by Environmental Articles on February 15, 2010
There are many products on the market that claim to be green. It is up to you to determine which products are green and which are not. Beware of “green washing”! Many products are advertised as green, but after review really do not live up to their claims. Here are 7 factors to consider when selecting green or sustainable products and materials for your project.
Renewability – Are the products made from material that is rapidly renewable such as cork or bamboo? Wood products are also a renewable resource. Choose wood products that are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. Many engineered wood products are made from fast growing trees such as aspen and require less wood to make them than conventional lumber.
Recycled Content - Using material with recycled content not only reduces strain on our landfills, but reduces the need for raw material. Paper, cardboard, plastic, steel and aluminum are a few of the most commonly recycled materials. Recycled paper is used in cellulose insulation and paper countertops. Plastic is used in carpet. Metals that are recycled can be made into their original form.
Reusability and Recyclability - Many products, such as metals, can be recycled after their useable life. Others can be salvaged and reused somewhere else.
Durability - Choose products that will stand the test of time and require little maintenance. This will save time, money and energy on repairs at a later date.
Embodied Energy - This is the energy used to produce, transport and install a product or material in the place where it will be used. Choose local products when possible and products that do not require a large amount of energy to produce.
Air Quality - Products like carpet, cabinetry, plywood and paint can contain petroleum products or formaldehyde and off gas VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). There are now many products available that give off little or no VOCs. These products will give you a healthier home to live in. When you are not able to find suitable products, ventilate the new or remodeled space prior to moving into it. Open windows and doors when possible to remove the VOCs from the home.
Waste Reduction - Choose material that does not create a lot of waste and can be used efficiently. Order material in sizes and lengths that are efficient for your job.
Some products may be green in one area but not in another. Example: Although it is very durable, brick has a high embodied energy because of the energy used to fire the kilns and transport it. It would be a greener option for someone in North Carolina than someone in New York because the clay that is used to make it is a local product. Use these 7 factors and your best judgement to determine which green products are the best for your project.
As an owner of a renovation company in Charlotte NC, Roger Ketchum has become very passionate about Green Building. Visit his website at http://completegreenbuilding.com Not only is he a GCP (Green Certified Professional) but also a CR (Certified Remodeler). Visit his companies website at http://advancedrenovations.com
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by Robert Holdsworth on January 29, 2010
Today’s energy conscious climate has motivated many to do what they can to become more efficient and conserve energy and money. Unfortunately this same climate has prompted others to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers’ wishes to save energy and reduce expenses.
Companies that tout power factor improvement (kVAR correction) and transient voltage suppression are a good example of this bad trend. Lately we are seeing more and more of these companies cropping up and feel it is time to set the record straight.
First, transient voltage surge suppression (TVSS) plays a valuable role in improving power quality to protect sensitive equipment inside a facility. However, TVSS does not save energy. TVSS’s are only active a tiny fraction of a second to protect against voltage surges which only last for less than a millisecond. To actually reduce energy consumption the TVSS would need to actually cut power consumption for an extended period of time which is not what they are designed to do. Again, TVSS is important to protect sensitive electrical equipment but buyers should avoid vendors promising, or even guaranteeing, that they will reduce energy consumption.
Now what about vendors who claim that improving power factor will save 15% or 20% or 30% of energy consumption and corresponding cost? This one is a little trickier.
For residential applications, power factor does nothing to save energy because the typical home already has an average power factor of about 0.97 which is almost the perfect power factor of 1 or unity. In addition, the device (called a capacitor) is placed at the main circuit breaker. According to IEEE 5.5.3.3 capacitors must be situated at or near the respective inductive loads to reduce power system losses by reducing heat and distribution losses known as I2R losses.
So what about commercial and industrial facilities using power factor correction to reduce energy costs? It is perfectly appropriate for a company that is incurring penalties or a kVA billing structure from the utility company to improve the facility’s overall power factor by employing a capacitor bank at the main service entrance or individual capacitors at or near the respective motor loads. Doing so will eliminate the power factor penalties and/or reduce the kVA demand charges on the utility bill which can save significant money and provide a significant ROI on the investment.
But what about power factor correction reducing kWh consumption? IEEE also tells us that I2R losses only account for 2 to 5% of the total load in a facility. Simple math tells us that it would be against the laws of physics to get the 15% to 30% energy reduction claimed by some vendors. Think about it. Even if your facility had 5% distribution losses and you could correct 100% of the problem via power factor correction at every load (which can’t be done) you would still only save 5% at the most. No where near the claims of some capacitor vendors and manufacturers.
All that said, power factor correction when done properly will eliminate utility penalties and kVA demand charges, improve facility power quality, increase electrical system capacity, and save a little energy when applied to the appropriate motor loads.
So make an investment in transient voltage surge suppression and power factor correction when appropriate and necessary. But caveat emptor!
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categories: Robert Holdsworth,Energy efficient buildings,Lower electric bills,Green buildings,Lease energy projects,Free energy audits,Energy project,Building energy efficiency,Commercial energy efficiency,Industrial energy efficiency,Energy efficiency consulting
