Category Archives: architecture

Humans Are Literally Space Hogs – Living little is a valuable lesson

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When I first started talking about living in small spaces, the idea was for the space to be portable. Some houses were built on truck beds, some were built on trailers and some were easily dismantled. The idea at the time was to live where you wanted to live but not be tied down. Some of the attraction was that you could have the amenities of home without the RV costs. The craze caught on and people began to build them into a fixed space in a conventional setting. Now they have moved into the wild. Very cool idea.

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/remodeling-design/blogs/tiny-give-big-to-a-short-film-about-small-houses

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Matt Hickman

‘TINY’: Give big to a short film about small houses

Now that the season of giving is officially upon us, find out how you can chip in to help make the short documentary, ‘TINY: A Story About Living Small,’ a well-polished reality.

A very happy [insert non-shopping-related descriptor here] Tuesday! Hopefully you aren’t too entirely burnt-out or broke as a result of yesterday’s responsible gift-buying bonanza because a great new Kickstarter fundraising campaign worth showing a little financial love to has recently come to my attention. And the topic of this creative project is a great one: dramatically downsized living.

Filmmaking team Merete Mueller and Christopher Smith have taken to Kickstarter to raise post-production funds for their short documentary: “TINY: A Film About Living Small.” The film (watch a teaser clip below) follows Smith as he attempts, with no previous building experience, to erect a 130-square-foot cabin in the Colorado mountains while also profiling similarly small-minded Americans. Explains Mueller on the project’s Kickstarter page: “Rather than an informational documentary about tiny houses, the film will explore the idea of ‘home’ and what makes us feel comfortable in a particular landscape or building. The film will be a meditation on the relationship of home to environment, of quality and simplicity to a life well lived.”

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Go there and read. More tomorrow.

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Fascinating New Photos Inside Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

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I can’t post these photos here because there are 67 of them and they are linked. So I will just post the text. I might add that if you skip down to photo 40 or so you will see the real damage to the power plant itself. Most of the pictures are of the temporary village that houses the workers, the drive to the power plant and and the emergency control room. This is probably because this is where the photographer spent the bulk of his time and was bored. They are real cool for the geeks like me. Thank you Denver Post.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2011/11/14/inside-japans-fukushima-nuclear-reactor/5085/

Inside Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Power Station

Posted Nov 14, 2011

Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder, along with other reporters, was allowed inside the Fukushima nuclear power station to witness the devastation, for the first time, caused by Japan’s March 12th earthquake and tsunami.
Eight months later, the plant remains a shambles. Mangled trucks, flipped over by the power of the wave, still clutter its access roads. Rubble remains strewn where it fell. Pools of water cover parts of the once immaculate campus.
Tens of thousands of the plant’s former neighbors may never be able to go home. And just as Hiroshima and Nagasaki become icons of the horrors of nuclear weapons, Fukushima has become the new rallying cry of the global anti-nuclear energy movement.
Yet this picture is one of progress, Japanese officials say. It has taken this long to make the plant stable enough to allow Saturday’s tour, which included representatives of the Japanese and international media — including The Associated Press. Officials expect to complete an early but important step toward cleaning up the accident by the end of the year. (AP)

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Go there and see them. More next week.

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LLCC Green Center Coming Soon – It should help the area out a lot

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Tim Landis is one of the best writers left on the State Journal Registers staff. This Green Center will be a boon to the Springfield community.

http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x1627418028/LLCC-programs-offer-free-training-in-green-industry

LLCC programs offer free training in ‘green’ industry

Posted Nov 17, 2011 @ 11:00 PM
Last update Nov 18, 2011 @ 06:45 AM

Lincoln Land Community College expects to begin training about two dozen students for “green” jobs  early next year through two pilot programs made possible by $600,000 in federal training grants.

The Renewable Energy Academy and the Green Construction Academy will provide intensive training — classes are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday — for jobs in renewable energy and energy-efficient building.

“We are looking at a lot of new skills and jobs that have not been there in the past,” Julie Rourke, LLCC director of workforce development, said Thursday.

The renewable-energy classes are scheduled to begin Jan. 9 and the classes in green construction on Feb. 13. Both continue into mid-June.

