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Green HVAC Guide

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:24:01 +0000

Ever since mankind began to industrialize, environmentalism has been a constant dilemma. From the coal-stained streets of London to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, we have always traded the destruction of one existing circumstance for our personal comfort and survival. The question has always been the same: how can we have our cake and recycle it too?

In the case of heating and cooling our homes, human beings have actually begun to be relatively successful. Of course, every HVAC system is dependent on existing power grids, but designers in the 21st century have been remarkably ingenious in maximizing their efficiency and minimalizing their impact on the environment, to the point where whole businesses have sprung up specializing in environmentally conscious HVAC systems.

What Counts As A Green HVAC?

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning businesses have continually grown over the years, improving on environmental augmentation with new technologies and new materials. In this light, adding tree hugging to the industry is a natural and necessary development, made official by the Environmental Protection Agency’s legal muscle.

The US Green Building Council established The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system in 1998, a third-party certification criteria with over 14,000 projects worldwide. Our current system rates on a gold, silver and bronze standard, with platinum for exceptionally green buildings. The new 7 World Trade Center in New York City, for example, is a LEED gold standard building with energy saving design elements like recycled steel, channeling natural sunlight and rainwater collection for cooling.

Green HVAC industry falls into the standards promoted by LEED, namely energy conservation, water efficiency and materials used or wasted. Reducing toxic by-products is also a high-level concern, especially for systems that circulate air throughout entire buildings. For the average homeowner or small building owner, installation of Energy Star heating and cooling devices is the American standard. Look for the IAQ Home Label that marks the EPA’s standard for air quality if you’re looking to purchase a home or building with a green HVAC system.

Hmm… Okay, Sell Me On This, Why Should I Get Into Green HVAC?

Green HVAC is a relatively new business venture, but it’s been quickly gaining ground in the design of new buildings for their energy saving, and thus cost-saving, benefits. As if that wasn’t appeal enough, Uncle Sam actually foots some of the bill with many Federal assistance and funding programs aimed at promoting large-scale energy efficiency. You’re likely to gain some tax exemptions from an installation as well.

What Are The Benefits And Options?

The more adventurous entrepreneur has a lot of options in this rapidly developing industry, especially for real estate developers. Blue roofs, for example, harvest rainwater for cooling, recreation or energy. Carbon dioxide sensors can be installed to maintain optimum ventilation within a building, as opposed to leaving costly circulating equipment operating throughout the length of the day. Solar panels are a long-established technology, and the planned Solar Tower in Australia is expected to provide up to 200,000 homes with electricity when completed. Smaller panels are available for installation in residential neighborhoods.

Installing energy-efficient HVAC systems is an investment in finances and environmentalism alike that should appeal to building owners looking to reboot their older HVAC systems. For example, chiller boiler systems are kind of like the gingerbread house kits for green HVAC. By using water instead of air to modulate temperature, these systems are much more efficient and can be installed in a mechanic-friendly pre-engineered pack. Companies will also appraise your property for the appropriate HVAC system, as well as possible solar or geothermal applications.

Sounds Good, Are There Any Risks?

In addition to normal HVAC business issues, Green HVAC companies have their own can of worms. Any ventilation equipment is also potential harbor for mold, and with water-cooled green systems, the potential for fungal infestation is relatively high.

New kinds of equipment inevitably have a lot of gremlins, but an experienced company will be familiar and up to date with green technology. Repairs for new equipment can be difficult or costly, but your standard HVAC equipment is very similar to your old: boiler, ducts, cooling elements. It’s likely that falling back on our old friends duct tape and elbow grease can fix a lot of these kinks.

To sum it up, yes, green HVAC has a certain element of financial risk, but there is a large buffer zone of tried and true technology. Considering the environmental and cost benefit, installing green systems is both looking to the future and looking out for our social butts.

Kin Law is a writer for Yodle, a business directory and online advertising company. Find a contractor or more home care articles at Yodle Consumer Guide. Green HVAC Guide

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Top Ways to Recycle

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:23:25 +0000

Throughout history, people have been recycling waste materials in some way or another. The main reason that recycled materials were used, rather than new was that second hand material was cheaper to use. Today, we have other reasons for recycling our waste materials, such as preserving our planet, reducing waste materials being buried in the earth in landfill sites, and saving money by using second hand materials, rather than producing new materials.

The first real recycling started out in pre-industrial times when scraps from precious metals were recycled, and melted down for further use. Around this time, Britain was also recycling ash, and dust as the base materials used for brick making. In 1921, Britain also began a waste paper association, which was created to encourage the recycling of used paper. Another example of early recycling was that during the world wars when the governments encouraged citizens to recycle by donating their metals, and conserving fiber to do their part for the wartime effort.

Recycling And its Benefits

Recycling has two main benefits, which are reduction of both energy, and virgin materials needing to be collected, as well as reducing the amount of waste that is disposed of in landfills. Recycling also reduces the negative impact that waste has on the environment, and reduces the space needed to keep refuse sites functioning, it is estimated that in the UK, by the year 2010, almost all of the landfill sites will be full.

