This is the easiest to understand explination of all the tax credits I have seen. Click on the picture below for the full size version. Then roll over this interactive poster to see the requirements and deadlines for remodeling-related energy improvements and equipment. The information comes from Remodeling magazine’s coverage of the stimulus package.
Categories: Green Remodeling
Produced by Metro, the Construction Salvage and Recycling Tool Kit has two free publiction to connect consumers and builders to local recyclers or salvage options for building materials and scraps. These publications offer go-to lists of more than 100 metropolitan area recycling sites and local how-to blueprints for LEED salvage and recycling points. Visit www.oregonmetro.gov to download them online.
You can use this guide to find a recycler for your construction debris near your job site. Available as a PDF or a searchable online tool, the directory displays recycling facility locations, descriptions of accepted materials, helpful maps and listings of deconstruction and salvage contractors and construction debris recycling facilities in the Portland metropolitan area.
Metro created this publication to help the metro area building industry become more efficient in their use of resources. There is a specific focus on commercial building materials because they represent the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge in taking them from disposal as garbage into salvage and reuse programs.
Categories: Green Remodeling
HBA member Meritage Construction Inc. is set to begin one of the first Certified Passive House ™ remodel projects in Oregon.
They will be remodeling a 2,100 sq. ft. SE Portland home according to super energy-efficient building standards, and once it’s complete, the family will no longer need their gas furnace or fireplace, relying only on “internal” heat gains, small electric bathroom heaters, and a small amount of hydronic heating from their existing high-efficiency natural gas water heater.
Meritage Construction will use Passive House techniques to create a super-insulated, yet well-ventilated home that loses extremely little heat compared to conventional buildings. The approach reduces energy demand for heating to about 10% -30% of heat required by typical home.
Find out more in this article from the Oregonian.
Categories: Green Remodeling
Whirlpool Corporation has been named to the Newsweek Green Rankings, a list of the 500 greenest big companies in America. Whirlpool ranked 78th on the list.
“We are honored to be included in the Newsweek Green Rankings,” said Jeff M. Fettig, Whirlpool Corporation’s chairman and CEO. “Recognition like this is only possible because of the people at Whirlpool who make our long-term commitment to sustainability a reality.”
Nearly 40 years ago, Whirlpool established a corporate office for environmental control and, in 2003, Whirlpool became the world’s first appliance manufacturer to announce a global greenhouse gas reduction target. Recently, the company announced that by 2015, it will make all the electronically controlled appliances it produces — everywhere in the world — capable of receiving and responding to signals from smart grids.
The Newsweek Green Rankings are the first objective ‘green’ analysis of America’s 500 largest companies. Companies comprising the Newsweek Green Rankings were selected from among the 500 largest U.S. companies as measured by revenue, market capitalization and number of employees.
The rankings are a product of a year-long collaboration between CorporateRegister.com, Newsweek, and environmental research firms KLD Research & Analytics and Trucost. For more information about the 2009 Newsweek Green Rankings, visit www.newsweek.com/green.
Categories: Green Remodeling
by Eric Mortenson, The Oregonian
Let’s say you painted your daughter’s bedroom a couple years ago. A lovely sea green, or whatever. The job didn’t take the full gallon you bought, so you stored the can in the shed or garage and it’s been sitting there ever since, along with the remnants from other painting projects.
Your half-empty cans are part of a huge national story. An estimated 10 percent of 750 million gallons of architectural paint sold in the U.S. each year doesn’t get used, according to the Product Stewardship Institute. Leftover paint is by far the largest single component of hazardous household waste, making up 40 to 60 percent of the waste stream nationally, by one estimate.
You and your neighbors deliver about 200,000 gallons of old paint a year to Metro, with thousands of collected cans arriving at the agency’s Swan Island plant. Oil-based paints are sorted out at the receiving end; they can’t be recycled and instead are shipped to such destinations as cement kilns, which burn it for fuel.
