HOME AUTOMATION: Automating your home with Crestron “go green” plan

“Heating and cooling systems in the U.S. emit 150 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, and also generate 12% of the nation’s sulfur dioxide and 4% of its nitrogen oxide, the chief ingredients in acid rain,” according to data that accompanies Crestron’s recent “Green Paper” entitled Intelligent Efficiency: Crestron Makes Life Greener.  How can we control the usage of these home systems (heating, AC, lighting, sprinklers, audio/visual) better, and optimize the duration and timing they remain in operation?  Home Automation.   

I had my first exposure to home automation while working with Kaleidescape whole house video/audio systems (not ENERGY STAR rated) some years back, and later working with Siemens.  Home automation systems and controls (like Crestron) can cut down the energy you use in your home.  With a home automation system you can automate the lighting in your home, as well as Heating, AC, computer and audio/visual to only operate during times it is needed, and to shut off automatically.  According to the Crestron paper, the potential savings on energy in your home can be 3% for scheduling and dimming lights, and 4% for automating thermostats — based on a 4,000 square foot home where lighting accounts for 10% of total energy usage and heating/cooling accounts for 31%.

In addition to the green paper, the Crestron team has a ”green” area of their website, www.crestron.com/gogreen.  GetWithGreen.com recommends taking a look at these systems and controls as you do your remodel.   A good time to get them quoted is once your architectural drawings are completed.  Typically you will purchase the systems through an audio/visual specialist in your area.

With their recent announcement, Crestron also published a 7-page “Green Paper”, entitled The paper discusses

Download the Crestron paper.  Note you will need to Name, Email, and State to get access. 

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The Robb Report talks extravagent Green Living in March

In case you didn’t catch it on the newstand, The Robb Report Collection issued a new March Green Living edition. This is the first “green” living edition from The Robb Report since November 2006, and there will be a 2nd part later this year. We thought it would be fun to bring you the home improvement/remodel items they discussed. Some may fit into your remodel budget, and some may not…here we go…

From the wallcovering department, using non-solvent inks, we have the Tyntesfield Collection wallpaper from Anna French ($82 per roll).

Also mentioned were Blonder Home Accents Wallpaper ($42 per roll) which have no VOCs, but we couldn’t find the product on the Blonder Home website so we can’t offer you an image at this time. As soon as they send it to us we will bring it to you!

As far as decorative lighting, The RRC highlighted Cascade decorative pendant lighting from the Lisa Fonanarosa Collection by artist Michelle Brand. Made from recycled plastic this elegant lighting retails for $7,600 for 14 feet. British artist Michelle Brand takes the concept of sustainable design to heart by turning the plastic pop bottle into light catching 3-D fabric. Her fanciful flowers define “green” with a fresh clear beauty. Her product range includes pendant lights, window screens and room dividers. “Once a plastic drinks bottle is empty it is perceived as redundant and then thrown away. I wanted to challenge this wasteful paradigm.” Michelle Brand.

Also in the lighting department there are suspended bamboo lights from leo scarff design out of Dublin. These suspended bamboo lights are available from Clodagh Design for $825.

As far as finishes go, Green Living edition highlighted wall surfaces and plaster by LEED Accredited Orit Yanai. Orit Yani works with a “green” material called American Clay Earth Plaster for her finishes.

Moving on to the bathroom, the RRC showed off this this Moso bamboo sink from Stone Forest ($700). This is one of few wood pieces from Stone Forest out of New Mexico.

The Energy Star Asko D3152XL Dishwasher ($950-1,050) was featured as the single appliance in the mix. Specially designed by Swedish manufacturer to use less water and less energy.

Finally to round things out, The Robb Report Collection Green Living edition highlighted Jaclo showerheads. At $630, this “Kimberly” showerhead is more effiecient when purchased “with a flow regulator”. (sneaky!!!)

Well that rounds it out. If you get a chance (and your budget permits), pick up the latest edition of The Robb Report Collection. There are several homes from renowned architects profiled in addition to the products we’ve highlighted above.  Pricey, but nice…

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SWIMMING POOL: How can you save on your pool system today? TightWatt.