By recycling, we are not only helping our planet, we are decreasing the money spent on raw materials, and their production. Currently, the UK is recycling around 17% of their waste, which is a small amount considering that some neighboring countries are recycling up to half of their waste, that would ordinarily end up in a landfill site.

What Are The Recyclable Materials

For recycling to really work, households must be made aware of what is a recyclable. Many people are still throwing materials that could be recycled into their regular rubbish bins. Some of the materials that can be used for recycling are:

- Asbestos,

- Batteries,

- Building Materials,

- Cars,

- Clothing, and material,

- Compost matter,

- Computers,

- Electrical equipment,

- Furniture,

- Glass,

- Metals,

- Mobile phones,

- Paint, and oils,

- Paper,

- Plastic,

- Printer cartridges,

- Wood

Criticism Of Recycling

Recycling is a great thing, and has a positive impact on our long-term economy, living standards, and health of the planet we live in, although there are some factors surrounding recycling that are not ideal. All recycling uses energy of some type whether it is fuel for transportation of the materials, or the processing that takes place to reuse the materials. Additionally, many recycling plants use large amounts of water while preparing, or cleaning the materials they will reuse.

The only way to really benefit from recycling, and reducing the waste that is being produced is to use fewer materials where possible, and reuse materials in their current form.

http://www.envirochemcontrol.co.uk/ Specialists in Waste Management, Precious Metal Recovery, Environmental Consultancy & Waste Haulage.

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Green Home Designs and Green Design Benefits

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:28:08 +0000

Green home designs use eco-friendly reusable materials, furnishings and leftovers. These kind of designs feature the use of long lasting, non-toxic materials as well as recycling. Green home designs make use of materials that are renewable and long lasting. To remodel a residence with new materials every few years is not green building design.

When you use materials to be green, you restore and salvage what you have when possible. Options for green flooring design can provide you many different choices today. You can sand and refinish or even paint and stencil without using materials containing volatile organic compounds (referred to as VOC’s).

Green home designs today features the use of materials such as cork, bamboo and eucalyptus since they are earth friendly and renewable. Cork is especially good since there is no destruction of trees during extraction of the cork. Hardwood flooring can last forever and is very desirable, however, these kinds of woods are often the remnants of old growth from rain forest trees and this is not eco-friendly or green. You can select types of woods that have the approval and certification by environmental groups.

Which glues and finishes to use for floor installation are issues that should concern you since many contain toxic synthetic formaldehyde resins. It is best to use non-toxic low to no VOC sealants as well as non-toxic cleaners, polishes, finishes, refinishing and adhesive products. To do so will result in having better indoor air quality since your home produces less toxins and is a healthier environment to live in.

Even buying low to no VOC products does not guarantee your safety and good health for you and your loved ones. Since we encounter so many chemicals on a daily basis, nothing can be 100%. However, it is essential to select eco-friendly products for the green design benefits. This helps to better our environment and not expose us to as many chemicals every day.

While creating your green home designs using these ideas, be sure to include many glass window and doors as well as roof and wall skylights to allow natural lighting into your home. Skylights provide the green design benefits of reducing and avoiding moisture accumulation in a room while conserving energy consumption.

Concrete floorings have made the circle of fashion, coming back in style. They come in various colors, patterns, textures and polishes. This type of flooring is not so harmful to your health since it uses no glue, finishes or refinishing products and their chemicals.

Green home designs in the kitchen can feature the use of concrete counter tops since they are a natural appearing material and have become quite popular. They can add a modern look and style to your kitchen, bathrooms and fireplace.

Vertrazzo, which is recycled glass, is another popular choice for green kitchen counter tops. Recycled glass is attractive and comes in various colors to match your decor perfectly. You can use it as both kitchen counter tops and as a backsplash. Recycled glass tiles are another beautiful alternative in trends of green kitchen designs.

While choosing your appliances, consider their functionality, style and energy efficiency as well as your budget. When you replace appliances or remodel your kitchen, be sure to find the most energy efficient appliances available as well as those that use less water. To recycle old appliances, call your local recycling department for advice on what to do to recycle them.

Sending your appliances to a landfill or passing them on to someone else is not a good idea, since ninety-five percent of refrigerator parts are recyclable. Older models that are not as energy efficient will not save you money and they are not good for the eco-system. You should recycle all of your old kitchen appliances.

Green home designs add lots of ceiling and wall insulation to your entire home. This is most beneficial and keeps your home more energy efficient. Remember to use eco-friendly insulation materials. Always chose high performance windows and double or even triple pane windows, doors and skylights as they help conserve energy as well.

With rising energy costs, energy efficient design makes economic sense. Saving money after the initial investment, reducing exposure to toxic chemicals and helping save the environment all are goals of green home designs. Learn as much as you can about the choices you have in the green interior design products that will best serve your interests.

Learn more green kitchen remodel ideas and how to create healthier kitchens. David Lee Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.yourdreamloghome.com – visit the website for a wide variety of articles on home improvement.

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