Practical Eco

Induction Lighting Explained

Everlast Induction lights offer incredible return on investment, energy savings and a superior light source for almost any application. The bulbs last an incredible 100,000 hours while using 50-55% less energy than a comparable Metal Halide bulb. The light emitted is also a "full spectrum" light which means the color of the light is more similar to sunlight.

I'm now representing Everlast in North Carolina and and the surrounding states so would be delighted to talk to anyone with commercial, university or municipal lighting requirements.

Warren Wilson's EcoDorm earns LEED Platinum

Warren Wilson College has earned a LEED Platinum rating for its "EcoDorm" which was opened in 2003.

This is the first college campus building to achieve LEED Platinum in the Existing Buildings (EB) rating category. And this is the fourth LEED certified building on the Warren Wilson campus. The others are Orr Cottage and the Village South and Village North residences which all have LEED Gold ratings.

The EcoDorm was designed by Samsel Architects of Asheville. It's a the two-story structure that houses 36 residents. Warren Wilson students were involved in the planning, research and design of the building, and helped set its four green priorities: energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality and use of local and recyclable materials.

All wood used in the EcoDorm was either recycled or timber milled and finished on campus. The building's energy-saving technologies include solar hot water, photovoltaic panels, high-efficiency boilers and radiant floor heating. Plus, a web-based energy-monitoring system keeps tabs on it all.

One of the more unusual features students came up with is a salvaged 10,000-gallon railroad tanker car; fed by roof runoff, the underground cistern provides water for flushing toilets and irrigating the dorm's permaculture landscaping.

Their full press release is here.

Chapel Hill Subway Earns LEED Certification

North Carolina's first stand-alone LEED-certified restaurant is a Subway on Market Street in Southern Village, Chapel Hill. There will be a ceremony next Monday, June 29 at the store. It will be only the second LEED-certified store in the entire Subway system (which totals more than 30,000 stores) and the first of some 740 Subways in North Carolina.

Franchisee Mike Abdallat, who owns two other Subways, said, "I am sold on 'green' and will definitely do another eco-friendly store." Subway and Abdallat have been working with Cary-based Green Tech Consulting Inc. to earn a LEED certification for the Chapel Hill store.

The eco elements for the restaurant include recycled floor tile, high-efficiency Energy Star-rated HVAC systems, low flow and flush fixtures in public restrooms, less lighting power, and more natural light for seated customers. Overall, the new Subway store was renovated within its existing shell, thus avoiding a new building footprint.

Other eco-friendly elements include: building materials used from sustainable sources and extensive use of recycled products and furnishings; LED interior and exterior signage; remote condensing units for refrigeration and ice-making equipment; Energy Star-rated kitchen equipment; low VOC adhesives, sealants, paints and coatings; recycling collection of post-consumer recyclable waste generated in-store; and Forest Stewardship Certified (FSC) wood.

Demand Buster reduces air conditioning energy demand by up to 60%

Here in the Southeast we spend an extraordinary amount of energy (and dollars) keeping cool during the hot humid Summers. And it's doubly painful since for many commercial customers utilities charge higher rates at the hottest times of the day.

But businesses, hospitals, hotels and big box stores can double the operating efficiency of their HVAC units at half the cost of replacing equipment by installing a Thermal~Flow Demand-Buster Evaporative Condenser Retrofit system. This energy efficiency retrofit will yield reductions of peak kW demand of 30% - 60%.  And with many utilities offering financial incentive programs to commercial customers to reduce peak demand, the system can be very reasonable to implement, paying for itself in just a few years in savings.

One of our contractor clients installed a unit for a Home Depot store with a nearly new 20 ton air conditioner and realized significant savings immediately. Rick Bofinger of Jerico Mechanical said, "We achieved a 28.9% reduction in peak demand, and a 55% reduction in kWh, while actually INCREASING the capacity of the a/c unit."

Engineered for Commercial Roof-Top Retrofit Applications:

• Light Weight, Modular, Durable, Low Maintenance requiring no Structural Upgrades
• 30%-60% Reduction in Peak kW
• Up to 17 EER Performance
• Proven Commercial Water Cooled Technology with a Record of Operational Success
• 15 Year Limited Warranty

Patented Evaporative Fluid Cooler features:

• Construction: All fiberglass cabinet, cannot corrode. High quality materials throughout. High Efficiency evaporative design allows one tower to service multiple HVAC systems in Thermal-Loop.
• Water Spray Nozzles: Durable plastic, non-corrosive and non-fouling.
• Fans: Aluminum, epoxy coated frame, and precision balanced plastic blades for quiet, trouble-free service.
• Service: Easy access for routine maintenance

HID Retrofit with LEDs

I'm representing LED retrofit kits now that replace Metal Halide and other HID lights, saving 75% of the energy cost and lasting 3 or more time longer.
This video shows how easy they are to install.

Optima Engineering earns a LEED Platinum for their Charlotte offices

Optima Engineering, earned LEED® Platinum certification for its 16,000 square-foot South End office at 1927 South Tryon St. in Charlotte NC.  Optima Engineering is the first in the Charlotte area to have achieved this designation.

Some of the features of the office which helped it to achieve the rating include the use of rapidly bamboo flooring, reclaimed sorghum straw wood, skylights with daylighting sensors for the lighting, a highly efficient HVAC system and the dense urban location close to clients, light rail, and restaurants and retail.

Optima Engineering’s office building also features a rooftop solar photovoltaic array, producing electricity that is sold to Duke Energy, and a solar thermal system to boot.

Deltec Homes’ Model built to “NC Healthy Built” Standards

Deltec Homes is a family run business that has been building energy efficient, hurricane resistant, circular homes for 40 years, based in Asheville NC.

Their new model home in Mars Hill, NC (near Asheville,NC) was completed as a North Carolina Healthy Built Home in October 2008. A Grand Opening Celebration is planned for Sunday June 28, 1-5PM and Monday June 29, 10am-4pm in Mars Hill, NC. It will feature:

    * Tours of the New Round, Energy Efficient, 3800 sq ft home
    * Visit Exhibitor Booths
    * Talk with Green Experts
    * Educational Seminars (Designing a Green Home (20-30 min), Introduction to Solar Energy (20-30 min),Understanding Financial Incentives for Building Green (20 min))

The new Deltec Homes’ model home promotes a comprehensive approach to sustainability by integrating the key components of green building design and construction
This includes site selection and development, energy and water efficiency, materials selection, resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and homeowner education.

The 3800 square foot model home is projected to use 50% less energy than homes of similar size.

It also focused on indoor environmental quality with continually circulating fresh air, a sealed crawlspace, low VOC finishes and formaldehyde free cabinets.

The home promotes exceptional durability through mold and termite resistant framing, fiber cement siding, and a structural shell that was built in a controlled factory environment to limit exposure to building materials during construction.

Deltec produces all of its homes with 100% renewable energy. The prefabricated, panelized structural shell is built with 78% less waste than a typical stick-built home through Deltec’s extensive recycling and reuse program.