China’s passenger vehicle market is in the crosshairs of many U.S. companies with “green” automotive technology. The bus market is also getting a lot of attention. There hasn’t been much focus on efforts to make the medium and heavy-duty truck sector more environmentally friendly, however.
Alysha Webb knows a great deal about the electric vehicles market and the role that China plays in it. I’ve met her at numerous auto shows, and I look forward to reading her always-informative blog posts.
But her current piece on Fisker Automotive and how the Chinese company Wanxiang’s buyout of bankrupt A123 (lithium ion battery manufacturer) might affect
With early stage capital for cleantech innovation becoming increasingly scarce, crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo and a new crop of clean/green ones are beginning to emerge as significant sources of funding for selected next-gen clean technologies.
Hurdles remain, particularly for investors seeking returns, but I’m more optimistic about these sites’
A national “cool” roof campaign could save some 5.7 quad of net primary energy valued at $33 billion over the 20-year lifespan of an average roof, according to researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Heat Island Group.
The Case for Cool Roofs recommends a no-cost cool
Treatment without diagnosis is risky, for human health or home energy performance.
For any tax-paying citizen, the term “audit” probably has more negative than positive connotations. That’s why companies and individuals who perform home energy audits often refer to their services as “energy assessments” or “energy evaluations.” If the “A” word stigma isn’t bad
Ten years ago, a green home might have meant solar panels on the roof. Five years ago, those photovoltaic cells began sharing space with a green roof and a LEED certification.
That’s all still the case in mid-2012, but in a far more connected and tech-savvy environment. Contractors and homeowners are no longer just taking square footage versus monthly power bill and giving a building its ‘green rating.’ Nowadays, smartphones can be used to carefully calculate exact energy usage, adjusting thermostats from a taxi on the other side of the country.
Building contractors have had to work hard to remain knowledgeable and up-to-date with the latest developments. What’s trending now often becomes tomorrow’s mainstay.
1. Consumer Awareness and Control of Energy Usage
Underlying the entire building industry is a growing demand by consumers for more energy efficient homes that allow careful control of power consumption by the user. From appliances that each tie into a smart-grid to the aforementioned remotely programmable Wi-fi thermostats (already available in the sub-$100 range), consumers are learning to treat their energy bill as they would any other expense. Instead of crossing their fingers that the monthly bill won’t be higher than expected, devices are already available from companies like Belkin and Intel that allow consumers to track the exact hourly energy consumption from each of their appliances and make adjustments accordingly.
HVAC contractors are already experiencing this trend firsthand. Whereas programmable thermostats became the norm for replacements over the last decade, requests for the newer remotely-programmable models are quickly increasing.
When people start to treat home electricity usage like they do gasoline or groceries (i.e. Driving across the street to save a few cents per gallon or clipping coupons), they demand that the infrastructure of their home allows for the maximum possible savings with their controlled usage. That’s a major trend that will increasingly define the building contractor’s role and their decisions about everything from appliances to insulation, both in renovations and new projects.
2. Increased Value on Water
For decades, Americans have enjoyed nearly unlimited fresh water in their homes for next-to-nothing. But with this summer’s headline-grabbing drought affecting so many regions of the country, contractors and consumers are beginning to respond and adapt. Contractors are installing rain barrels at an ever-increasing rate, retrofitting home gutter systems to utilize gray water for gardening and irrigation. With similar systems already available for toilet water and other non-drinking uses, smart contractors are integrating water recycling concepts into both new buildings and renovations.
This new development goes hand-in-hand with existing technologies like low-flow faucets, showerheads and toilets, all of which have long been available and are increasingly being made mandatory due to water conservation efforts around the country.
3. Less Efficient Appliances are Growing Highly Undesirable
With increased awareness about energy consumption at the consumer level, people begin to look at non-Energy Star certified appliances like antiquated refrigerators or washing machines with disdain. Plumbing contractors have absorbed the largest market change thus far, with residents of more progressive major urban areas turning against the traditional hot water heater. Although they’re more expensive at the outset, homeowners are learning that tankless water heaters — which produce heat on demand and don’t require storing unused hot water for hours or days — can be a more desirable option. Due to the energy (and space requirement) savings, the tankless heaters may very well overtake the traditional model nationwide in the next decade.
4. New Perspectives on Landscaping
Public information campaigns about stormwater runoff and its effect on waterways is sinking in around the country, prompting heightened interest in organic fertilizers and eco-friendly pesticides. New options and brands have emerged almost monthly over the last two years, and even traditional landscape contractors are moving toward less harmful granule fertilizers over spraying. Likewise, even in playgrounds, recycled rubber mulch is gaining traction as an alternative to traditional wood mulch as a ground bedding, thanks to added safety benefits and significant deductions in cost that continue to drop.
5. More Accountability
With a higher premium placed on efficient homes, consumers will demand more stringent proof of a home’s future consumption levels. A simple list of upgrades will no longer suffice when another homebuilder can offer concrete numbers about a home’s expected use that they guarantee and stand behind. With energy-use appraisals becoming more detailed and accurate, more cities and states will soon follow the lead of Seattle, Austin, and New York, a few of the municipalities that already require energy disclosure to tenants of commercial buildings.
At the core of the changes to the building industry is a growing consumer enlightenment about energy use and the ability to control it via new technologies. With that power in the occupant’s hands, potential buyers and tenants will understandably want to begin with a building that offers the highest possible potential for savings. That translates to builders and contractors being held to higher standards than ever.
Jay Harris is a Home Depot sales associate and a regular contributor to Home Depot’s blog. He provides tips on products ranging from light bulbs to circuit breakers to home automation.
As the number of green technology bankruptcies continues to rise, an important consideration for these companies, their business partners, and their creditors is the treatment of IP rights in bankruptcy.
For example, with companies engaged in new
Petroleum engineers in the 1930s knew what to think about methane hydrates, the magical “ice that burns”: they were a big nuisance. Chunks of these flammable frozen solids would sometimes clog oil and natural gas
Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, announced recently that An tSlí Ghlas – The Green Way, Ireland’s first Green Economic Zone, has been accepted as the Irish representative of the Global Cleantech Cluster Association(GCCA).
Membership in GCCA will provide Irish
As if we don’t have enough phobias already, now there is range anxiety, a malady brought on by the electric car. But it’s okay; there is a cure, or rather an app for that.
Studies indicate that many electric car drivers – and those considering joining the ranks – suffer the fear of running out of power and being stranded with a dead
Developers and facility owners are aware of their ability to make a building more sustainable – solar installation, timed lighting, metered water usage, to name a few. However, the price tag of “going green” can make someone stop and think twice.
That’s where LEED comes in. By adhering
Some places actually have “better” sun than others for producing solar power, but identifying those places isn’t always intuitive.
Contrary to what I would have guessed, Hawaii does not have the best sun for solar energy production. Factors like cloud cover, water vapor and atmospheric
Earlier this month, Britain’s Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne urged business leaders to change the way they market green products in an effort to move promotional focus away from ethics and responsibilities and market them as the “fun” and “smart” choice.
At the launch of a new report
Let’s say you have a million dollars. Of course, you want to make it grow, right? You ask around…find the right financial advisor…discuss your options. When you are absolutely sure you are comfortable with your new portfolio, you make your investments and never think about that million ever again. Right? Of course not!