Are you putting in a new pool?  Or, maybe you have an older pool?  Have you done any recent research on how you can further save save energy (and $$’s) annually in the operation of your pool pump, and the entire pool system? 

As pool owners, most of us are aware that in the winter there are fewer contaminants in our pool water due to lowered usage, slower algae growth rates, and other factors.   Because of this, most of us do not need to run our systems for the same duration as in summer to achieve acceptable water quality.    Maybe you know this, but do you change the your pool timer as the seasons change?   

Well, there is a smarter solution out there, and it is called the TightWatt.  TightWatt’s are pool timers that have multiple settings, and automatically adjust for season changes. 

TightWatt timers simply replace your existing timer.  Instructions are included so that you can make the swap yourself.  During the easy set-up process you enter the present time and date.  You then decide if you Read more

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WATER HEATERS: Do you wait longer for hot water when going tankless?

You will most likely go back and forth and debate the benefits of a tankless hot water heater over a conventional one in your remodel - many of us at GetWithGreen.com have during our remodels (we all went tankless ;-)).  

The space savings will be a big draw for those of you living in smaller homes, and for some it will be the energy consumption of the tankless vs. a conventional model, or which one pays back faster? Tankless water heaters deliver hot water “on demand”, without storing it.  They circulate water through burners or coils which heat the water.  Therefore, a tankless unit never runs out of water in theory, but they do have limitations on flow should too many family members try to consume hot water at the same time - although design of your system should limit this.

One debate that rages on across the internet is the time you will be required to wait for hot water.  Will a tankless get your hot water faster, or do you get it faster with conventional?   The LA Times’ Pardon Our Dust blog posted one perspective on the topic, and we think it is a good quick read.  The article is written by Bill Doering, and it outlines a little test he performed on his own to see which type of heater delivered hot water the fastest.  On-demand water heaters: A homeowner’s experience

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ENERGY STAR: New podcast offers tips for efficiency of your remodel

ENERGY STAR® Shows Simplicity of Home Energy Efficiency in New Video Podcast.  This short podcast goes room by room and offers you easy tips to incorporate in your home today, and your remodel!  You can watch it online, or on your iPod.

NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire - February 19, 2008) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program today released its first ever video podcast, At Home with ENERGY STAR. The video podcast is hosted by Tom Kraeutler, the voice of the nationally syndicated radio program The Money Pit and the Home Improvement Editor for AOL. Kraeutler takes viewers on a room-by-room tour, pointing out areas for energy-efficient improvements. The podcast also brings to life ENERGY STAR’s interactive tool, ENERGY STAR @ home (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.es_at_home), which offers energy saving tips for every room of the house.

GetWithGreen.com found the podcast under the Products section of the Energy Star site.

“This podcast is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to make green improvements to their home while saving money,” said Kraeutler. “Homeowners can use it as a step-by-step guide to improving their home’s energy efficiency. The tips we discuss are incredibly simple yet make a great impact on energy bills and the environment.”

Filmed at a home in Seattle, Washington, At Home with ENERGY STAR gives real life examples of easy tips that homeowners can use to help save energy. For example, if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light, we would save enough energy to light more than three million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

“Most Americans do not realize that the average home produces twice as much greenhouse gas as the average car,” said Denise Durrett, communications manager for ENERGY STAR. “By making a few small changes at home Americans can join the fight against global warming and make a real difference.”

Tips offered in the video podcast include how replacing an older refrigerator can cut energy bills in half, installing a programmable thermostat, ensuring a home has adequate insulation and unplugging cell phone chargers when not in use.

The video podcast is available for viewing on the ENERGY STAR Web site. The podcast is also available on iTunes, the AOL Real Estate Web site at www.realestate.aol.com and The Money Pit Web site at www.moneypit.com.

Make sure you look into the GetWithGreen.com categories to your right for appliances, insulation, and ceiling fan products that go a long ways toward improving efficiency in your home! 

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FLOORING: What does it take to install a Marmoleum floor? Look and see!

Lot’s of video this past week or two here on GetWithGreen.com! 

Today we are bringing you this Marmoleum informational nugget from FOX 12 in Oregon.  This four minute video clip discusses Marmoleum, what it is composed of, and how it installs.   Really great information for those of you considering this very popular “greener” alternative flooring.

