 | Peak Oil Update - January 2007: Production Forecasts and EIA Oil Production Numbers | The Oil Drum | Refining 101: The Assay Essay |  |
| Q & A With Paul Hanrahan, CEO of AES | The Oil Drum: Local | Can New York Replicate Water Success with Energy | |
19 comments on Green Buildings, Green Queens? Green LA?
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
User login
Personnel
Classic posts
Archives
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
PONYC Archives
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
GAIA Host Collective
I have the land paid for and some money for a structure.
I like the concept of http://tierraconcretehomes.com/ and it is the most efficient according to the NREL - http://www.nrel.gov/buildings/
But I feel a similar building cold be accomplished with a steel frame and foam insulation on the outside.
Or possibly "cement sip's"
My concern with superinsulation is that it can trap moisture within the walls, and gases inside the house. Some builders solve this with electrically-powered mechanical ventilation, but given what I see elsewhere in the world, I would prefer some sort of ventilation that doesn't rely on the power grid.
The need for mechanical ventilation is very climate and operation dependent.
Relative humidity is so low in Colorado that moisture build-up inside houses is very rarely a problem, not so in the Northeast and Northwest.
The first step for indoor air quality is to avoid introducing contaminants (unvented gas stoves are terrible). Not installing new indoor petrochemical products (carpet, upholstery, cabinet finishes,etc.) does a lot for IAQ too. If the solar gain area is slightly oversized, rather than mechanical venting, simple convection venting by opening a high window on sunny days is quite practical.
I've also been in old houses in Baltimore that simply have a fan in the attic, and no air conditioning. They had high ceilings in each room. They were quite cool, and in a Baltimore July that is saying something!
I'm thinking a lot of these older strategies will be rediscovered.
http://r2000.chba.ca/
this has been tackled, the problem of ventilation. In fact, better to have it controlled in a highly insulated house, than the sort of uncontrolled that goes on now.
R2000 homes have been around for 25 years in Canada, and have a pretty good record. I'm not sure if there is an equivalent US standard.
AFAIK you can build one of these without requiring mechanical ventilation.
Not according to this:
http://r2000.chba.ca/What_is_R2000/R2000_standard.php
Oops, missed it. Mea culpa.
http://www.passivhaus.org.uk/
also uses a mechanical system.
If you wanted to do without a mechanical system at all, and you live in a hot-cold (but dry) climate (Rocky Mountains) then a very traditional building design might serve eg as with Moroccan houses.