Solar Charge Controllers: The Key to Saving Your Energy System Money
Professionals in the green building industry understand the importance of addressing the varied energy needs of clients during the life of a structure.
June 21, 2012
Butler Installs First Green Roof on Campus
INDIANAPOLIS — Berrien Springs, Mich.-based Eco-Roofs recently installed the first green roof atop the four-story College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Building at Butler University.
Texas Company Begins Producing Straw-Based Building Materials
FORT WORTH, Texas — A new construction materials manufacturer in Texas recently began production on a product that integrates traditional light gauge framing and a straw-based compressed agricultural fiber (CAF) to create a sustainable building component.
Miami’s Bayfront Park Saves Money, Reduces Pollution with New Dump Trike
MIAMI — Maintenance staff at the city-owned Bayfront Park recently wheeled out their newest tool for keeping the popular downtown park clean – a pedal-powered bicycle-cart hybrid called the Dump Trike.
New California Energy Efficient Building Standards
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently approved energy efficiency building standards by a unanimous vote of 4-0. The new standards will generate significant cost and energy savings for residential and nonresidential structures in California.
A key component of the new CEC standards for nonresidential buildings include improving window efficiency — emphasizing increased natural light and decreased heat gain.
Sustainability Grant Helps Baltimore City Schools Reduce Electricity Costs
BALTIMORE — Three of the city’s public schools cut a combined $1,500 from their electricity costs over the course of last February and March. The savings were achieved in part through a collaborative program with the Baltimore Office of Sustainability and the Maryland Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Green Roofs Could Help Los Angeles Reduce Energy Costs
LOS ANGELES — In a new study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), they have found that installing green roofs and cool roofs in southern California could save consumers more than $211 million in energy bills and reduce emissions equivalent to removing 91,000 cars from the road each year.
Waterless No-Flush Urinals
Waterless Co. offers a full line of Waterless No-Flush urinals, available in any solid color requested. The systems are also available in wall or floor drain connection configurations to suit any installation requirements. Saving up to 40,000 gallons of water annually, these waterless units can install like conventional urinals without adaptors, allowing for drain access without the need to remove the urinals, according to the company. Additionally, they include inexpensive, long-lasting trap inserts that can be refilled.
Planted Wall System
Hortech introduces LiveWall, the planted wall system that transforms ordinary walls into vertical green landscapes. Made for easy installment and maintenance, the LiveWall system features WallTer planter modules that slide onto its RainRail mounting tracks, securing them in place. It also includes hidden conduits and built-in nozzles for integrated mist irrigation. Measuring six inches deep and five inches wide, the system’s recycled architectural grade plastic WallTers are available up to 8 inches and 16 inches in length, according to the company.
Helen A. Gurfel
Helen A. Gurfel, an expert in real estate investment and sustainability, has been named executive director of the Urban Land Institute Greenprint Center for Building Performance. With a focus on individual building and portfolio performance on the basis of energy consumption and carbon emissions, Gurfel was most recently a director of GE Capital Real Estate’s global sustainability group.
- 1
- 2