Rourke said the school hopes to enroll 15 students in renewable energy and 12 in green construction. There will be no cost to the first group of students, because the federal grants are paying for the expense of setting up the program, including equipment.

But she said the four-days-a-week schedule will take a strong commitment.

“It’s set up that way for a reason. One is the grant period,” said Rourke. “The other is that we expect a lot of non-traditional students who may be transitioning from one career to another, and there’s an urgency to get them back in the work force.”

The grants, $350,000 from the U.S. Department of Education and $250,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor, were awarded through the LLCC HIRE Education program. The goal is to make the classes self-sustaining once the grants expire at the end of 2012.

LLCC Green Center manager Julie Bates said classes will cover a variety of renewable-energy and energy-efficiency skills, including solar, small wind systems, geothermal, green construction, plumbing and heating, landscaping and site planning.

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More tomorrow.

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Morocco’s Bid To Become The New Saudi Arabia – Transmission losses will be killer

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While solar projects in general are a good idea, location is everything.  Morocco is close to Europe. Well it is close to Spain and Southern France but the line losses with current technology will be huge. I suppose it would help to electrify Northwest Africa, but I doubt if that is the market.

http://www.evwind.es/noticias.php?id_not=14771

World Bank backs Morocco concentrating solar power megaproject

november 18, 2011

Ouarzazate is only the first part of Morocco’s ambitious plan of developing 2000 megawatts in solar energy capacity by 2020. The first stage is a concentrated solar thermal power design, using parabolic trough mirrors.

World Bank backs Morocco concentrating solar power megaproject

The World Bank today approved $297 million in loans to Morocco to help finance the Ouarzazate Concentrated Solar Power Plant Project, taking a historic step toward realizing one of the first large-scale plants of this kind in North Africa to exploit the region’s vast solar energy resources.

With this approval from the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors, Morocco takes the lead with the first project in the low-carbon development plan under the ambitious Middle East and North Africa Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Scale-up Program. A $200 million loan will be provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the part of the Bank that lends to developing country governments, and another $97 million loan will come from the Clean Technology Fund.

“The World Bank is proud to provide the financing needed to make this large-scale renewable energy investment possible,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. “Ouarzazate demonstrates Morocco’s commitment to low-carbon growth and could demonstrate the enormous potential of solar power in the Middle East and North Africa. During a time of transformation in North Africa, this solar project could advance the potential of the technology, create many new jobs across the region, assist the European Union to meet its low-carbon energy targets, and deepen economic and energy integration in the Mediterranean. That’s a multiple winner.”

The 500 megawatt (MW) Ouarzazate solar complex, as the first power site, will be among the largest CSP plants in the world and is an important step in Morocco’s national plan to deploy 2000 MW of solar power generation capacity by 2020.

The World Bank has supported Morocco’s national Solar Power Plan since it was launched in 2009 and is now making this significant loan to co-finance the development and construction of the Ouarzazate Project Phase 1 parabolic trough plant through a Public Private Partnership between the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) and a private partner. Ouarzazate Phase 1 will involve the first 160 MW and will help Morocco avoid 240,000 tons of CO2 equivalent a year.

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More next week.

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Rossi”s Cold Fusion Process Backed Up – Is the University of Illinois professor legit

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This article claims that Professor George Miley’s work backs up everything that Rossi is doing in cold fusion in Italy. I still have huge doubts. At least Miley’s work is open to the public. Go and see both reports.

http://www.fcnp.com/commentary/national/10516-the-peak-oil-crisis-transitioning-to-cold-fusion.html

The Peak Oil Crisis: Transitioning to Cold Fusion Print E-mail
By Tom Whipple
Wednesday, November 16 2011 02:45:44 PM

dot dot dot as they say

Now so much energy coming from such a small and inexpensive device, in violation of what are thought to be the principles of physics, seems too good to be true. As this phenomenon had not been independently repeated and verified by other laboratories, many pronounced it a fraud, a few the greatest breakthrough of the age, and the rest of us remained agnostic while awaiting further developments.

