10 Great ‘Green’ Home Improvements

While the debate over climate change rages on, energy-efficient features have become a key attraction for today's home buyers. The National Association of Realtors' 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that nearly 90 percent of buyers considered heating and cooling bills important, and more than 70 percent wanted high-efficiency appliances. "One of the things that we as advocates of energy efficiency have been encouraged by is a change in home buyers' and homeowners' attitudes towards energy efficiency," says Kateri Callahan, the president of the Alliance to Save Energy. And why not? Energy-efficient home features help lower your bills while reducing your carbon footprint. On top of that, Uncle Sam is now handing out tax credits worth up to $1,500 when you purchase certain energy-efficient home products. But if you're planning on going green, you had better get moving, says Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy home editor at Consumer Reports. "All the tax credits expire at the end of 2010," she says. "So this is the year to do a lot of those things because Uncle Sam is going to help you pay for it." To assist consumers who are considering making these upgrades, U.S. News spoke with a number of experts to compile a list of 10 Great Green Home Improvements for 2010. 1. Energy-efficiency audit: Before you can make your home more energy efficient, you need to know where you currently stand. A so-called energy audit, in which an energy professional inspects your home to determine where efficiencies can be created, is a great way for homeowners to figure out which parts of their property need attention. "That is the very first step that any homeowner should take," says Karen Thull of the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance. "[An energy-efficiency audit] is a great way to kind of measure where there are inefficiencies." Homeowners can contact their energy company or a contractor about conducting an energy audit, which may be free in some cases. "I'm an energy guy, but I even called my local utility and had their auditor come out [to inspect my house]," says Randy Martin, the former director of energy-efficiency services at the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities. 2. Seal it up: Ensuring that your home is tightly sealed is a key component of energy efficiency. "You can talk about the future of the smart home and all of that," says Meg Matt, the president and CEO of the Association of Energy Services Professionals. "But it really does come back to the basics of sealing what I call 'the leaky house.' " Plugging up the leaks that allow cold air to slip into your house—and drive up your heating bills—is an important first step. Such leaks are often found near doors and windows, but they can also spring up in your basement or attic. Certain materials used to seal these leaks—such as caulk, spray foam, or weatherstripping—can qualify for federal tax credits. "It's something that homeowners can do easily," Thull says. "And there are a lot of different products out there that are able to do [it]." For more specific information on eligibility and the tax benefits associated with different products, visit this site. 3. Insulate upstairs: Adding insulation can help keep your home comfortable year-round. "It turns out that about half of the homes in the United States are underinsulated," Callahan says. "If your home was built before about 1980, you should really look at it to see if you have got the proper level of insulation." For those adding insulation, Callahan recommends starting with an easily accessible part of the house, such as the attic. "In the attic spaces, a lot of times, the insulation over a period of years will reduce down to maybe 3 or 4 inches where you are supposed to have like 10 inches of insulation," says Paul Zuch, the president of Capital Improvements. "A lot of the insulation companies promote going in and blowing an additional 10 inches of insulation in your attic. That really helps." Certain insulation products can qualify for federal tax credits. 4. Seal the ducts: Ducts carry hot or cold air to different parts of homes with forced-air heating and cooling systems. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that roughly a fifth of this air escapes through leaks. To address this headache, consumers can use duct sealant to repair leaks in exposed ducts, like those in an attic or basement. Kuperszmid Lehrman recommends that homeowners have their ducts insulated as well. "If they don't have insulation, you should add the insulation," she says. "And because that is going to be a project where you are going to need to do it in places that are going to be hard to reach, that's probably a project where you are going to want to hire somebody." 