How to Build an Environmental-Friendly House with Limited Funds
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If you’re remodeling a home, do an energy review first to help you figure out what energy efficiency changes should and can be made to your home. In this way you’ll calculate how much energy your home needs. |
New Jersey school of architecture professor demonstrates to us
How to build an environmental-friendly house with limited funds
Did you know that 2 New York based designers designed an asymmetrical residence with fixed cost of $250,000?
Designers and Jersey City residents Richard Garber (assistant tutor at NJ Institute of Technology University of Architecture and Design in Newark) and Nicole Robertson of GRO Architects in New York City rose to the difficult task of constructing and managing the construction of a single-family house that is a real testament to both progressive design and Eco-Friendly technology.
Denis Carpenter not too long ago acquired a compact vacant lot and, to attempt his interest for the planet, wished a residence that was efficient and easy to maintain.
What’s so exceptional about this home?
– Inside the home, on the ground level, radiant heating under the exposed cement floor heats up the full bathing room and two bed rooms.
– In the loft-like 2nd level, sleek aluminum and stainless steel railings accent the bamboo stairway to the mezzanine, family room and an artfully designed kitchen made with restored kitchen appliances and cabinetry.
– Passive cooling strategies like ceiling fans and clerestory windows allow owners to remain cool during summer and warm during winter.
– The roof consists of 260 square feet of solar panels that deliver around 2,000 kilowatts of energy annually to a battery stored in the basement.
– The root have a 2-foot-square area planted with drought-resist to collect rain .
This single family 1,600-square-foot home was created in six months and won a 2009 American Institute of Architects merit award and the 2010 Green Building of the Year Award from the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency.
Now what? How can you convert your home into an Eco-friendly home without paying too much dollars?
If you’re remodeling a home, do an energy review first to help you figure out what energy efficiency changes should and can be made to your home. In this way you’ll calculate how much energy your home needs.
My favorite Eco-friendly methodology is the passive solar cooling/heating design.
Passive solar means that your home’s windows, walls, and floors can be developed to collect, store, and distribute power from the sun in the form of heat in the wintertime and reject solar heat in the summer season.
Existing buildings can be adapted or “retrofitted” to passively collect and store solar heat too.
The next five factors constitute a complete passive solar home design:
The Collector – The area through which sunlight enters the building (usually windows).
The Absorber – The hard, darkened surface of the storage element. Sunlight hits the surface and is absorbed as heat.
The Thermal Mass – The components that retain or store the heat generated by sunlight below or behind the absorber surface.
The Distributor – The technique by which solar heat circulates from the collection and storage points to different areas of the house.
The Controller – Roof overhangs may be used to shade the aperture area during summer months or Thermostats that signal a fan to turn on.
About the writer – Cynthia Booth contributes articles for the Architecture Career Opportunities blog. It’s a nonprofit web-site dedicated to give help for young architects who need resources for their careers. With this she would like to enhance the consideration on Eco-friendly home design and change the general public conception of energy efficiency.
The following may also be helpful for you:
Learn more about Home Electrical Wiring
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Be Careful and Be Safe - Never Work on Energized Circuits!
Consult your Local Building Department about Permits and Inspections for all Electric Wiring Projects.
The Safest Way to Test Electrical Devices and Identify Electric Wires!The Non-Contact Electrical TesterThis is a testing tool that I have had in my personal electrical tool pouch for years, and is the first test tool I grab to help identify electrical wiring. It is a Non-contact tester that I use to easily Detect Voltage in Cables, Cords, Circuit Breakers, Lighting Fixtures, Switches, Outlets and Wires. Simply insert the end of the tester into an outlet, lamp socket, or hold the end of the tester against the wire you wish to test. Very handy and easy to use.
The Quickest Way to Check for Faulty Electrical Wiring!The Plug-In Outlet TesterThis is the first tool I grab to troubleshoot a problem with outlet circuit wiring. This popular tester is also used by most inspectors to test for power and check the polarity of circuit wiring. It detects probable improper wiring conditions in standard 110-125 VAC outlets Provides 6 probable wiring conditions that are quick and easy to read for ultimate efficiency Lights indicate if wiring is correct and indicator light chart is included Tests standard 3-wire outlets UL Listed Light indicates if wiring is incorrect Very handy and easy to use.
Strip Off Wire Insulation without Nicking and Damaging the Electric Wire!The Wire Stripper and Wire CutterMy absolute favorite wire stripping tool that I have had in my personal electrical tool pouch for years, and this is the tool I use to safely strip electrical wires. This handy tool has multiple uses: The wire gauges are shown on the side of the tool so you know which slot to use for stripping insulation. The end of the tool can be used to grip and bend wire which is handy for attaching wire onto the screw terminals of switches and outlets.. The wire stripper will work on both solid and stranded wire. This tool is Very Handy and Easy to Use. |
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