avoid bringing toxic and...
Shocking Truth About Tapes Emerges from Wingnut Test Facility!
Posted by Peter Yost on 05/02/2013
Think you understand pressure-sensitive adhesives? Think. Again. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Do not try this at home.)
My last post in this series on adhesives, sealants, and tapes ended with this line:
“We hope to follow up this baseline ideal conditions testing with more field-like conditions.”
Introducing the WTF research troupe
Well, it took a...
EcoSeal: A New System for Air Sealing Homes
Posted by Alex Wilson on 04/16/2013
Knauf Insulation's EcoSeal can provide significant air-sealing prior to installing cavity-fill insulation
Getting back to our Dummerston, Vermont farmhouse this week, I’m reporting on our use of a relatively new product for air-sealing homes: EcoSeal from Knauf Insulation.
First some context: In the building science world, there is growing interest in achieving a robust air barrier at the sheathing layer of a house,...
Installing Cork Insulation
Posted by Alex Wilson on 03/27/2013
Climbing the learning curve in working with a new insulation material
What do you do if you’re a builder and your client (that would be me) hands you a material that no one’s ever heard of, let alone installed in this country, and asks you to insulate his house with it? A lot of smart builders would run the other way. Eli Gould, our partner in the Dummeston, Vermont farmhouse we’re renovating (really re-building), took it on as a challenge.
...Cork Insulation on Our Farmhouse
Posted by Alex Wilson on 03/19/2013
Why we chose cork exterior insulation for our net-zero-energy house
Among the innovative—some might say weird—products we’re trying out at our Dummerston, Vermont farmhouse, none is more unusual than the expanded cork insulation we’re currently installing as a layer of exterior rigid insulation. As I mentioned in a blog last summer, cork insulation has a...
Transparency in Building Products, and HPD, Gain Momentum
Posted by Russell Perry, FAIA on 03/14/2013
With the HPD now available as a recognized format, design professionals have started to request its use by manufacturers.
[Editor's Note: This guest post comes to us courtesy of Russell Perry, FAIA, managing director of SmithGroupJJR's Washington, D.C., office.]
The global movement towards transparency gains steady momentum. In the design and construction world, the 2012 Greenbuild conference saw the...
Windows 2.0 – Report from Leonard Farm
Posted by Alex Wilson on 03/13/2013
Building complex window surrounds for a deep-energy retrofit
A few weeks ago I reported on the amazing, high-tech Alpen, R-12 (center-of-glass) windows that we installed on the north and west facades of our farmhouse in Dummerston, Vermont. At that time I promised to report on the other windows we were installing on the south and east facades (windows...
FTC Cracking Down on False R-Value Claims
Posted by Alex Wilson on 02/20/2013
Large fines levied on companies making deceptive claims about R-values
Most of us want to do the right thing in improving the energy performance of our homes. We research energy-saving products like appliances and insulation. We search the internet or clip ads from the paper looking for products that will save us the most energy (and money). We look for the most R-value for the money. Well-meaning homeowners do this all the time.
...
About the Authors
Alex Wilson is founder and executive editor of BuildingGreen, Inc., and coeditor of GreenSpec. For more than 30 years, Alex has been the most trusted voice on energy efficiency and environmentally responsible design and construction. Since launching Environmental Building News (EBN) in 1992, he’s built a reputation, resources, and staff to serve the companies for whom sustainable design is a core value.
Brent Ehrlich is BuildingGreen’s products editor, conducts research and writes product and category insights for the company’s GreenSpec product directory. He also contributes product reviews and feature articles for Environmental Building News, and is a contributing editor to McGraw-Hill’s GreenSource magazine.
Jennifer Atlee is research director at BuildingGreen, responsible for guiding the in-depth independent research that is the hallmark of all BuildingGreen resources. With her broad knowledge in sustainability, analytical acumen, and passion for improving the standards used to assess the sustainability of products, processes, and organizations, Jennifer brings strong direction to the research process behind GreenSpec’s product-screening decisions, and technical rigor to BuildingGreen’s custom research projects.
Tristan Roberts is Editorial Director at BuildingGreen, Inc., a position that requires broad knowledge about sustainable design, deep understanding of products, and mastery of all things LEED. Tristan Roberts brings that to Environmental Building News, GreenSpec, and LEEDuser, a plug-in tool supported by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide credit-by-credit advice for LEED projects.
Peter Yost brings more than 25 years' experience in building, researching, teaching, writing, and consulting on high-performance homes to his role as director of residential services for BuildingGreen. He has been called upon to provide his building-science expertise to the nation’s leading homebuilding programs, including NAHB’s Green Building Standard, USGBC's LEED for Homes, EPA’s WaterSense, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America.
Paula Melton, BuildingGreen’s managing editor, brings a dynamic style, critical mind, and sharp wit to the many feature articles, blog posts, and product reviews she writes for GreenSpec, BuildingGreen.com, Environmental Building News, and other BuildingGreen-supported websites.
Nadav Malin is president of BuildingGreen, where he oversees the company’s industry-leading information and community-building resources and consulting services. He also convenes and facilitates gatherings of industry leaders, and lends his technical expertise and vision to GreenSource magazine. Nadav was the founding chair of the Materials & Resources Technical Advisory Group for LEED.
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Is ComfortBoard currently available on the West coast, and do you know if anyone on the West coast has used it yet?
Thanks!...
It is a challenge reupholstering furniture in a non-toxic way. I found a great upholsterer who was willing to work with me here in the...
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These would be fine for warmer temperate climates, where heat loss and gain are not significant issues. I've usually used the 400 Series, and...