5. Programmable thermostat: Another way to cut down on energy costs is a programmable thermostat, Callahan says. These devices—which can be found for less than $30—help prevent homeowners from wasting energy. For example, a homeowner could use this device to program the downstairs heat to lower by 15 degrees at 11 p.m., when the family is in bed, and return to its normal temperature at 6 a.m. "A programmable thermostat allows you to set back the temperature pretty significantly when you are not in the home or if you are asleep," Callahan says. "They save about 10 percent on your heating bills and your cooling bills in the summer—so they pay for themselves literally in a matter of months." 6. Energy-efficient windows: Replacing old, leaky windows with higher-efficiency models can also make your home greener. Zuch recommends that consumers buy wood windows instead of aluminum-framed models, which can allow hot or cold air to pass through more readily. "Wood windows are great because wood is a natural insulator," Zuch says. "It just doesn't allow heat and cold to move through the frame." Energy-efficient windows typically have two panes of glass filled with a gas that works to slow down the heat that passes through it, Zuch says. Qualified energy-efficient windows are eligible for a federal tax credit, but installation costs are not included. 7. Energy-efficient doors: Certain higher-efficiency door models also can qualify for a tax break from Uncle Sam. When looking for energy efficiency, avoid hollow metal doors, Kuperszmid Lehrman says. "Any kind of hollow door is going to be terrible because the air is going to infiltrate right through," she says. Instead, look for a door of insulated steel, fiberglass, or wood. If you'd prefer that a portion of the door be glass, look for energy-efficient components. "If you are going to go for glass, you want to make sure that you get the same sort of insulating features that you would look for in a window." 8. Add storm windows: Storm windows can be a lower-cost alternative to a full-blown window replacement project. "Storm windows are a very inexpensive way to increase the energy efficiency of your current windows," Kuperszmid Lehrman says. But she cautions that the project makes financial sense only if a homeowner's current windows are in good condition, since rotting or leaky windows would need to be replaced sooner or later anyway. "If your interior windows are in good shape, then [installing storm windows is] a quick way to increase your energy efficiency without going through the expense and the mess of ripping out your current windows," she says. Certain storm windows and doors can qualify for a federal tax credit, but installation costs are not included. 9. Energy-efficient heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system: Replacing an outdated heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system with more energy-efficient models can also lower your monthly energy bills. But because the project can be quite expensive, Kuperszmid Lehrman suggests that homeowners take this step only as a last resort. Before considering this project, it's essential to make sure your home is as well sealed and insulated as possible. "If you upgrade your HVAC system but your house is still leaking, you still are going to use an enormous amount of energy," she said. Only homeowners who have properly sealed homes but old and unreliable heating and cooling equipment should invest in a new HVAC system, Kuperszmid Lehrman says. "I wouldn't call somebody to replace your heating system in the dead of winter," she says. "I would do some research and then call them when people aren't calling them for the emergency calls." Certain heating and cooling products can qualify for federal tax credits. 10. High-efficiency water heaters: These can drive down home energy costs as well. "Water heating makes up anywhere from 15 to 25 percent of the annual energy usage in a home," says Steve Koep of Marathon Water Heaters. High-efficiency water heaters conserve energy by keeping water hot for longer than traditional water heaters. "You start saving money on a monthly basis, and that technology will generally pay for itself in anywhere from three to five years," Koep says. Certain water heaters can qualify for federal tax credits. By Luke Mullins,Posted: February 11, 2010 Scott's Contracting GREEN BUILDER, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri.http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com, contact scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com for additional information