About 25 percent of the remaining latex paint is moldy, contaminated or dried up and can’t be re-used. It is mixed with solidifying agents and trucked to a landfill. The rest goes to the madcap paint sorting room, where the fun begins.
The 14 sorting sinks drain into 300-gallon batch tanks. Shades of greens, browns, blues, reds and other colors join forces to create MetroPaint’s 15 standard colors, which range from Barn Red and Mountain Snow white to a dark blue Crater Lake, Forest green, Carnation pink and a dark brown Espresso.
Metro, the regional government, has been taking in leftover paint as part of its hazardous waste collection program since 1992. It’s a huge part of the waste stream — paint makes up 40 percent of the region’s hazardous household waste — which led to Metro beginning to remix and sell latex paint in 1999. Since then, Metro has sold more than 900,000 gallons, and its brand, MetroPaint, now accounts for an estimated 4 percent of sales in the Portland market.
Categories: Green Remodeling · Materials
From www.jeld-wen.com
Surveys show that exterior renovations that boost curb appeal, and perceived value, are solid investments that pay off. Respondents in a JELD-WEN nationwide survey of real estate agents estimated a typical 2,500-square-foot home with updated entry and garage doors to be worth on average an additional $16,000.
In this economy, JELD-WEN is seeing increasing demand for its fiberglass line of exterior doors, which closely resemble wood doors and provide an elegant appearance. The company’s fiberglass doors are available in a wide variety of designs and with hundreds of glass choices; come standard with an oak, alder or mahogany wood grain; and a smooth option that can be painted. Fiberglass also saves on maintenance costs because it’s a durable, long-lasting material that will hold up to harsh weather in most regions of the country.
Inside the home, replacing drab interior doors with new, stylish designs is a surefire way to make a dramatic impact without denting the wallet. Homeowners who want the look of classic wood doors without the expense can choose from more than 100 designs in JELD-WEN’s Custom Carved line, which is made from engineered wood, comes with a smooth surface that can be painted and features sound-reducing benefits. Available for most interior openings, Custom Carved doors can offer fine details like raised mouldings and panel profiles that create a truly customized look to spruce up any room.
“Despite a pullback in the economy, homeowners are still looking to renovate their homes and update them as much as possible,” said Hedlund. “The difference today is that they want effective products, like windows and doors, which maximize their return on investment, make a noticeable impact and continue to save them money year after year.”
Categories: Green Remodeling · Materials
Local sustainability experts team up to educate consumers at the NW Natural Street of Dreams
“Ask the Green Professionals” Day, which takes place August 13 from noon-8 p.m. at the NW Natural Street of Dreams, features specialists from all arenas of the sustainable world who can answer consumers’ questions about a variety of green topics. This event, hosted by the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland’s (HBA) Building Green Council brings the public face-to-face with the companies and individuals who are leading Portland’s charge toward becoming the greenest city in the United States.
Topics to be covered include: “Ways to make your home more energy efficient,” “Why you should get a certification on your new home,” “Using energy efficient natural gas equipment to reduce your energy consumption and environmental impact,” “Low impact development practices and how to create your own rain garden,” and “How to save money using more sustainable products.”
“It would generally cost a consumer upwards of $75 an hour to meet with a sustainability expert and get his advice,” said HBA Green Building Coordinator Shaina Sullivan. “But for the mere $15 it costs for your Pearl Pass, you gain access to dozens of experts for an entire day, plus all the special deals available with your ticket. It’s a phenomenal deal!”
A schedule detailing the topic, presenters and unit is below:
Building: 937 Condominiums (937 NW Glisan St.)
Unit: 937 Maison
Topic: Renewable Energy and Ways to Bring Down Your Gas Bill (NW Natural)
Unit: 937 Bedford
Topic: Reducing Your Environmental Impact (U.S. Green Building Council’s Cascadia Chapter)
Building: Block 90 (323 NW 13th St.)
Unit: East Village
Topic: Get Your Residential Green Questions Answered (HBA Building Green Council)
Unit: The Manhattan
Topic: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint (Bonneville Environmental Foundation)
Building: The Encore (949 NW Overton St.)
