BuildingGreen Report

Blog Post

Owens Corning’s entry into the mineral wool insulation market with the purchase of Thermafiber, promises a higher profile for this insulation material

November 6, 2013

I recently reported that a new mineral wool insulation product from Roxul can be readily used in place of foam-plastic insulation materials like polystyrene in certain applications. As part of our ongoing research into how builders and designers can make better insulation choices (see our full webcast and report on the topic),... Read more

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Urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) has been out of the spotlight, but going into a lot of buildings—often being referred to as Amino Foam.

October 30, 2013

In working on major updates and expansions to The BuildingGreen Guide to Insulation, we’ve had an opportunity to dig into some of the insulation products out there that you don't hear so much about. Some of what we’re found has been surprising.

Anyone remember urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI)? Back in the late... Read more

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October 22, 2013
Installing a Mitsubishi air-source heat pump in our new house The indoor unit of our Mitsubishi minisplit heat pump. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson

 

Thirty-five years ago, when I first got involved with energy efficiency and renewable energy, the mere suggestion that one might heat with electricity... Read more

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October 16, 2013
LED light quality is still not very good, but a new California standard could change that, and prevent another CFL-style consumer rejection. Cree's TW Series LED Bulb provides impressive 93 CRI light quality yet costs less than $20.Photo Credit: Cree

LEDs provide some of the most efficacious lighting available today, with some... Read more

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October 15, 2013
Viridian tropical hardwood decking is reclaimed from shipping materials—and it should last decades Installing Viridian decking on our front porch. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson

We’re moving along with some of the wrap-up work on our house in Dummerston. One of those projects is installing the porch... Read more

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October 9, 2013
The United Nations, climate change, and resilient design: a day at the U.N. World Habitat conference The UN assembly hall where we met. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, or UN-Habitat, is a UN agency focused on human settlements. It was launched in 1978... Read more

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October 3, 2013
A would-be HVAC designer wonders if a ductless mini-split head can be hidden in a closet and connected to conventional ductwork.

This post by Scott Gibson first appeared on Green Building Advisor.

A ductless mini-split head isn't everyone's cup of tea, at least not aesthetically. One reader wonders if he can still get the benefits of a... Read more

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October 2, 2013
LED lighting has come a long way in a very few years and can now fully supplant incandescent and fluorescent technology Cree's new CR6 LED downlight for recessed cans.Photo Credit: Cree

Our electrician was in last week installing lighting in our new home here in southern Vermont. Virtually all of our lighting will be LEDs—... Read more

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Managing moisture as intensely as we manage energy is key to building durability and indoor air quality (IAQ)

October 1, 2013
WUFI doesn’t kill buildings. Poor design, specification, and workmanship kill buildings.

Last year, BuildingGreen made a modeling software program one of our Top-10 Green Building Products for the first time—the WUFI hygrothermal modeling software from Fraunhofer IBP and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (see “Using WUFI to Prevent Moisture... Read more

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September 25, 2013
A three-unit condominium project under construction in Brooklyn is one of many Passive House projects that are springing up in the Borough The unit on the right, constructed of ICFs, is expected to achieve Passive House certificationPhoto Credit: Alex Wilson

I was in New York City over the weekend where I spoke at the ... Read more

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September 18, 2013
With EarthCraft certification being a requirement, energy performance of homes in Serenbe is relatively good; transit options being planned will also help save energy. The net-zero-energy Bosch Demonstration Home at Serenbe.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson

After bringing some of the unique features of Serenbe, a New Urbanist... Read more

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September 11, 2013
Developer Steve Nygren is putting New Urbanist principles into practice at the Serenbe Community outside Atlanta A wide range of architectural styles are represented at Serenbe. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson

I’m just back from Atlanta, where I spoke on Saturday at the new Bosch Experience Center located... Read more

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A research engineer at Pella Windows finally offers some adult supervision for our benchtop tape tests.

September 11, 2013

This is part of an ongoing series. Read all the Sticky Business posts here.

When the Wingnut Test Facility (WTF) took its tape testing protocols on the road, as I reported in my last post, a stranger stepped forward to politely offer some “adult supervision.”

It’s true that... Read more

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September 4, 2013
The pending closure of Vermont’s only nuclear plant will hurt the local economy, but it could catalyze sustainable economic development The Entergy Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant will be shut down in late 2014. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The big energy news in my part of the... Read more

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A new generation of CO2-based heat pumps could avoid the high global warming potential of standard refrigerants and generate much higher temperatures

August 28, 2013

Editor’s note: We updated this 2013 blog post on April 15, 2024, to reflect more recent advancements in CO2-based heat-pump water heaters. To learn more about another such product, see the April 2024 article by Brent Ehrlich “On-demand Water Heat Goes All Electric with Heat Pumps, CO₂.”

In researching... Read more

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August 22, 2013
Paying attention to the various layers in a building envelope is critically important for ensuring air tightness and moisture management—and can be attractive, too. Ducting for our HRV, electrical wiring, recessed lights, and plumbing fit into this access ceiling. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson

 

Air... Read more

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August 14, 2013
Surveying residents to assess resilience in the town of Dummerston, Vermont The solar-electric system on our restored barn will contribute to community resilience in our part of Dummerston, Vermont.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson

The Dummerston Energy Committee, on which I serve in my home town, is conducting an energy... Read more

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August 7, 2013
A new inverter from SMA allows us to draw some daytime power from our PV system when the grid is down, even without batteries The 18 kW PV array on our barn is a group-net-metered system with some of the output going to other houses. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson

One of the biggest complaints I hear about... Read more

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August 1, 2013
Forests destroyed by mountain pine beetles can be made into valuable engineered wood products. The mountain pine beetle has killed millions of acres of forest across the western U.S., including most of the western slope of Rocky Mountain National Park.Photo Credit: USDA Forest Service

Balancing our need for timber along with the other... Read more

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July 31, 2013
New smart vapor retarders block most vapor diffusion when you want to eliminate risk of condensation, but allow vapor flow when you want drying potential Our Pro Clima DB+ smart vapor retarder on the insulated roof. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson

Nowhere in building design has there been more confusion or... Read more