'irreversible' damage to natural environment

Brought to you by: Scott's Contracting GREEN BUILDER, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri.http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com, contact scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com for additional information UN fears 'irreversible' damage to natural environment Mon May 10, 7:08 am ET GENEVA (AFP) – The UN warned on Monday that "massive" loss in life-sustaining natural environments was likely to deepen to the point of being irreversible after global targets to cut the decline by this year were missed. As a result of the degradation, the world is moving closer to several "tipping points" beyond which some ecosystems that play a part in natural processes such as climate or the food chain may be permanently damaged, a United Nations report said. The third "Global Biodiversity Outlook" found that deforestation, pollution or overexploitation were damaging the productive capacity of the most vulnerable environments, including the Amazon rainforest, lakes and coral reefs. "This report is saying that we are reaching the tipping point where the irreversible damage to the planet is going to be done unless we act urgently," Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, told journalists. Djoghlaf argued that extinction rates for some animal or plant species were at a historic high, up to 1,000 times those seen before, even affecting crops and livestock. The UN report was partly based on 110 national reports on steps taken to meet a 2002 pledge to "significantly reduce" or reverse the loss in biodiversity. Djoghlaf told journalists: "There is not a single country in the world that has achieved these targets, we continue to lose biodioversity at unprecedented rate." Three potential tipping points were identified. Global climate, regional rainfall and loss of plant and animal species were harmed by continued deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, the report said. Many freshwater lakes and rivers were becoming contaminated by algae, starving them of oxygen and killing off fish, affecting local livelihoods and recreation for local populations. And coral reefs were collapsing due to the combined blow of more acid and warming oceans, as well as overfishing, the UN found. UN Environment Programme (UNEP) director general Achim Steiner underlined the economic value and returns of "natural capital" and its role in ensuring the health of soil, oceans and the atmosphere. "Humanity has fabricated the illusion that somehow we can get by without biodiversity or that it is somehow peripheral to the contemporary world," Steiner said. "The truth is we need it more than ever on a planet of six billion heading to over nine billion people by 2050." The report argued that biodiversity was a core concern for society that would help tackle poverty and improve health, meriting as much attention as the economic crisis for only a fraction of the cost of recent financial bailouts. It advocated a new strategy to tackle the loss alongside more traditional steps such as the expansion of protected natural areas and pollution control. They included attempts to regulate land consumption, fishing, increased trade and population growth or shifts, partly through a halt to "harmful" or "perverse" subsidies. The issues raised by the report are due to be discussed at a UN biodiversity meeting in Japan in October. Additional Algae News:Algae Cleans Purifies Water and Organic Fertilizer http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-system-algae-cleans-water.html

10 Ways to Save by Going Green Steps 7-10(Continued)

(Continued From Prior Posting)

7. Get paid to recycle. Sometimes, going green doesn't just save you money—it earns you money. Old phones, printers, monitors, iPods, and personal digital assistants—stashed in drawers and closets when they kick the bucket—are valuable to companies that refurbish, resell, and recycle them, and they'll reimburse you in cash. "From the lazy environmentalist's point of view, [recycling] is a pain in the neck," says Dorfman, who recommends E-cycler Gazelle. Second Rotation, EcoNew, and BuyMyTronics will also buy your broken gadgets. "You're getting paid to sit on your couch," says Dorfman. [Don't Be Duped By E-Cycling Scams.]

 8. Don't be trashy. Reducing your share of trash provides instant green gratification and can help you save on your grocery bill. Whether it's tissues, plastic sandwich bags, or cotton balls, most of our disposable goods have a durable alternative—like handkerchiefs or sponges—that will get the job done just as well and will pay for itself in savings. A surprisingly stylish influence has been the AMC television show Mad Men, which has brought 1960s-era accouterments like long-lasting straight razors and handkerchiefs back in vogue. But even if you find it hard to do without your paper napkins, the easiest change is to replace bottled water with a reusable water bottle.

 9. Conserve water. Your water bill is inextricably tied to your energy bill through your water heater, so reducing your use of hot water can mean extra savings. Dorfman endorses a low-flow showerhead, enabling him to take long showers guilt free.

