With each new program, ILFI continues to push the building industry (and now other industries) toward greater stewardship and a “living future.”
I’m just back from Portland, Oregon where I attended the annual Living Future Conference.
The Living Future Conference was created by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) initially to provide a networking and learning venue for designers and builders involved in creating buildings that are being certified through the Living Building Challenge.
We oversized our PV system so that we will be able to use solar energy to power around-town driving with a plug-in hybrid
The United Nations’ IPCC is leading an international effort to understand climate change, and efforts like the Kyoto Protocol have grown out of that background work. But are we getting closer to solving the problem?
Saving energy isn’t only about using less electricity and fuel; it’s about saving water.
In this weekly blog, I’ve focused a lot of attention on the energy-saving measures at our new home—from the innovative insulation materials we used to the air-source heat pump heating system and our top-efficiency heat-recovery ventilator. What I haven’t said much about are the measures we’ve taken to reduce water use and why these measures save energy as well.
Tension and pressure, tears and creeps. The Wingnut Test Facility (WTF) gets dope-slapped in our latest round of experiments.
This is part of an ongoing series. Read all the Sticky Business posts here.
Human urine collection and use provides a better way to recycle nutrients than use of composting toilets.
Just when you thought it was safe to enjoy this blog over a cup of coffee here’s an article on…urine?
Really?
Let me explain.
While a heat-pump water heater will save significant energy on a year-round basis, be aware that in a cold climate the net performance (water heating plus space heating) will drop in the winter.
We chose a heat pump water heater for our new house, and as I've recently discussed here, there are a lot of reasons why you might be doing the same.
Why we opted for electric water heating over a solar water heater.
As we build more energy-efficient houses, particularly when we go to extremes with insulation and air tightness, as with Passive House projects, water heating becomes a larger and larger share of overall energy consumption (see Solar Thermal Hot Water, Heating, and Cooling).