They were not long in coming. Last week it was learned that George Miley, a Professor Emeritus of nuclear engineering at the University of Illinois who has been conducting experiments similar to those in Italy for many years, has been observing anomalous amounts of heat emanating from test equipment similar to that being used in Bologna. Miley has been experimenting with palladium-zirconium alloys, but says his experiments are producing so much heat that could only be coming from fusion of atomic nuclei. Unlike the Italian experiments which are aimed at developing a proprietary commercial product, the Illinois experiments are being conducting under the auspices of a state university with details of the experiments being made known as soon as possible. At a university the aim of scientific research is to win a Nobel Prize, or at least academic prestige, not to make money.

While a second report does not adequately confirm that heat-producing, low-energy nuclear reactions are a real phenomenon, it is does seem to reduce the likelihood of fraud on the part of a single man or organization. Furthermore it increases the possibility that we could be witnessing the early stages of what could be one of the greatest scientific discoveries in human history – production of unlimited amounts of cheap, pollution-free energy.

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http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/10/dr-george-miley-replicates-patterson.html

October 22, 2011

Dr. George Miley Replicates Patterson, Names Rossi

Ecat site – Long-time cold fusion researcher Dr. George Miley, affiliate professor at the University of Illinois, has recently released a report documenting his successful replication of the work of cold fusion pioneer James Patterson. Dr. Miley feels that the work of Mr. Patterson and Andrea Rossi have many similarities and has offered a theory that is felt to cover both. Dr. Miley recently spoke at the World Green Energy Synopsium in Philadelphia, PA from October 19-21, 2011. A Microsoft Power Point presentation was released on October 3 documenting his work and experimental results. I have included a slide show of this presentation below. Please note that such presentations usually serve as a guide to an accompanying lecture, of which I do not have access to at the present time. I will post it if and when it becomes available

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More tomorrow.

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Do Not Put It Off – Weatherize today

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This says it all. Quite frankly all this stuff keeps you cool in the summer as well.

http://homerepair.about.com/od/exteriorhomerepair/ss/winterize.htm

Easy Home Winterizing Checklist

By , About.com Guide

In the fall is when you want to get ready for the winter cold. The worst thing in the world is trying to put your storm windows in when its 20 degrees outside. Or worse, not having your sprinkler system purged before the freezing weather comes.I’m going to give you a fairly easy checklist of things to do for the various systems of your home. From plumbing to roof, we’ll walk through each system and hit the major things to make sure you do before winter so you can enjoy the snow and not worry about your home.
OK, lets start with the basics of making sure you have heat when you need it. The time to check that is in the Fall, no later than the end of October. Give your system a test run through and make sure all systems are “GO“.

Heating System Checklist

  • Test Run:
    Turn the thermostat to heat mode and set it to 80 degrees just for testing. You should hear the furnace turn on and warm air should blow within a few minutes. If it’s running OK, turn the thermostat back to its normal setting. If it’s not running properly, you can try to diagnose it as outlined in Troubleshooting a Gas Furnace. Depending on what’s wrong, you can fix it yourself or you may need a qualified service technician.
  • Seasonal Maintenance:
    Either have the furnace checked by a service technician or do it yourself as outlined in Seasonal Furnace Maintenance.
  • Replace the Air Filter:
    Put in a new clean air filter. It’s easy, just follow the steps in Furnace Filter Replacement
  • Fuel:
    If you have a propane or oil furnace, make sure to have your fuel storage tank topped off and ready to go.
  • Heating Vents:
    Clear obstacles to heating vents so air can freely flow.
  • Check for Carbon Monoxide Leaks:
    This silent killer can easily be detected with either an inexpensive test badge or battery operated alarm. Whichever way you decide, just please decide to protect your family with one of these units.
    See Testing for Carbon Monoxide for more information.

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This is 2 pages out of 10. Please go there and read the rest. New topic next week.

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This Piece On Weartherproofing Is Pretty Good – But I am skipping all of the types of caulk

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Look  just buy good caulk. That is it. Nothing lasts for 25 years so do not believe that. Usually caulk lasts for six or seven years. That’s it. So do not pay 6 $$$ per tube. But, if you pay 3 or 4 $$$ you are in the right range. If you can get that exact same type of caulk on sale all the better.

http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/info10.html
The average house–even when well-insulated–contains cracks and gaps between building materials that add up to a hole about 14 “square (Fig. 1). In the winter, those gaps may make the house drafty and chilly. All year long, a leaky house not only wastes energy, but can lead to water damage and provide a path for insects. Inside this document you will find information about: 
  • Weatherproofing Basics
  • Types of Caulking
  • Using Caulking
  • Types of Weatherstripping
  • Installing Weatherstripping

WEATHERPROOFING BASICS

  • In all the discussion of insulation and R-values, don’t forget that poor weatherproofing is often a more important source of discomfort, as well as high heating and cooling bills. 

