Issue 4 Volume 5

April 2007

Vast Majority of U.S. Households Know About Energy Star Label

National Survey Shows Consumers Influenced by Energy Efficiency

(Washington, D.C. - April 25, 2007) Public awareness of EPA's Energy Star label has jumped to 68 percent of U.S. households, according to a recent nationwide survey released today. In many major markets where local utilities and other organizations use Energy Star to promote energy efficiency to their customers, public awareness of Energy Star is even greater, averaging 76 percent.

"We are thrilled that awareness of Energy Star continues to grow, "said Bill Wehrum, acting assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. "More than ever, Americans are making a clear choice to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

The report released today, titled "National Awareness of Energy Star for 2006" presents an analysis of a survey commissioned by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, a non-profit organization that promotes the manufacture and purchase of energy-efficient products and services.

Additional results from the survey show that:

• More than 60 percent of households reported being favorably influenced by the Energy Star label;
• More than 30 percent of U.S. households knowingly purchased an Energy Star qualifying product or appliance in the past year; and
• More than 70 percent of these households reported they are likely to recommend Energy Star products to their friends, with 29 percent of households reporting they are "extremely likely" to recommend Energy Star.

The survey report highlights that the government's Energy Star is helping Americans make consumer choices that are energy efficient and good for the environment. The survey has been done for the past seven years.

Energy Star was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products as well as new homes. Products that have earned the Energy Star designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. In 2006 alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved about $14 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 25 million vehicles.

For more information and to download the report: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=news.nr_news#awareness1

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy designed to save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Energy Star: http://energystar.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov

U.S. Department of Energy: http://www.energy.gov

Goes Greener

Bank of America, the nation’s largest retail bank, announced last week that it will spend $20 billion on new environmental initiatives over the next decade.

Ninety percent of the committed money will go to fund commercial lending and investment banking for “green” projects. The bank, which joins a growing list of large U.S.-based companies working to reduce their own and their stakeholders’ ecological footprint, hopes such lending will have a positive environmental ripple effect within the U.S. and beyond.

The bank will also spend another $2 billion on efforts to reduce its own impact on the environment and related consumer programs. One example is offering its customers a special credit card. A portion of every dollar spent with the card will go to projects helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also, borrowers can apply for reduced-rate mortgages for homes that meet energy-efficiency standards, or opt for a $1,000 cash rebate instead.

“We see the business opportunity to finance and encourage environmentally sustainable service and technology as a greener economy is created,” Bank of America spokeswoman Eloise Hale told reporters, emphasizing that the bank’s decision to go green should help the company capture more new business moving forward. Reporting by Roddy Scheer for E-Magazine

Source: newsroom.bankofamerica.com

History and Function of Insulation
by Derrence Freeman, GWS City Manager-Houston, San Antonio

     The history of insulation goes back to the Marco Polo times in China. The locals used asbestos for insulation and ropes were used as wicks in oil burning lamps. The first Roman Emperor Charlemagne (left) made napkins out of it. He would clean the asbestos by burning the waste from it (asbestos does not burn and he could reuse it).
     There were health related issues linked to asbestos in the first century that were noted by a historian named Pliny the Elder. He noticed the slaves that worked in the asbestos mines had respiratory diseases. His remedy was for the slaves to wear a respirator made from transparent bladder skin. By the twentieth century asbestos was being used for fire retardant coatings, concrete, bricks, pipe and ceiling insulation, flooring, and roofing.
     In 1906, the first documented death related to asbestos occured. By the 1940s mesothelioma was being linked to asbestos. In 1960 a British medical journal (The Lancet) wrote an article linking asbestos to the cause of mesothelioma. This awareness led to government regulations but asbestos is still not banned in the United States today.
      In today’s building industry insulation has evolved with type, density, and quality of installation. Local and state codes have adopted laws to insure that insulation is safe, installed properly for longevity, and installed climate specifically using heating degree-days.
     Insulation conserves energy, enhances comfort by reducing temperature differences in the thermal envelope, reduces the size of heating and cooling equipment needed along with other building science practices, and prevents wintertime condensation by lowering interior surface temperatures. Insulation can also provide structural strength, reduce noise and vibrations in buildings, and improve the buildings fire resistance.
    Insulations' function is to retard heat flow and is measured by its r-value (“R” stands for thermal resistance). There are several types of insulations in the building industry today. There are fiberglass batts, blown, and board that have an r-value of 2.4 to 4.4 per inch. Blown cellulose is another type that has a 3.0 to 3.6 r-value per inch. Another type is mineral wool batts, blown, and board that have a 2.4 to 4.4 r-value per inch. There is a type called vermiculite or perlite that has an r-value of 2.3 to 2.7 per inch. There are several foam types. One is expanded polystyrene (white) with an r-value of 3.6 to 4.2 per inch. Another type is extruded polystyrene (blue/pink) that has an r-value of 5.0 per inch. The last type is polyisocyanurate board that has the highest r-value per inch at 5.6 to 7.6.
     There are several other contributing factors that aid in insulation reaching its maximum performance. Air seal all cavities that are insulated away from walls with unconditioned spaces on the opposite side. Fire block or foam seal all interior walls at the top plate level away from unconditioned areas. Insure that the insulation is installed with no gaps, voids, misalignments, or compressions. Doing these construction practices will help conserve energy and raise the comfort level inside of buildings. For more detailed information on insulation or consultation contact www.gwssi.com.

For more information, please contact GWS @ 1-888-488-0206 or visit our web site www.gwssi.com.

May 3, 2007 Francis Tuttle – Rockwell Campus, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Hurry!  On-line registration closes midnight April 30th.
Door registration will increase to $195!

EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS!

"Best of Building Science.com" on line training www.bestofbuildingscience.com are lessons learned from the nation's foremost building science professionals and is specifically designed for builders, sub-contractors and design professionals in the residential construction business.

Best of Building Science.com LIVE offers a one day building science training that gives you the opportunity to preview the training sessions "LIVE"

Some of our presenters include:

• Sam Rashkin - Environmental Protection Agency
• Kelly Parker P.E.- President, RESNET & GWS
• Hank Rutkowski P.E.- Author of " Manual J-the document"

Some of the topics will include:

• EEBA Applied-Hands On Building Science LIVE
• HVAC Training for Contractors
• Marketing & Sales of the High Performance Green Home
• Energy Star for New Homes
• State of Global Energy & Green Building
• Federal & State Tax Incentives

For information regarding this event click here or please contact Julie Porter at 612-232-7598 or Jenna Anderson at 952-426-5340.

Energy Efficiency Global Forum
and Exposition

November 11-14, 2007 at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center

The Alliance to Save Energy's inaugural conference will serve as the premier gathering and showcase for the energy-efficiency industry. EE Global will attract industry professionals, academics and policy makers from around the world to promote the efficient use of energy through a curriculum aimed at sharing best practices and unifying the public and private sectors. Please visit www.eeglobalforum.com for more information.