Reflective Roofs
July 2, 2009
I was doing some research the other day on types of roofing materials and the pros and cons to having a reflective roof in this climate. There are an abundance of reflective roofing materials, from shingles with reflective particles in them (that allow you to use darker colours but still have the heat reflection benefits), recyclable vinyl roofs, sheet metal roofs, reflective membranes/barriers of various types, as well as “paint on” types of products for existing roofs. Interestingly, my husband remembered that his mother’s business had applied one of those paint-on products years ago to the existing flat black roof and it made a big difference in the temperature (i.e., no longer melting his shoes to the roof!) when he went up to clean out the swamp cooler.
What I found out, however, was in this climate the advantage of a reflective roof would be minimal. The average “cooling degree days” (i.e., how many degrees a year you are cooling to get to 65 degrees F.) is 458. Compare that, with, say, Phoenix, that has nearly the same rainfall as we do annually (i.e., desert) but has 4162 cooling degree days! You can look up your heating/cooling degree days on this website.
There does still seem to be some benefit to having a lighter coloured roof in this climate, so we probably will go with that but perhaps not worry about the speciality products. I’m not sure what the cost comparison is between products, which would be the biggest factor, but it does seem to make more sense at this point to concentrate on high-quality windows and insulation, with a long-lasting shingle (reflective or not).
There is a fair amount of helpful information on roofing material types and benefits at the Roofing Contractor website.
Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency
June 30, 2009
Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency : ENERGY STAR.
Here’s the site with the requirements for the “green” federal tax credits.
www.eternalwaterheater.com
June 30, 2009
Eternal hybrid: the world’s first and most advanced hybrid water heating system.
My friend showed me this product awhile back. This tank is a hybrid between tankless and old-school water tank systems. The advantages seem to be that water is hot more quickly because of the reservoir (although, you’ll still have the water that’s standing in the pipes be cooled down, so it won’t be completely instantaneous, I assume), then you have “endless” hot water as the tankless part kicks in. It also is cheaper to vent and you’re able to hook a waste-heat recovery system (like this) up to it, which intrigues me.
The biggest drawback seems to be the cost – depending on the model they run around $2500-3000, compared to a tankless that’s between $1000-2000. It does advertise the “green rebate” (30%) that many of these appliances are eligible for, but I assume a regular tankless would qualify for those, too. I’ll have to look that up.
Anyway, I like the possibility of pairing the waste-heat recovery system with it. That is a big plus to me. I also wonder about how the cost of installation would compare.
Traditional Home Designs
June 22, 2009
We have our first meeting tomorrow for drawing up the plans! Off we go!
Fomo Products, Inc.
June 22, 2009
Interested particularly in their eco-foam line of sealants.
Oasis Design: Grey Water Books, Ecological Design Information & Consulting.
Comprehensive resource for greywater systems. My brain is spinning…
Recommended by the folks at Homegrown Evolution. I’m also interested in The Builder’s Greywater Guide.
US Floors: Natural Cork, Bamboo, Linoleum, Hardwood Floors.
Natural flooring resource.
Collapsible Rain Barrel
June 4, 2009
I’m considering various rainwater collection devices and this Collapsible Rain Barrel from Lee Valley seems reasonably priced. I’m wondering how the vinyl would hold up after a few years, though, so perhaps a wooden or metal one would be better even though they’re more pricey. Any experiences?
ComposTumbler
March 25, 2009
My dad bought me a full-sized ComposTumbler that was delivered while he was visiting, so he helped me by assembling it yesterday. I have three composts going already (one open-ish pile in chicken wire and 2×4’s and two black plastic cube ones) which are producing fairly well, although the open-ish one is hard to manage. I’m thinking about transferring a lot of the material from the open-ish pile to the new tumbler. It has a whole manual about how to get 14 day compost but I do not have the correct ratios right now nor the interest to temp it, use activator, etc. so I’ll have slower compost but that’s not a big deal to me. It’s a batch composter, which means you have to stop adding material and let it “cook” to get the finished product, but that’s ok b/c I’ll still have the other composts to put my kitchen scraps in, etc.