Watch the: Marmoleum video

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APPLIANCES: Sears Unveils Kenmore Elite Oasis(HT) Washer & Oasis(ST) Dryer

Laundry Pair Combines High Efficiency with Deep Clean Functionality and SteamCare Technology

Last week Sears unveiled the Kenmore Elite Oasis(ST) SteamCare dryer and Oasis(HT) washer, which combine a practical steam function in the dryer with powerful cleaning in a top load washer. Making its debut at Sears stores in March 2008.  Pictures and details of the new products are hard to find at this point, so the images we used below are from 2007 models.  Here are the details on these new more efficient washer and dryer products.

Steam, Clean and Green

Kenmore Elite’s SteamCare technology, first introduced in the HE(5t)(TM) Steam Dryer in 2007, harnesses the power of steam by saturating dry clothing with a fine mist of water while simultaneously heating the interior of the appliance. The water and heat work together to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and odors, so consumers can avoid washing an article of clothing that may only need refreshing, saving both water and energy.

The company claims that the new Oasis(HT) washer cleans better than any other model among leading brand top loaders, offering features like gentlewash(TM) technology to clean delicate items and Catalyst(R) Cleaning Action to help ensure bright whites. The TimedOxi(TM) option, available in a top load model for the first time through Oasis(HT), releases oxygen-based stain fighters at the precise time for powerful stain-fighting performance. Additionally, the washer is certified by Read more

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LANDSCAPING: Carter Oosterhouse from DIY talks recycled rubber

The DIY Network and Carter Oosterhouse from Inside Job talks eco-friendly landscaping mulch in the form of recycled rubber tires in this video. 

As we covered late last month, approximately one tire is discarded per person per year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports 290 million scrap tires were generated in 2003.  GetWithGreen.com believes that you should definitely take a look at mulch that repurposes this rubber waste. 

Related Articles on GetWithGreen:

- Ground cover & playground material solves a waste problem
- Eco-friendly backyard playground equipment
- Weed herbicide product that is eco-friendly
- 10 Steps to a Better and Eco-Friendly Lawn
- Don?t Use Chemicals, Try this Weedblocker

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WINDOWS: JELD-WEN AuraLast tells a greener window story

Straight from the International Builders Show in Orlando this week, JELD-WEN emerges to tell a green story about their windows…

Reinventing an Industry Gives JELD-WEN a Growing and Green Advantage

February 13, 2008 ? ORLANDO, Fla. (IBS booth W-1701) ? JELD-WEN?s efforts to revolutionize the wood window and door industry by inventing technology that creates longer lasting, more reliable products is a major hit with today?s growing market looking for green and sustainable solutions.

Called AuraLast The Worry-Free Wood®, JELD-WEN?s secret to longer-lasting wood windows and doors is due to an exclusive manufacturing process that forces protection against moisture saturation, wood decay and insect infestation all the way through to the core of the wood. This allows the company to offer an industry-leading 20-year warranty for its pine wood windows and Read more

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APPLIANCES: Sub-Zero Launches GrowAGreenKitchen.com

Just this week Sub-Zero announced their website coverage of design elements for making your kitchen “greener”.  Several weeks ago we stumbled upon this site before it was announced, and wrote about it in our article:  We know you want Sub-Zero, what is their eco-friendly story?  

The details of the Sub-Zero site are below - we think you should take a look!  Their product performance will surprise you in terms of energy efficiency, and make sure you check out our previous Sub-Zero article as we went one step further into Sub-Zero’s Energy Star compliance. 

Microsite Provides Practical Applications to Make Your Kitchen a Fresher, Greener Environment

MADISON, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Americans are moving toward living greener lives. Eating habits and purchasing choices are changing and evidence now points to consumers seeking ways to create green environments in the home. Sub-Zero and Wolf’s Web sites have long provided tips and expertise in all things relating to refrigeration, cooking and kitchen design; but recently, the companies incorporated another facet to their already robust online tools, the microsite: GrowAGreenKitchen.com.

GrowAGreenKitchen.com was built to provide consumers, builders Read more

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