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Browsing all posts in 04 Mechanical Systems.

Was your house built before 1978? Then you should read this……

Was your home built prior to 1978?  In Dallas, TX  over 70% of  existing homes were built prior to 1978. So why is that date so important you ask? Well…. 1978 was the year lead was banned as a substance to be used in paints and finishes. Prior to that, lead was used heavily in [...]

wind energy on the cheap?

 
 Imagine you could go to Home Depot and for a few hundred dollars purchase an appliance that plugs in like a blender and generates a chunk of the energy your home needs, renewable and emissions-free.
Once a pioneer at Real Networks in Seattle, Chad Maglaque invented the Jelly Fish wind turbine–It’s a 36-inch-tall rooftop wind [...]

What is “Green Built Texas?”

As a member of the Dallas Green Building Alliance I feel it is necessary to let consumers know what green building programs are in our area.  Green Built Texas has been a valuable resource to the green community for some time now.  All members of the Dallas Green Building Alliance are members of Green Built [...]

Hey Dallas…After Last Week Who Wants A Generator?

So there we were last week…cold, snow, wind and then darkness! There were 1000’s of us that lost power last week and let’s face it there is NOTHING enjoyable about being without power!   We were all out looking for a near by hotel where we could keep warm for the night or bunking up with [...]

Net Metering Pays Green

As a new member of the Dallas Green Building Alliance, I was picked to start off our weekly blogs for the month of February. Sunday morning rolled around and my blog was due Tuesday, so I was starting to sweat it! Well as I was sitting at my breakfast table, drinking a cup of coffee [...]

Interested in Geothermal? Let’s Look At The Numbers

The first question many of our client’s ask after we suggest they look at Geothermal systems is, “How much does it cost?” There seems to be a misconception out there that Geothermal is only something that very wealthy people can afford and if you don’t fit in that category then Geothermal is not something to [...]

Water Conservation – A Trick For Your Toilet

(Photo by Muffet)
Here’s a quick and easy way to save water. Try this do-it-yourself trick for your toilet tank.
Simply take two empty plastic bottles and weigh them down with either sand or pebbles (about 2”). Be sure the bottle fits the height of your tank. Then, screw on the lids and put them in your [...]

A Rainwater Harvesting System…. How it works in simple terms!

In one of our recent projects, we installed a rainwater harvesting system that captures 100% of the roofs’ runoff water. The water is captured through gutters and then routed into a 16,000 gallon tank. For this purpose we installed a “trunk line” all the way around the home’s perimeter. All the downspouts of the gutter [...]

Go Green With Geothermal and Uncle Sam Might Pay You!

One of the bigger financial benefits of installing a geothermal system is the tax credit that you will be eligible to receive. When the Energy Improvement Act of 2008 was passed it offered a one time tax credit of 30% of the TOTAL investment for homeowners who install residential ground loop or ground water geothermal [...]

Some of the “coolest” houses on the planet….literally!

Today I'm kicking of a series of some of the "coolest" green building projects on this planet. The DGBA Green Building Video Collection.
 

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