ToolBase E-News volume 148
In This Issue:
KITCHENS GOING GREEN:
A "Green Kitchen" featured during the recent BIO 2006 convention in Chicago showcased biodegradable and renewable products such as kitchen cabinets made from wheat straw, countertops made from hemp, and carpet made from corn starch. According to a recent article in the Arlington Heights (IL) Daily Herald (Courtney Hall, 05/07/06), the wheat straw cabinets can be painted, stained, or laminated, and are bound with polyurethane, not formaldehyde. The hemp countertops resemble laminate and are light but durable and mark resistant. To learn more, about the Green Kitchen, read the article. To learn more about BIO 2006, the 14th annual convention for the biotechnology industry, visit the conference website.
NEW CHANGES FOR HOME ENERGY RATING SYSTEM:
According to a recent article in Nation's Building News (05/22/06), changes are underway in the Home Energy Rating System (HERS), which is used to measure a home's energy efficiency. The new system is intended to bring the HERS ratings in line with the most recent energy code and to include lighting, appliances, and on-site energy production. With the new system, a score of 100 will indicate a home built to code. For every 1 percent reduction in annual energy consumption, the HERS index is lowered by one point, with a zero-energy home scoring a "0." Under the old system, a score of 86 or higher was needed to obtain the Energy Star® label. Under the new system, a home in a cold climate must have a HERS index of no more than 80 (i.e., 20 percent more efficient than the reference home) to meet Energy Star® requirements. The changes will be completely phased in by the start of 2007. To learn more about the new HERS rating system, read the article.
STRAWJET RECEIVES HIGHEST 'MODERN MARVELS INVENT NOW' HONOR:
The Strawjet, a process that creates building materials from straw, was recently named the Top Invention of 2006 in the Modern Marvels Invent Now® Challenge. According to a recent release (05/25/06), the Strawjet is a farm implement that processes straw from harvests into a mat. This mat is used to construct composite building materials, and uses paper pulp, clay, and cement as a binder instead of plastic resin. Because straw is available on a continuously renewable basis, converting it to a building material can save resources and provide farmers with additional income. The inventor, David R. Ward, wanted to create a building system that would be strong enough to withstand natural disasters, yet economical enough to revolutionize rebuilding of less developed regions. The Modern Marvels Invent Now® Challenge is a national competition, developed by the History Channel® and Invent Now® Inc., to find America's next great inventors. To learn more about the Strawjet and the other competition finalists, read the release.
NEW JERSEY HOME DESIGNED TO RUN ON SUN, HYDROGEN POWER:
An innovative new home in New Jersey is on its way to becoming the first home in the state to power itself with a combination solar-and-hydrogen system, according to a recent article on NorthJersey.com (Colleen Diskin, 05/5/06). In the summer, solar panels combined with a geothermal system will run the home's air conditioning and appliances. Solar energy will also power a machine that converts water into a hydrogen gas to be stored in tanks. In the winter, this hydrogen will run a fuel cell that will power the home's heat and electricity. The system will need a shipment of hydrogen gas on its first day; after that, the house will make its own. While the home's owner and designer is close to assuring officials that the project is safe, misperceptions about hydrogen's safety and the cost of hydrogen systems remain barriers to mainstream, national implementation. To learn more, read the article.
KIT HOMES THAT HEAT AND COOL THEMSELVES:
Wake Forest, N.C., builder Michael Sykes recently announced that his Enertia® homes, which heat and cool themselves without fuel or electricity, will be available nationwide as affordable pre-cut numbered kits. According to a recent release (05/23/06), each Enertia® home has a miniature atmosphere; its rooftop can produce all the power the home needs and its greenhouse-atrium can produce enough food for a family of four year-round. The home's skin consists of carbon fiber-wood in engineered glued layers for maximum strength, and all materials in the kit are 100 percent renewable. For more information on the technology, read the release or visit the company website.
STUDY PROBES IMPACT OF ZERO ENERGY HOMES IN REDUCING FUTURE U.S. ENERGY CONSUMPTION:
An article in BUILDER Magazine (04/01/06) this spring highlighted the NAHB Research Center's new report "The Potential Impact of Zero Energy Homes." Zero-Energy Homes (ZEHs), which combine highly energy-efficient design and technology with solar electric and thermal systems to produce as much energy as they use annually, have not widely penetrated the new-home market. Yet the new report concludes that, with continued federal assistance to lower the cost of energy-efficiency technologies, the ZEH concept will spread into the U.S. home market as early as 2012. To learn more, read the complete article or download a copy of the report.
STEEL-FRAMING INDUSTRY HOPING TO TURN DURABILITY INTO DISCOUNTS:
According to a recent article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune (Greg Thomas, 04/30/06) the steel-framed housing industry is lobbying Louisiana insurance regulators to give steel-framed homes a discount on insurance premiums. Steel-framed homes are touted for their speed of construction, their ability to withstand high winds, and their resistance to termites and fire. Currently, steel-framed homes are at least 5 percent more expensive to build than typical construction; a discount on insurance premiums could make the homes more affordable and add to their overall benefits. Although the insurance industry is unlikely to grant discounts until it can further investigate the durability of steel framing, the steel industry has begun to position itself for a major expansion in Louisiana.
