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 earth, […]
Earthen Floor Brownstone Read More »
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 shows the
Comfortable Green Brownstone Read More »
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 drops
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 very
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. Despite
Spray Foam Installation – Cellulose is better Read More »
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 at
Gasoline Alternatives Read More »
“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 much
low energy living is 10% technology and 90% lifestyle Read More »
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 one comment
Brooklyn Passive House Read More »
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 of
LED lighting is (almost) there Read More »
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 miles
Transportation Miles Per Gallon Read More »
