I am the product editor here at BuildingGreen. I, along with a several team members, research products and then write and update listings for our GreenSpec product guide. I also help with overall category research and write an occasional product review for Environmental Building News. Prior to working for BuildingGreen, I was the associate editor for Green Builder magazine, where I wrote feature articles on a variety of topics related to green residential construction. After grad school I worked as a carpenter and freelance writer, among other jobs, and spent years searching for the perfect location to live, work, and enjoy the outdoors. I lived in the nearly every state along the spine of the Rockies, running high altitude trails from Taos to Glacier and doing my share of cross-country ski racing along the way, but about eight years ago I landed in Vermont by accident and I've been here ever since. I now live in Montpelier, the nation's smallest state capital, with my wife and two young children. I love the winters in Vermont, but making our 1860's home energy efficient is a major challenge. When not juggling home repairs, work, family, and diaper changing, I still try to sneak in as much running and cross country skiing as possible. I can't say I'm getting in a lot of miles.
Recent Entries by this Author
Contact with nature is not just an amenity: it's important for well-being. Green walls liven up urban spaces while improving building performance.
I live in Vermont, where agriculture is an integral part of our culture. I drive past the farms as the seasons change and see when the corn is high or when too much rain has made plowing impossible. And the family sees the results at the local farmer's market. Whenever I visit urban areas, I inevitably end up at the local park or waterfront for my early-morning runs.
I value this connection with the natural world--or biophilia--and maybe it's more than just a lifestyle choice. Biophilia has been shown to have tangible benefits, including reduced stress, improved productivity, and faster healing, to name a few, but integrating greenery among limited--and expensive--urban real estate is no easy task. Maybe the answer is to think vertically.
BIPV has yet to reach its full potential in the U.S., but a couple companies are giving it a shot.
Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV)--photovoltaic (PV) modules integrated into functional building elements, such as roofs, glazings, and building façades--are fairly common in Europe and Asia. Yet finding commercial BIPV façade products
in the U.S. is nearly impossible. Why is that?
There are a number of possibilities, including lack of suitable new projects due to the economy, a tempestuous PV market, and concerns about reliability and performance, to name a few--but the real reason might be a lot simpler.
Grid-tied solar could have a siginificant role in the smart grid--if we can get the lithium ion battery technology right.
People living off the grid using photovoltaics (PV) or other renewable energy to generate power typically depend on maintaining banks of lead-acid batteries and carefully managing the amount of energy they store and use as well as maintaining those batteries for long-term durability.
A California utility is experimenting with using grid-tied solar on individual homes and businesses as a way to meet peak demand in the evening. Incentives could help offset the cost of lithium ion batteries for grid-tied PV.
As the move toward renewable energy gains traction, especially in Europe, an intriguing possibility is beginning to take hold: the use of next-generation batteries in grid-connected systems to store and manage energy capacity.
Time-shifting for peak demand
In current grid-tied PV, any excess energy produced by a home or business PV array is sent back to the grid. This works well because demand for electricity is high during the sunniest part of the day, but it also has limitations since peak demand can occur in the early evening and so does not coincide with PV power generation.
Storing this power generated at mid-day would allow the power to be accessed, or "time shifted," for use later in the evening. A joint pilot project between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is attempting just such a project, and at the heart of the system are lithium-ion batteries.
Bursting the lead balloon
Lead-acid batteries were invented in the mid-19th century, and flooded deep-cycle versions necessary for power storage continue to be the workhorses of off-grid PV installations. They are inexpensive and have established, reliable performance, but the mining, transport, and use of lead have significant environmental drawbacks. And lead-acid batteries have to be maintained and used in well-ventilated areas because they produce explosive hydrogen gas.
Dow's Powershingle BIPV is designed to blend in with asphalt shingles and provide power via CIGS PV cells.
Can a building-integrated solar shingle compete with cheap crystalline? Focusing on aesthetics and installation is a great start.
Dow's Powerhouse photovoltaic (PV) roofing shingles are designed to integrate into a conventional asphalt shingle roof, and when Dow announced the product in 2009 they caused a lot of excitement. Two years later and they are finally on the market, but my excitement is dampened slightly, recognizing the tremendous challenges that lie ahead for any thin-film PV in today's market, especially products aimed for a depressed housing market.