 10. Don't buy it—rent it. Savvy entrepreneurs have launched sites to rent out anything from cars to handbags for short-term use and big-time savings, both carbon and financial. Car-sharing company Zipcar is the best-known example, but sites like couture-lending Rent the Runway are growing fast. "Sites like these enable you to get what you want without actually owning it and allow other people to use it as well, collectively reducing the environmental impact," says Dorfman. "It allows you to save money and still enjoy your lifestyle." Scott's Contracting GREEN BUILDER, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri.http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com, contact scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com for additional information

10 Ways to Save by Going Green Steps 1-7

By Maura Judkis,Posted: March 8, 2010 The era of new American frugality ushered in by the recession has an added benefit. Many measures that families take to cut costs in tough times—turning down the heat or shopping secondhand, for example—are also good for the planet. "Our carbon footprint is directly tied to our consumption, whether that's consumption of energy or a consumer product," says Josh Dorfman, host of the Sundance Channel show The Lazy Environmentalist and author of the book and blog of the same name. Whether people realize it or not, cutting back has made them accidental environmentalists. "Certainly, saving money is more important to most people than going green," says Dorfman. "For people to green their lifestyle, the solutions have to fit how they live. I think there are a lot of ways to make that possible." Below, you'll find 10—all of which will minimize not only your footprint but also your spending. 1. Get there, greener. You don't have to own a Prius to drive green. Any driver can increase fuel efficiency and thus save on gas by getting regular tuneups, keeping tires properly inflated, and avoiding idling. But considering that transportation accounted for nearly 30 percent of carbon emissions in America in 2006, the cheapest and best thing you can do for the environment is to drive less. According to the American Public Transportation Association, public transit ridership is increasing and in 2009 reached its highest level in 52 years. Or you can join the growing renaissance of fuel-free and fit bicycle commuting. 2. Enjoy home-cooked meals. Prepared foods may be convenient, but they cost more than the ingredients for a home-cooked meal—and come loaded with salt and preservatives. Chef Laura Stec, author of the environmental cookbook Cool Cuisine, says that preparing meals at home is cheaper, more healthful, and not as hard as we think. "We can't save money and benefit from the results of eating higher-quality whole foods if people don't know how to use them," says Stec. "It's not about recipes; it's about technique." Stec says fresh, nutritious food paired with simple seasonings can help novice cooks learn to prepare delicious meals. Packing a lunch of leftovers can save you more than $100 each month. 3. Eat your veggies. According to the Department of Agriculture, the average American eats nearly 200 pounds of meat each year—an amount that has not been good for our nation's waistlines. But the production of meat uses vastly more resources than produce, which is why climate scientists and green chefs like Stec recommend a diet that is mostly plant based. "Not only is the overconsumption of meat and processed foods and corn syrup contributing to problems with our own diets, but [it's harmful] to the health of the planet as well," says Stec. She recommends using meat as an accent for cheap and hearty grain-based dishes. 4. Flip the switch. The sight of a monthly utility bill can make you shiver—or sweat. But there are simple ways to keep cool in the summer, stay toasty in the winter, and still cut your bill drastically. Catherine Potter, manager for consumer content at smart grid software company OPOWER, recommends this fundamental step: When you're not going to be at home, turn your thermostat up a few degrees in warm months and down a few degrees in cold months. "That will really give you the biggest bang for your buck because it's free to do, and heating and cooling comprise over half of the typical home's energy use," says Potter. 5. Work from home. "There was a time when people might have looked askance at home-based businesses," says Christine Esposito, president of Terracom PR. "But now it's one way to walk your green talk." Esposito moved her green business into her home to save money and stay true to its brand. Employees at traditional workplaces can talk to their managers about working from home just a day or two a week to save on transportation. 6. Buy none, get one free. The best way to save money, of course, is to pay nothing at all—and for free goods, one should look no further than the computer screen. "The trend is towards this community online where people can share or trade what they have and save money," says Dorfman. Freecycle, the pioneer of the bunch, is an online community where people can post items they want to give away or items they want, finding a new home for old stuff. Based on that model, there's Zwaggle, a community for new parents, and Goozex, where video gamers can swap their old games. Those on SwapStyle trade fashionable clothing, while NeighborGoods facilitates the sharing of tools and household items. There's even the self-explanatory PaperBackSwap. "In a time where we're so concerned about our budgets, these solutions that aren't necessarily designed to be green still enable us to live well," says Dorfman. "A byproduct of that is we consume less and reduce our impact." Scott's Contracting GREEN BUILDER, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri.http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com, contact scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com for additional information

