A net zero brownstone means that it consumes a net zero amount of energy, meaning over time it creates as much energy on site as it consumes. It does this by using very little amounts of energy (few and efficient appliances that are sparingly used) and producing a lot of energy (lots of solar [...]
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Here is an interesting list of what energy the US consumes and the % consumed for each. Notice over 90% is not renewable. Source: no idea! One of the many differences between renovating a Brooklyn brownstone the old fashioned way and doing a green renovation is the difference in cycles. A normal brownstone renovation is very similar to all post-industrial activity: MAN OVER NATURE. And ever since the “triumph of science” we have been able to overpower the earths natural [...] While most of us are looking forward to a relaxing weekend, others are working hard on our behalf. Right now they are pushing hard to pass an improved version of the net metering bill through the Senate. This allows your average Brooklyn brownstone owner to put solar panels on their home and actually sell [...] Here is a cool insight into nature. It is by Michael Pollan. He also talks about the Polyface Farm which is run by “grass farmer” Joel Salatin. Joel is interviewed a lot in the Food Inc Movie. Check out the talk below, follow the links above. All very cool stuff. Not directly connected to [...] This is the season of phone calls from clients needing Eco Brooklyn’s help with their brownstone extensions. The problem is always the same: they are cold. They call us up because we are Brooklyn brownstone insulation specialists. Here are my observations having seen and fixed extensions for a while now. There are two types [...] This book has a long title: Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roofs. But then again it is a big book. Written by Tim Callahan and Clarke Snell this book overflows with 600 pages and 1500 images. The [...] I was just blogging how much we like earthen floors because for one it doesn’t use CO2 producing concrete. Then I decided to calculate how much CO2 your typical Brownstone basement would produce if you poured a concrete slab. Answer: Almost ONE MILLION cubic feet of CO2 is let off to pour a simple [...] The correct way to finish off a brownstone is to put lots of insulation and then a concrete slab, right? Correct maybe but not the greenest way. Concrete creates way too much CO2. The greenest way and a great alternative to concrete is to put lots of insulation and then an EARTHEN floor. Yes [...] Here is a great image. It shows the true value of a Brooklyn brownstone green renovation. This is something you can’t put a price to. It is like the credit card advertisement: Insulation $10 Radiant floor $15 Fiberglass Windows $12 Watching your baby play naked while it snows outside: Priceless This photo really [...] HAVC manufacturing companies throw a lot of info around without consumers really knowing what is true. As an energy efficient HVAC installer we are very interested in the real energy efficiency of a unit. Is it really a SEER 25? How did they do the test? Does it retain that rating when the temperature [...] Here is a sobering documentary on what is called Global Dimming, the effect of pollution particles blocking the sunshine on the planet. Ironically global dimming helps block the sun’s rays and thus REDUCES Global Warming. But the moral of the story is not very positive. This documentary apart from being fascinating is also a [...] Brooklyn brownstone owners are becoming aware of the positive effects of spray foam insulation, also known as Spray-applied polyurethane foam or SPF, to get a nice tight building envelope that does not let heat out in the winter and in during the summer. Examples of SPF are Icynene, Heatlok, Tiger Foam and SUPERGREEN FOAM. [...] Eco Brooklyn is growing as a company and needs to buy another vehicle. As a green contractor we are not crazy about adding to our carbon footprint. So lessen the impact we’ve started looking into alternative fuel options and fuel efficiency. The best web site for this is FuelEconomy.gov We started by first looking [...] “we were becoming good at standards but not very good at implementing them…low energy living is 10% technology and 90% lifestyle” This is a quote from a thoughful critique on Passive House, which is big on creating a technologically complex house that uses very little energy. But they point out that people’s lifestyle is [...] I’ve been discussing a lot with my colleagues how best to reach Passive House standards in a green Brooklyn brownstone renovation. Passive House (a German building system not to be confused with passive solar) is a good benchmark because if you do it correctly you really don’t need a heating system. Here is [...] Here is an interesting cost comparison between LED, CFL and incandescent. I have not checked the numbers but they seem pretty accurate. They clearly show that over the life of the bulb it makes a lot of sense to buy LED. What the numbers do not show are the quality. I’ve tried a lot [...] This web site has a great list of all mechanical modes of transport and their passenger miles per gallon (number of passengers the vehicle can hold multiplied by its MPG. For example a 20 MPG car that can hold 4 would be 80 passenger MPG). The most efficient are trains. They get great passenger [...] 350.org is a site worth knowing about. It is at the helm of a very sensible movement to get the CO2 levels of the world back down to 350 part per million, which is a safe level. Right now they are at 387 and it isn’t very clear whether they will keep going up [...] The universe is full of electromagnetic energy. It is flowing all over the place. This energy from the universe is not a new thing. What is new is the amount we are creating ourselves. If you live in a city like Brooklyn you are bombarded by electromagnetic energy way beyond anything humans have ever [...] Gennaro Brooks-Church was on a radio show with Henry Gifford last week. Henry is a great building energy technician who has pointed out that LEED houses and the USGBC are not exactly transparent in their energy efficiency statements. Turns out LEED buildings are not as energy efficient as USGBC would like us to [...] Since weather sealing Brooklyn brownstones is a large part of our business we are very into finding good products that seal all the cracks. The best solution on a practical level is Great Stuff Foam sealant by DOW Chemical. We use a lot of it. We use it around windows, doors, and in pretty [...] Thinking of upgrading your HVAC system? Heating and cooling a Brooklyn brownstone is a multifaceted thing. There are many ways to do it. Is there one best way? Maybe…generally speaking….but I am not there yet with the definitive answer. Most brownstones have the same characteristics so I think there are probably universal applications….but [...] As green builders in Brooklyn we are always looking for small heating and cooling units for green, well insulated, brownstones. You don’t need something super large if the brownstone is built along the Eco Brooklyn lines. Just something to take the heat away during the couple days in August. And because many of the [...] We just installed a solar tube in a Brooklyn Carroll Gardens carriage house. We love them so much. They are the epitome of smart green design: energy efficient (most hover around R22) cost nothing to “run” provide healthy light We just added another bike to our small fleet of Green Building Transportation. Unlike new construction (yuk!) where you can plan the process better, working in a Brooklyn Brownstone has a lot of surprises. So it is common to need a small thing to keep the job going – a certain size screw, some [...] The Passive House guidelines are the best benchmark I know of right now for building a house. According to the Passive House Planning Package, there is no requirement that a house be designed by an official Passive House Consultant. The main requirements are: 1) Maximum of 15 kWh/(m^2a) heat load 2) Maximum of [...] I came accross HealthandEnergy.com while looking for examples of Heat Recovery Ventilation duct work installations. It is a very good site for forward thinking ways of looking at energy and how it relates to health The site covers many things more general than how to run the duct work for an ERV, but if [...] If you build green brownstones you build homes that don’t breathe without help. A green home is a well sealed and insulated home. It does not have all the normal cracks through which the house normally breathes (and leaks!). So you need to make up for that. There are different opinions but right now [...] The actual wave called a Microwave if passed through your body at high enough levels will kill you. That is the case for many waves. The real question is what are high enough levels. Conventional western “wisdom” is that the radiation produced my kitchen microwave units is not high enough to cause damage….. Just [...] |
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