Archive for January, 2010
Posted by Greg Castillo on January 29, 2010
The California Public Utilities Commission
As reported in the L.A. Times last week by Tiffany Hsu, the California Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved a much needed $350 million energy rebate program. Designed for homeowners and businesses that install solar thermal water heaters, which use the sun’s rays to heat water for the bathroom, kitchen and laundry room, the average residential rebate will start around $1,500. With your typical home solar water system costing anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000, this incredibly important program could reduce this cost by roughly 15 to 25 percent. And with the federal government currently offering their own 30 percent tax credit for solar energy systems, there’s never been a better time to purchase a solar thermal water heater.
Posted in Information, Legislation, News, Rebate, Solar Power, Tax Credit | Tagged: Energy Efficient, Green, Solar Power, Sustainable, Tax Credits | 2 Comments »
Posted by Greg Castillo on January 22, 2010
Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests of Roof Coverings
The Class A Fire Rating under Underwriters Laboratories® 790 testing standards for fire tests of roof coverings is the highest rating roofing material can achieve.
UL 790
UL 790 is the most accepted standard and tests roofing materials’ resistance to fires from external sources (i.e., fires that originate outside the home). The ratings range from A, B and C. Class B Fire Rating provides a moderate degree of fire protection, and a Class C Fire Rating offers a light degree of fire protection.
It should also be noted that a roofing material’s rating is not earned solely by the physical properties of the material, but also by installation as recommended by the manufacturer. And although no one, including UL, can guarantee that Class A roofing material can protect someone inside a burning building, people in this situation have a much greater chance of survival if the building has a more fire-resistant roof.
Posted in Glossary, Information, Product Safety & Certification Organizations, Roof, Shingles | Tagged: Ratings | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Greg Castillo on January 21, 2010
Impact Resistance of Prepared Roof Covering Materials
The Class 4 Impact Rating under Underwriters Laboratories® 2218 testing standards for impact resistance of roofing materials is the highest rating roofing material can achieve.
UL 2218
This testing standard was mandated by insurance companies due to the large losses they’ve incurred in recent years from hail damaged roofs. Roofing materials that pass the UL test standard are classified as either Class 1, 2, 3 or 4. In certain areas of the country, roofs with UL rated materials can qualify for an insurance premium discount. Contact your homeowner’s insurance provider to ask if they provide this discount.
Posted in Glossary, Information, Product Safety & Certification Organizations, Roof, Shingles | Tagged: Ratings | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Greg Castillo on January 20, 2010
An Independent Product Safety Certification Organization
Underwriters Laboratories® is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing safety standards for more than a century. Each year they evaluate more than 19,000 types of products, components, materials and systems, with some 20 billion UL Marks appearing on over 72,000 manufacturers’ products.
Promoting Safe Living & Working Environments
Their primary mission is to promote safe living and working environments with the application of safety science and hazard-based safety engineering. By supporting production and use of products that are physically and environmentally friendly, Underwriters Laboratories strives to make corporations as socially responsible as possible.
To Learn More
Underwriters Laboratories was founded in 1894 and is chartered as a not-for-profit independent testing organization. To learn more about their examination and testing procedures, browse their website.
Posted in Product Safety & Certification Organizations | Tagged: Corruption, Education, Green, Sustainable | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Greg Castillo on January 19, 2010
Eco-Shake – the 100% Green Roofing Shingle
Eco-Shake is a green roofing shingle that is made from 100 percent recycled material. Designed to resemble and replace wood shingles, it handles all weather conditions and will not crack, fade, or curl.
50-Year Transferrable Warranty
Eco-Shake is made from reinforced vinyl and cellulose fiber, two common construction products that would otherwise end up in landfills. With a Class A Fire Rating and a Class 4 Impact Rating, the highest ratings given by Underwriters Laboratories, these green shingles are UV protected, freeze-thaw resistant, require no maintenance, and are so durable that they’re backed by a 50-year transferrable warranty. Some insurance companies even offer discounts to homeowners if they install this type of impact resistant roofing product.
Re-New Wood
Manufactured by Re-New Wood Inc. of Oklahoma, the company was started to develop a superior roofing product that was environmentally friendly yet could also withstand the extreme weather conditions throughout the country.
To Learn More
To learn more about this unique green product and cutting-edge company, browse the Re-New Wood website.
Posted in Roof, Shingles | Tagged: Green, Recycle, Sustainable | 1 Comment »
Posted by Greg Castillo on January 15, 2010
The Panasonic Lithium-Ion Storage Cell
Though it’s primarily the cost of solar and wind power devices that keep many homeowners from installing systems, green energy doesn’t run 24 hours a day. But Panasonic may be about to solve this problem with their new lithium-ion storage cell.
Changing the Game
Designed specifically for homes, the Japanese electronics manufacturer says its cell can hold enough power to run the average house for a week. If all goes as planned, this revolutionary energy storage system has the potential to make solar and wind power a more viable and cost-effective option for the entire world.
Fumio Otsubo
With the cell set to debut in 2011, the president of Panasonic, Fumio Otsubo, says that the company’s mission is to realize CO2 emission-free daily life in the home. More details about the lithium-ion storage cell should be announced within the coming days.
Posted in Energy Storage Cell, News, Solar Power, Wood Finish | Tagged: Conservation, Electricity, Energy Efficient, Green, Solar Power, Sustainable, Technology, Wind | 4 Comments »
Posted by Greg Castillo on January 10, 2010
As written by Todd Woody in the L.A. Times on Saturday, ESolar Inc. of Pasadena just signed an agreement to build a series of solar thermal power plants in China. The deal is one of the largest of its kind, signaling China’s emergence in the renewable energy market. Moving faster than California and the rest of the United States in this aspect of the green arena, the total electrical output for the project would be 2,000 megawatts, which is equivalent to what a large nuclear power plant could produce.
Posted in News | Tagged: Green, Photovoltaic, Renewable, Solar Power, Sustainable, Technology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Greg Castillo on January 2, 2010
A Renewable Energy Source
Ethanol is 100 percent alcohol and is mainly produced by the fermentation of sugars in potatoes, bananas, sugarcane and beetroot. Producers of ethanol, which to avoid human consumption cannot be solid in its purest form, denature ethanol with various substances. Primarily done for resale purposes, denatured ethanol is composed completely of biological products that form a neutral ecological balance that burns clean in the form of heat, steam, and carbon dioxide.
Posted in Fireplace, Glossary, Information | Tagged: Energy Efficient, Renewable, Sustainable | Leave a Comment »
The California Public Utilities Commission