Start to Finish Job Photos for Curved Wall with Build Notes

Curved Wall Metal Stud Framing
Design Build-Green Project

Project for: Central West End Homeowner  

Project Notes 

1. Green Build 
2. Metal Framing 
3. Natural “Fiber Reinforced” Stucco Finish 
4. Additional Support for 3rd Floor Stair Case, and 
5. Additional Storage Area 
6. Recycled French Door and Crystal Door Knob Supplied free of charge by Scott's Contracting 
7. Completed Project Looks Original!

Materials in Place and ready to start the Build

Metal Stud Framing- Note how the Curved Top Plate Conforms to the Radius and Curve of the Existing Structure.  Creating a Perfect Fit and Matching the Existing Building!

Example of Using 2in Relief Cuts on Exterior Grade Drywall to Conform to the Natural Curve- Radius of the Metal Stud Framing. This is one way of making a flat surface curve!

Installation of Aluminum Wire Mesh and Water Proofing. The Final Step before Applying the Natural Fiber Reinforced Stucco Finish

First Coat of Stucco

Final View after Installation of a Recycled French Door and Crystal Door Knob that were recycled by Scotts Contracting.

View From Front Yard.  Note-Curved Wall Looks Original and Fits perfectly with the Aesthetics of the Central West End Home.  Mission Accomplished! 

Scott's Contracting GREEN BUILDER, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri. https://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com, contact scottscontracting@gmail.com for additional information or to Schedule an Estimate for the Construction of Your Next Project.