Mem's NaturHemp insulation offers comparable R-values to other batt insulations and is made from rapidly renewable hemp. It is made in Canada, where industrial hemp can be grown legally.
More new products from Greenbuild! This week we introduce you to some water-saving fixtures, recycled content products, a residential rainscreen system, and hemp insulation.
A couple weeks after Greenbuild, and we are still looking at products from a productive show.
Major manufacturers have the budgets for large exhibits on the expo floor to show off their latest offerings. I always enjoy these "booths" because the products are usually well tested and ready for market, but if you want to glimpse some of the real innovators in the industry, it is also worth touring the outer perimeter, where the smaller vendors set up shop.
Water savings from Toto, Kohler, and Delta
Toto was well represented at Greenbuild, as always, and among its many products was its DuoFit In-Wall Tank System. This is a dual-flush toilet that uses either 0.9 or 1.6 gallons per flush. But what is interesting here is that the tank fits between the studs in the wall cavity behind the toilet, even with 2x4 construction. The rim height can be adjusted between 15 and 19 inches.
To prevent any chance of leaks, there are no seams or connections below the water line, and if the fill or flush valve should ever leak, it does so back into the bowl. This bowl has an "upscale look" without the tank, but those extra nine or so inches of bathroom space would make this a good choice for retrofit projects or small bathrooms. Toto also had its one-pint urinal, available with the company's Ecopower Flush Valve, which uses hydropower to keep its internal battery charged
Renovate, from Berkowitz, LLC. is a retrofit glazing that fits on the interior of single-pane commercial windows, improving the center of glass U-factor from 1.03 to 0.16.
Finding the top Greenbuild products among 900 exhibitors is no easy task. This week we introduce you to our favorite windows from the show.
Greenbuild expo floors are typically chaotic and crowded and so vast that it is difficult to find the innovators among the throngs of people, glaring LED signage, and innumerable booths. This year's Greenbuild in Toronto had almost 900 exhibitors spread out over two expo floors separated by a significant walk, which made the search that much more challenging.Fortunately, I enjoy a good challenge--and the exercise--and I was rewarded by finding some interesting products destined for GreenSpec. For this installment, let's take a look at some windows.
Come visit BuildingGreen and GreenSpec at booth 434 in the North expo hall. Click the image to download a full expo floor map (north) with all the greenest products marked.
I look forward to Greenbuild every year--especially this year, since it is in Toronto. I haven't been to Toronto since the late '70s, when a friend of mine and I cut class in high school and roadtripped to view an exhibit of Monet and other impressionist artists, something you just couldn't see in suburban Michigan. I was a little overwhelmed by the trip, but the city was vibrant and the exhibit was well worth the repercussions of my truancy.
Visiting Greenbuild has a lot in common with that trip. It's busy, exciting, and a valuable learning experience, and there is something about challenging conventions and being on the cutting edge of green technology--that's where BuildingGreen and GreenSpec shine.
GE's 9-watt Energy Smart LED bulb is the first Energy Star-rated replacement for 40-watt incandescent bulbs and provides an omnidirectional light that is similar to incandescents. Photo: GE Lighting
I recently visited GE's Nela Park site and its Lighting & Electrical Institute, where I got a tour and a sneak preview of cutting-edge technology to come.
A bit of history
I don't get out of the office much and happened to be in the middle of some LED research when I received an invitation to tour GE's LED research facility and speak with the company's entire LED team, from the LED company president and CEO, Jaime Irick, to the engineers working on the bulbs. GE pioneered the screw-in lightbulb, of course (GE used to be Edison Electric Company), and the Nela Park complex that houses GE's lighting division is the oldest industrial complex in the world, according to the company.These images of Edison, early filament bulbs, and the Georgian Revival buildings of the Nela Park complex contrast with my expectations of an LED research facility. There is no shiny "vertically integrated" super-structure creating everything from chips to fixtures. It is a research and training complex that combines education with hands-on work, whose labs are filled with functional workstations and testing facilities.
This Cypress Envirosystems' Wireless Pneumatic Thermostat replaced the old thermostat (lower left) allowing remote control and monitoring of building temperatures at a fraction of the cost of direct digital controls. Photo: Cypress Envirosystems
