Free BuildingGreen Email News Bulletin
An overview of some of the fresh information in BuildingGreen Suite.
The mission of BuildingGreen, LLC is to facilitate transformation of the North American building industry. Join us in that mission by becoming a member of BuildingGreen Suite to access information critical to your green design and construction work.
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| "We spent a long time figuring out the carbon associated with moving a cubic yard of soil."
- Sean Cryan of Mithun on calculating a building's carbon footprint |
This Month's Feature Story
This article requires membership to view.
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| Counting Carbon: Understanding Carbon Footprints of Buildings
Visualizing the volume represented by one metric ton of carbon dioxide at ambient temperature and pressure makes that quantity more real for non-scientists.
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Everyone seems to be talking about measuring carbon footprints and designing carbon-neutral buildings, but these terms mean different things to different people. Some focus just on operating energy, while others also look at transportation, materials, and other building-related emissions. As with so many things, the results depend on what you count and how you count it.
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|  Comparing Fuel Costs
One would think comparing the costs of different heating fuels would be simple, but figuring out the amount heat available in a given quantity of fuel - and the associated cost - can be tricky.
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Free Product News and Reviews
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| An Affordable Heat-Pump Water-Heater Retrofit
AirTap is an affordable heat-pump module that can be retrofit onto a conventional electric or gas water heater. The unit has a first-hour rating of 42.5 gallons, an efficiency of 240%, and a GAMA-tested energy factor of 2.11.
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| Wentworth Commons, Chicago, IL
Wentworth Commons provides 51 apartments, ranging from studios to four-bedroom units, for low-income individuals and families.  The L-shaped building allows the project to fit within the existing city grid pattern while providing a backyard garden and open area as well as bioswales for managing stormwater.
The building is well insulated and provides occupants with extensive daylighting and natural ventilation. Heat-recovery ventilation and efficient boilers, among other measures, save energy, and a 33-kilowattphotovoltaic system on the roof was designed to produce about 7% of the building's electricity demand.
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