Blog

Bottle-Filling Water Cooler from Elkay

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This retrofit Elkay EZH2O bottle-filling station allows users to either drink from the fountain or fill a bottle. Photo: Elkay. Click on image to enlarge.

As I always do when I fly, I bring my own stainless-steel water bottle, finishing the contents before going through security, then filling it so that I don't need a plastic water bottle from the flight attendant.

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Dehumidifiers

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The Therma-Stor Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT is one of the most efficient stand-alone dehumidifiers on the market, with an Energy Factor of 3.75 liters/kWh. Photo: Therma-Stor. Click on image to enlarge.

Last week, after reviewing a little physics regarding condensation and latent heat, I described how air conditioners remove unwanted humidity.

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Highlights from the LEED-EBOM addenda

Need to get caught up on LEED 2009 addenda? Here is LEEDuser's review of key addenda so far for LEED-EBOM 2009—corrections and changes to the rating system since its official release.
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Updated! Our addenda review now continues through 2014.

For noteworthy new LEED Interpretations, see our page devoted to that.

Need to get caught up on LEED 2009 addenda? Here is LEEDuser's review of key addenda so far for LEED-EBOM 2009—corrections and changes to the rating system since its official release. The earliest of these start in November 2009.

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Highlights from the LEED-EBOM 2009 addenda

Following is a summary of the more useful LEED-EBOM addenda to date.
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The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has now released several sets of LEED addenda for LEED-EBOM 2009—corrections and changes to the rating system since its official release. The earliest of these start in November 2009, and the latest batch came out in July 2010.

Following is a summary of the more useful LEED-EBOM addenda to date. Most of the rest is less critical to project teams unless you need clarification on things like understanding that "includesincludes" on page 23 of the Reference Guide really means "includes."

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Top-Performing Triple-Glazed Skylight From Wasco

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Wasco offers a new high-performance , triple-glazed, dual-low-e skylight that meets the 30-30 requirement for the federal tax credit. Photo: Wasco Products. Click on image to enlarge.

Wasco Products of Sanford, Maine, has raised the bar on energy-conserving skylights with its high-performance "Triple Glazed 30/30" option.

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Removing Moisture from Homes with Air Conditioners

To understand moisture removal, it's important to brush up on a bit of physics.
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Last week, I addressed strategies for controlling moisture sources in homes during the summer--one of the contributors to discomfort during hot humid summers. This week, I'll examine how to remove unwanted humidity using air conditioning equipment, starting with some fundamentals. To understand moisture removal, it's important to brush up on a bit of physics. Air is able to hold only a finite amount of water vapor, and that amount is governed by the temperature of the air.

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Schöck Isokorb for Controlling Thermal Bridging

Isokorb K uses EPS to reduce the thermal bridging at cantilevered concrete slabs.
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A German system for reducing thermal bridging in commercial construction looks like a real winner.

In commercial buildings where cast-in-place, reinforced-concrete balconies extend through the insulated building envelope, tremendous heat loss occurs, and this thermal bridging often leads to condensation and associated mold problems. The German company Schöck Bauteile, GmbH, has the answer with the Isokorb product line.

How Isokorb works

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Controlling Humidity

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To remove moisture when showering, install a quiet Energy Star bath fan, such as this Panasonic FV-08VKM2 with built-in motion sensor. Click on image to enlarge.

High relative humidity is a significant problem in many regions of the country during the summer months. In hot weather, the higher the humidity, the less comfortable we are--partly because moisture does not evaporate from our skin as readily.

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Innovative Gas-Filled Panel Insulation from Fi-Foil

A new gas-filled panel insulation material that consists of pockets of low-conductivity gas in a honeycomb foil substrate provides high insulation levels.
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Fi-Foil GFP Insulation showing expanded (above) and as shipped (below). Photo: Fi-Foil. Click on image to enlarge.

A new gas-filled panel insulation material that consists of pockets of low-conductivity gas in a honeycomb foil substrate provides insulation levels as high at R-11 for inch-and-a-half-thick panels.

About gas-filled panels

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The DOE Showerhead Rule: Someone is all wet

Draft interpretive ruling from the Department of Energy throws a few new wrenches into the system.
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You would think that establishing a definition for “showerhead” would be simple. But, as the Department of Energy (DOE) is discovering after issuing a draft interpretive rule on the matter, nothing is simple when it comes to getting people wet.

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Simple Strategies for Keeping Cool

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While blocking sunlight on the outside of a house is better than using interior insulating blinds to reflect sunlight back out through windows, the latter can still make a big difference. Click on image to enlarge.

We're into those hot days of summer--really hot--with temperatures predicted in the mid- to upper-90s, even in Vermont, this week.

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It's Time to Rethink the All-Glass Building

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The highly glazed CORE Building on 7th Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. Upper floors are residential. Photo: Alex Wilson Click on image to enlarge.

The July 2010 issue of Environmental Building News asks whether we should end our love affair with all-glass buildings. The short answer is "yes." With most large commercial buildings there is an energy penalty associated with increasing the glazing area beyond 20 to 30 percent.

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New Lighting for Historic Covered Bridge

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The 1872 West Dummerston covered bridge, Vermont's longest covered bridge that's still in use, has just been fitted with state-of-the-art LED lighting.

One of Vermont's longest and most treasured covered bridges now has the newest, most environmentally responsible lighting.

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