  • Some air leakage can be prevented during construction by using housewrap or getting a tight fit between framing members, for example. Once the house is built, however, the remaining gaps must be sealed. Gaps around doors and window sashes should be weatherstripped, and gaps between permanent building materials sealed with caulking.


FIG. 1 – Where caulking should be applied, from the Sunset book, Insulation and Weatherstripping, © Sunset Publishing Corp.

TYPES OF WEATHERSTRIPPING

  • The greatest source of air leakage in most homes occurs around doors, windows, and access hatches, such as the ceiling opening from the living area into an unheated attic (Fig. 4). Weatherstripping can be a delicate job because those openings need to be fitted loosely enough that the door or window operates freely, yet tightly enough that air leakage is stopped. 

  • The type of weatherstripping you’ll use depends on the location and the type of opening. Three types of weatherstripping are common: 

  • Compression–Compression weatherstripping (Fig. 5) is used to seal swinging doors and window sashes. It consists of a molded strip (it may be wood, aluminum or rigid vinyl) with a flexible vinyl bulb along one side. As a rule, compression weatherstripping is the most durable type available. 

  • V-Type Strips–V-shaped weatherstripping (Figs. 6 & 7) is fitted against the side of the door or window jamb so it presses against the edge of the door or sash and forms a seal. V-stripping may be vinyl or bronze. 

  • Foam–Foam weatherstripping (Fig. 8) is used to seal either swinging or sliding doors or windows. It comes in various sizes with an adhesive backing on one side. It is fastened to the edge of a door or window stop, or to the bottom of a sliding window sash. 

  • Thresholds and Door Bottoms–A threshold fills the gap between the floor and the bottom of a door. It may have a built-in vinyl bulb. If not, it must be used in combination with a door bottom (Fig. 9), mounted on the lower edge of the door.

 

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So if you want to read about all that caulk or look at the pretty pictures about how to install weather stripping. Please go to the sight and look. More tomorrow.

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Save Energy Save Money – This was true in 2007 and it is true now

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This is an older piece but it just shows the relevancy of this type thinking. It is short but geez the concept isn’t tough. Like the others it doesn’t talk about taking windows and rooms out of service, but then I am just old fashioned.

http://www.diylife.com/2007/11/29/dodge-the-draft-weather-proof-your-home/

Dodge the draft! Weather-proof your home

by Diane Rixon, Posted Nov 29th 2007 9:00AM

Home heating costs are expected to be sky-high this winter as oil prices continue to soar. Are you ready to fight back? One thing everyone can do is weather-strip windows and doors.

First, look for drafts and determine to what extent weather-stripping is necessary. In an old house like mine, it’s pretty-much a given. In newer houses or homes that have been weather-stripped in previous years, check anyway. That’s because cracks can appear anywhere at any time.

Not sure if you’re feeling any airflow? Try holding a lit candle or match up to the spot in question. If the flame quivers, you’ll know you have work to do! One determined couple recommends the following two-pronged method: one person holds the candle up while another stands on the outside blowing air from a hair dryer in the direction of the candlelight. Not a bad suggestion, huh?

The second step is to decide how to stop those troublesome gaps. Smaller cracks can be caulked up. Other problem areas may need weather-stripping applied. Retailer Lowes has a bunch of great tips on its website. Basic pointers and pics can also be found at DIY Network. A wonderful summary of weather-stripping options can be found here, as well.

Finally, don’t forget your doors. Drafts coming in under exterior doors can be minimized by installing draft sweeps. These are lightweight aluminum strips that attach with screws to the bottom of the door, usually on the indoors side, effectively blocking the flow of cold air inwards. Use a hacksaw to cut the sweep to the correct size for your door. Remember to leave a little breathing room at each end so that the sweep does not catch on your door frame.

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More tomorrow.

