Issue1 Volume 5

January 2007

Gaining Our Foreign Oil Independance h

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Friday unveiled the House Democrats' next legislative target: an ambitious plan to wean the U.S. from foreign oil and combat global climate change.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Speaker Pelosi intends to create a select panel to help craft the House agenda on energy and climate change. According to the report the Speaker asked committee chairs with jurisdiction over energy and environmental issues to pass legislation to "truly declare our energy independence by July 4."

The announcement came as the House Democrats completed the agenda for their first 100 legislative hours with the passage of a bill that would repeal oil industry tax breaks and put the estimated $14 billion in revenue over 10 years toward research on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The January 13, 2007, issue of the Washington Post featured an article of the role of residential energy efficiency should play in combating global climate change. The article, "Energy Efficiency Should Be the Foundation for All Building" states that "Buildings are the largest source of the greenhouse-gas emissions that are causing global warming, and in the United States, half of building-related emissions are from houses."

The article features the "2030 Challenge" issued by architect Ed Mazria and endorsed by the American Institute of Architects. The challenge calls for an immediate reduction in fossil fuel consumption in buildings by 50% with the goal that all new buildings will be carbon neutral by 2030.

The article stated that home builders are reluctant to lead the charge because they feel that consumers are unwilling to pay for the added investment. Gopal Ahluwailia of the National Association of Home Builders was quoted in the article as saying that in focus groups half of consumers conducted by the builder's association stated that they wanted an environmental friendly home but would not pay for it. The article stated, however, "Somewhat contradictorily buyers pay attention to conventional energy saving technologies."

The article concludes that the solution to this puzzle is for home buyers to insist on low energy homes. "When they start to insist on energy efficiencies that reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions associated with the homes that they are buying, the builders will listen. ... if every new-home buyer insists that builders ratchet up the energy efficiencies in all of the new houses they sell, the difference will be significant."

The Great Green Leap Forward: Energy-Hungry China and India Leapfrog to the Front of the Global Green Building Movement
By Kevin Sullivan E/The Environmental Magazine!

The glossy promotional brochure for DSK Vishwa, a new 6,000-unit housing development on the gentle hills surrounding the hub city of Pune, contained an appeal not typically pitched to the aspiring middle-class Indian: a “rain water harvesting channel.” India’s exploding housing sector in high-tech centers like Pune and Bangalore is finally seeing “green” development to satisfy the demands of more sophisticated and environmentally-conscious consumers—and improve the bottom line for developers.

“It’s a dynamic process,” says Sanjay Deshpande, joint managing director for DS Kulkarni, the project’s developer and one of the largest homebuilders in India. “In the first phase we led by example, offering green features not normally found in these residential projects, but already in phase two clients have caught on and are demanding even greener buildings.”

Combustion Appliance Safety
by Bernardo Lopez, GWS Operations Manager

Furnaces, space heaters, and water heaters are examples of combustion appliances. They have the potential to be health and safety hazards if not inspected for safe operation. You may ask yourself, What do I look for during a combustion safety inspection? I will give you a brief article to assist you in this matter.

First, we need to identify what a combustion appliance consists of. All combustion appliances require a controlled fuel supply , enough combustion air, and drafting of exhaust gases through properly configured vents. The combustion chambers should be inspected for any cracks or rust holes that will leak flames out. If you find this problem with your appliance, my personal recommendation would be to replace the appliance with a new one.

Secondly, you should check for fuel leaks with a calibrated gas leak detector. Some of the most common leak areas are the joints, fittings, and along pipes. Natural gas is lighter than air, so be sure to check above these areas for leaks. Propane gas is heavier than air so check under the joints and fittings. If you do not have access to a leak detector, you may use soapy water at all these areas. When you put soap bubbles over a leak you should see a bubbling action at the leak area. You should shut down the gas supply to the appliance and call a certified plumber to repair the leak.

Finally, we must inspect the vents to see if it is properly configured. A properly configured vent consist of either a powered vent fan or a vent pipe that allows combustibles to vent to the exterior of the home. Vent pipes should not have any downward turns that will trap the harmful combustion or possibly back-draft the gases into living area. Back-drafting is the worst situation to have in your home, due to the dangers of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is an odorless and tasteless gas that can not be detected by any senses a human has. This gas is measured in “ ppm ” which means particles per million. The following is a chart with exposure times and symptoms:

CO (ppm)         Time               Symptoms

35                       8 hours             Max. exposure allowed by OSHA in the                                                       workplace over an 8-hour period

200                    2-3 hours          Mild headache, fatigue, nausea, and                                                               dizziness

400                    1-2 hours          Serious headache-other symptoms                                                                 intensify. Life-threatening after 3 hours.

800                    45 minutes         Dizziness, nausea, and convulsions.                                                               Unconscious within 2 hours.
                                                   Death within 2-3 hours

1600                   20 minutes        Headache, dizziness, and nausea.
                                                   Death within 1 hour.

As you can see from the chart above, CO leaks are very dangerous and have the potential to cause death. I would recommend to install some CO detectors near the areas of the combustion appliances. Your local hardware store carries these CO detectors in many configurations and prices. In the event of your detectors alarm activation, you should exit your home immediately and call the fire department. I hope that this brief articles helps you understand the need to have your combustible appliances inspected.

Should you need some further information, please contact GWS @ 1-888-488-0206 or visit our website www.gwssi.com.

Best of Building Science.com LIVE
May 3, 2007
Francis Tuttle – Rockwell Campus
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

"Best of Building Science.com" on line trainings 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 - President, Resnet & GWS

Some of the topics will include:

• Hands On Building Science LIVE, EEBA Applied
• 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 or for sponsorship opportunities please contact Julie Porter at 612-232-7598 or Jenna Anderson at 952-426-5340.

update on important business and technical trends.

For more information please visit: resnet.us/conference

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.