10 Ways to Reduce Your Summer Utility Bills

Before the summer heat--and summertime utility bill--starts to make you sweat, you might want to consider making a few changes to cut your energy consumption. You can shave dollars off your monthly bills without sacrificing comfort as long as you plan ahead and get creative. Here's a room-by-room guide to saving money this summer--and benefiting the Earth at the same time. In the basement: Geoff Godwin, division vice president of Emerson, the country's largest provider of heating and cooling systems, says cleaning air conditioning filters every month and getting your system checked by a professional once a year will ensure that it's functioning as efficiently and inexpensively as possible. "A lot of people don't do that--they ignore the AC system until something goes wrong," he says, then they end up buying an entirely new unit instead of making minor fixes. If you need a new air conditioner, an energy efficient one might be eligible for a tax credit (check at www.energystar.gov). When you're shopping around, look for a unit with a seasonal energy efficiency ratio of 16 to 21, the highest level of efficiency. Another option is a geothermal heating and cooling system, which utilizes pipes running from the more stable, ambient temperatures found five feet underground year-round into your home, where they pump heat in or out, depending on the season. Throughout the house: "Make sure your house is leak-free," says Alliance to Save Energy spokeswoman Ronnie Kweller, or else "nice, cold, expensive air is going out the cracks." You might want to consider assigning this task to a professional. Through the Energy Star online directory, you can find a local auditor who will use diagnostic equipment to test your home for areas where air conditioning might escape. Your auditor will probably do what's known as a blower door test, which lowers the air pressure in your home and reveals leaks. He or she may also take a photo of your house with a thermographic camera, with the red areas of the photo indicating where better insulation and sealing are needed. If you don't want to shell out money for an energy auditor, you can perform a casual energy audit yourself. Efficiency experts recommend feeling around baseboards, windows, doors, light switches, and electrical sockets for air leaks. Air can escape or enter anywhere that two different building materials meet. Kweller also recommends walking around your house with incense to see if the smoke blows in when you pass windows. Kweller says old, wooden windows are especially prone to this kind of leakage If you find problem areas, seal it with foam or caulking, which you can find at the hardware store. Insulation that meets certain efficiency criteria is also eligible for the federal tax credits. Kweller says properly sealing your house can save up to 20 percent on your utility bill. Using a programmable thermostat so that the temperature automatically rises when no one is home during the day can yield annual savings of about 30 percent, says Godwin, with much of the savings in the summer, since air conditioning runs with electricity. While some 25 million households own programmable thermostats, only half of those people take advantage of them, says Godwin. Replacing older light bulbs with compact fluorescents not only reduces your electricity bill, it can help save energy on air conditioning since fluorescents generate less heat, says Kweller. She estimates that each bulb can save about $50 over the course of its lifetime. In the living room: There's nothing wrong with hosting movie nights this summer, but make sure you shut your entertainment center down when the evening's over. Simply turning off a television set doesn't put a stop to so-called "vampire power"--the power that devices consume even when they're not in use. That's why you should either unplug your electronics or use a Smart Strip, which cuts power when it's not needed. If you're in the market for a new television, check energy efficiency ratings. The Energy Department bestows its Energy Star rating to sets that use about one-third less energy than regular televisions. In general, LCD televisions use less energy than plasma screens, but both use more than older sets. Remember to turn the power off or unplug your digital photo frames when you're not gazing at those illuminated photos. Over the course of the year, leaving one on costs about $9--not a lot, but when thousands of people are doing the same thing, it adds up. In the kitchen: Baking a cake or casserole in the summer will force your air conditioner to go into overdrive. Plus, eating hot food will only make you want to turn the thermostat down. But you don't have to survive on cold pasta salads and gazpacho this summer. Instead of using your oven, consider an outdoor grill or toaster oven for small amounts of food. If you're up for a challenge, try baking cookies on your car--yes, your car. Nicole Weston of Baking Bites developed a method of baking chocolate cookies with the heat that collects inside cars on steamy days. She suggests parking in the sun, using a thermometer to help monitor the temperature, and protecting your dashboard by putting a barrier between it and the baking sheet. (It should be at least 95 degrees outside and the baking process takes around two and a half hours.) In the bathroom: If you don't want to spend money on a low-flow toilet, you can still make yours more efficient by dropping a soda bottle filled with sand or water into the back. It will use less water each time it flushes. Ivan Chan of carbonfund.org adds that small steps such as turning the water off while brushing your teeth or shaving can save a substantial amount of water (and money on your water bill) each year. He also recommends installing a water conserving showerhead. In the bedroom: Stay cool while you sleep with an overhead fan instead of pumping air conditioning throughout the entire house. Shutting the doors and vents of unused rooms can also lighten the load of your air conditioning unit. Outside: A way to reduce cooling costs in the longer run is to plant trees or shrubs so that your house is more shaded, especially on the sunnier side, says Kweller. (For a quicker fix, draw the blinds or shades when you're not home.) Maura Judkis and Kimberly Palmer, On Tuesday May 4, 2010, 1:14 pm EDT Scott's Contracting GREEN BUILDER, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com, contact scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com for additional information or to publish your Green and Eco Friendly Information.

EPA Responds to the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico Since the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico on April 22nd

Scott's Contracting GREEN BUILDER, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri.http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com, contact scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com for additional information EPA Responds to the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico Since the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico on April 22, 2010, EPA has mobilized resources to support the U.S. Coast Guard and protect public health and the environment. Our Emergency Operations Center at headquarters has been activated, trained EPA responders are working on the scene, and special mobile equipment has been sent to the Gulf area. We have several online resources available: 1) We're posting updated data and other information on our BP oil spill site (www.epa.gov/bpspill): * Get air quality and water data * Find answers to common questions * Submit technology solutions 2) Connect with us on social media sites: * Administrator Jackson's personal account of the response to the oil spill: Facebook and Twitter * EPA's announcements about our response: Facebook and Twitter 3) Please subscribe to our oil spill updates at http://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USAEPA_389. You can also visit the coordinated government response site (www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com) for: * Information about the spill and efforts to stop the oil from flowing * Hotlines to report oil on land or injured wildlife * Details of how you can volunteer