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Energy Home Team – Pretty informative articles for the homeowner

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I don’t always agree with these folks. Some of their comments on windows for instance leave a little to be desired but still it is a great place to start. Here is a taste.

http://www.homeenergyteam.com/home-energy-efficiency-tips-news.html

Most Popular Articles

 

Home Performance Teams: Working Together to Maximize Energy Efficiency

“No one can be an expert at everything. The best results come from specialists working together for a common goal.”

Industry News

5 Low-Cost, Energy Efficient Home Improvements that Increase the Value of Your Home

August 11th 2011

You want to make your home more energy efficient, but you don’t want to spend a lot on home improvements.

Schell Brothers, LLC Commits to Marketing the HERS Index of all Their Homes – First Delaware Builder to Make Commitment

August 11th 2011

Schell Brothers, LLC, a Rehoboth Beach, Delaware based homebuilder has entered into an agreement with the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to provide new home buyers an important measurement of long-term energy performance of each new home the company builds.

Habitat for Humanity of Kent County, Michigan Commits to Marketing the HERS Index of all Their New Homes – First Habitat for Humanity Affiliate to Make Commitment

August 10th 2011

The Habitat for Humanity of Kent County, Michigan has entered into an agreement with the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to provide new home buyers an important measurement of long-term energy performance of each new home the organization builds. The intent of the agreement is to raise consumers’ knowledge of new home energy performance by using RESNET’s HERS Index.

Quail Homes Commits to Marketing the HERS Index of all Their Homes Built in Oregon and Washington

August 10th 2011

Quail Homes, a Vancouver, Washington based homebuilder has entered into an agreement with the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to provide new home buyers an important measurement of long-term energy performance of each new home the company builds.

Replacing Windows for Energy Efficiency?

August 10th 2011

Think Again. There are better options.

TriState Habitat for Humanity Commits to Marketing the HERS Index of all Their Homes Built In Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio

August 10th 2011

TriState Habitat for Humanity has entered into an agreement with the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to provide new home buyers an important measurement of long-term energy performance of each new home the company builds.

Heartland Builders Commits to Marketing the HERS Index of all Their Homes Built in Western Michigan

August 3rd 2011

Heartland Builders, a Grand Rapids, Michigan based homebuilder has entered into an agreement with the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to provide new home buyers an important measurement of long-term energy performance of each new home the company builds.

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More tomorrow.

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Saving Energy Contest In Upstate New York – It is great to be a loser

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This is what can happen when the entire energy related sector cooperates. Too bad it doesn’t happen everywhere.

http://www.sustainablesaratoga.com/2011/02/the-biggest-losers-win-in-home-energy-efficiency-contest-in-saratoga-springs/

The Biggest Losers win in Home Energy Efficiency Contest in Saratoga Springs

PostDateIcon February 14th, 2011 | PostAuthorIcon Author: admin

The Biggest Losers Win
A Sustainable Saratoga Campaign to Promote Energy Efficiency and Conservation.

(Saratoga Springs, NY)  — The local Biggest Loser Energy Challenge sponsored by Sustainable Saratoga came to a close last week as a group of Saratoga Springs neighbors representing ten households sallied forth in sub-zero weather to focus an infrared camera on their houses in the last educational activity of the contest. As participants each looked at their houses on the camera screen, tell-tale glowing lights signified heat escaping into the cold night air. The infrared camera visually demonstrated where heat losses were the greatest, and gave opposing team members ammunition for teasing owners about missed opportunities to make their homes more energy efficient.

After the chilly outing, participants compared the final tally of their energy consumption over a six-month period to see which group had managed to cut energy use and waste by the largest percentage over the same period last year. Although both teams were happy “losers”, one group did reduce more than the other.

The participants encountered some surprises.  First, it was interesting to see energy use trends over time as there were unexpected spikes and dips in therms (gas) and kilowatts (electricity). Several people who halved their electricity usage speculated in hindsight how they did it. One had unplugged her clothes dryer and used line drying in her basement instead. Another had purchased a new refrigerator that replaced a 30 year old one, exchanged an old cable box for a new one and put the flat screen TV on a plug that could be turned off in order to prevent the significant stand-by energy these modern TVs burn, as well as the hole in our pockets.

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Please go there and read more.

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More tomorrow.

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