Unit: An Uncommon Life
Topic: The Benefits of Green Home Certifications (Earth Advantage Institute)
Unit: Luster of the Pearl
Topic: Home Products That Save You Money (Energy Trust of Oregon) Free CFL light bulbs available!
Building: Waterfront Pearl (1260 NW Naito Parkway)
Unit: The Ambassador
Topic: Do-It-Yourself Rain Gardens and Eco-Roofs (Metro and several community leaders)
Unit: Skywatcher
Topic: Going Solar Saves You Money (LiveLight Energy)
Unit: Louis-Louis
Topic: Green Mortgages and Insurance (Montgomery and Graham Insurance and various green financing providers)
Categories: Green Remodeling
Tagged: NW Natural, Street of Dreams
In a groundbreaking collaboration to keep more reusable paint out of landfills, Metro has teamed with Miller Paint Co. Inc. to carry MetroPaint recycled latex in all of the retailer’s 20 Portland-area stores. The 100 percent recycled paint, named a 2008 Top 10 Green Product by Sustainable Industries business magazine, is certified by Green Seal™ and the Master Painters Institute and good toward Earth Advantage® and LEED® credits.
The new public-private partnership dramatically expands access to high-quality, low-cost, environmentally friendly paint made locally. Miller Paint initially will sell eight colors of Metro’s product in 1- and 5-gallon containers.
Categories: Green Remodeling · Materials
Tagged: Metro Paint, Miller Paint
By guest blogger Andrew Schiedt, Central Air Heating and Cooling
What is Air Leakage? Air leakage occurs when cracks and openings leak conditioned air from inside the house allowing outside air to enter the house.
Air Sealing Benefits:
Save money and energy. If your house is leaking air, you’re losing valuable heated and cooled air, making your home drafty and less comfortable.
Minimize moisture and indoor air problems. Air leaks in attics and floors carry heated air into cold places where condensation will form. Air leakage from garages, crawlspaces, and attics can also transport moist air, pollutants, and odors into your home.
What is Duct Leakage? Duct leakage typically occurs where ductwork is located in either the crawlspace or attic space. Standard installation practices allow significant heat and cool loss in these areas.
Duct Sealing Benefits:
Comfort: Sealing can help with common comfort problems, such as rooms that are too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter.
Indoor Air Quality: Fumes from household and garden chemicals, insulation particles, and dust can enter your duct system, aggravating asthma and allergy problems. These leaks can also be a cause of increased dust in your home. Sealing ducts can help improve indoor air quality by reducing the risk of pollutants entering ducts and circulating through your home.
Save Money: Leaky ducts can reduce heating and cooling systems efficiency by as much as thirty percent. Sealing your ducts will increase efficiency, improve airflow, lower energy bills, and can often pay for itself in energy savings.
The Energy Trust of Oregon offers significant rebates for these programs. The rebates often cover up to 85 percent of the cost of testing and repairs. Call Central Air at 503-656-1908 for more information.
Categories: Green Remodeling · Materials
Take the Smart Energy Challenge and beef up your BioIQ (Biogas Intellectual Quotient). From now until October 15, 2009, enrollees will be ‘challenged’ every few weeks with questions posted on the Challenge Web site. Clues and information can be found on Twitter (twitter.com/NWNSmartEnergy) and Facebook (search words: NW Natural Smart Energy). Once someone completes a new challenge they increase their BioIQ score and better their chances of winning.
While the ultimate gift for Smart Energy challengers is education about climate change, there is much more to gain. The grand prize winner will receive a five-day, four-night stay at the beautiful Crater Lake Lodge, plus four mountain bikes, four cross-country ski packages, spending money, and the use of a hybrid Sport Utility Vehicle for the duration of the trip.
But wait – there’s more.
Three other challenge players will receive an energy-efficient tankless water heater – including installation.
Categories: Green Remodeling · Materials
Tagged: NW Natural
