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7.02.2010

CertainTeed Product Contributions to NAHB Residential Advanced Credits:

Scotts Contracting is available for Design Consultation and the Building of your Green Projects. click here to email Scotts Contracting and Schedule your Free Green Site Evaluation.

NAHB Residential Advanced Framing

Download NAHB Advanced Design Product Contributions Chart PDF »

Product

Panorama® Composite Railing and EverNew® LT Deck

CreditDescriptionPoints
601.7Site-Applied Finishing Materials2-5
602.8Termite-Resistant materials (Green Approved for railing only)2-6
604.1Recycled Content1-3
606.3Manufacturing Energy2
608.1Indigenous Materials2
NAHB Residential Advanced Framing

CertainTeed Product Contributions to NAHB Residential Advanced Credits:

NAHB Residential Advanced Framing

Download NAHB Advanced Design Product Contributions Chart PDF »

Product

Panorama® Composite Railing and EverNew® LT Deck

CreditDescriptionPoints
601.7Site-Applied Finishing Materials2-5
602.8Termite-Resistant materials (Green Approved for railing only)2-6
604.1Recycled Content1-3
606.3Manufacturing Energy2
608.1Indigenous Materials2
NAHB Residential Advanced Framing

CertainTeed Product Contributions to NAHB Residential Standard Credits:

Scotts Contracting is available for Design Consultation and the Building of your Green Projects. click here to email Scotts Contracting and Schedule your Free Green Site Evaluation.

NAHB Residential Standard Framing

Download NAHB Standard Design Product Contributions Chart PDF »

NAHB Residential Standard Framing -- Scott's Contracting scottscontracting@gmail.com http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com Green Publisher Advertising Info

Building Walls in the Basement

Basements and Building Walls

When Building Walls in Basements.  Moisture Control behind the walls is critical.  Follow the guides listed below to reduce Moisture Condensation and Stay Mold Free

Q&A

Q. How Should I Finish an Existing Basement Wall?

I am about to start a basement remodel project in a cold climate. I plan to apply a waterproofing product to the inside of the basement wall, then stick a sheet of polyethylene directly to the basement wall over the waterproof coating. Once that is in place, I'll frame a 2x4 wood-frame wall on the inside, insulate it with fiberglass batts, and staple a poly vapor barrier to the inside face of the studs. Does this seem like a good approach?

A. Paul Fisette, director of Building Materials and Wood Technology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a JLC contributing editor, responds: For the typical basement remodel, this is probably not a good plan. In fact, I think that in most cases it's a recipe for collecting moisture, and it has the potential to create an unhealthy level of mold and mildew. The first question to ask is: What moisture are you trying to control? The answer may be slightly confusing, because your wall assembly needs to control moisture moving from the outside to the inside as well as from inside to outside.

Unless you can verify that the basement was built with good moisture protection, I would proceed with caution. Your approach places an impermeable plastic vapor barrier on the both the warm and the cold side of the 2x4 wall you want to build.

Insulating the 2x4 cavities with fiberglass batts will cause the space between the wood-frame wall and the foundation wall to stay much colder than the indoor space. This means that any warm air that leaks through the 2x4 wall from the tempered basement space will cool as it reaches the cold basement wall and condense on the plastic sheet. Also, if even a small amount of water finds its way in from the outside through the foundation waterproofing coating and the poly, that moisture will be trapped inside the 2x4 wall. There is virtually no drying potential.



Instead, I would apply a coating of waterproofing to the inside surface of the basement wall, followed by a continuous layer of rigid foam insulation. Caulk the perimeter of the foam boards and tape the seams. Then build your 2x4 wall on the inside, leaving a 1-inch space between the studs and the insulation board. Don't insulate the 2x4 wall cavities and don't install a poly vapor retarder.

The waterproof coating will minimize moisture transfer from the outside into the basement, and any moisture that does get into the foundation wall from outside will be able to dry to the outside. If a small amount of exterior moisture does migrate through the waterproofing into the basement area, it will be able to dry to the inside living space through the open-frame construction.

And let's not forget the water vapor contained in the indoor air. Installed carefully, this method reduces the potential for condensation because the indoor air is not exposed to cold condensing surfaces. The uninsulated stud wall allows the face of the foam insulation to remain at roughly the same temperature as the indoor air. With little or no condensation, the likelihood of mold and mildew growth is very low.


7.01.2010

More bad news for the Gulf Residents

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AFP) – The Obama appointee managing BP's oil spill disaster fund said there's "not enough money in the world" to pay all claims and suggested home owners with plunging property values could lose out.

The warning from prominent US lawyer Kenneth Feinberg came as Hurricane Alex disrupted clean-up operations in the Gulf of Mexico and pushed oil deeper into fragile coastal wetlands and once-pristine beaches.

The storm made landfall late Wednesday south of the US border with Mexico as a Category Two hurricane, with 100-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rains lashing the coast, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

The NHC said at 0600 GMT Thursday that Alex's winds extended outward up to 35 miles (55 kilometers) from the eye, and tropical storm force winds extended out to 205 miles (335 kilometers), well into Texas.

While the hurricane made landfall far from the epicenter of the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana, rough seas forced a halt to skimming operations in the spill area.

Efforts to permanently plug the leak by drilling relief wells continued, and two containment ships are still capturing the oil at a rate of about 25,000 barrels per day despite seven-foot (two-meter) swells.

But the rough seas have delayed the deployment of a third ship aimed at doubling the containment capacity.

Senior government officials were set to meet with President Barack Obama Thursday to discuss whether a new containment system should be installed in the interim.

That system would further raise capacity, but would require the current cap to be removed and involve careful manipulation some 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) below the surface.

An estimated 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil a day has been gushing out of the ruptured well since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig sank on April 22 some 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana.

Some 423 miles (681 kilometers) of US shorelines have now been oiled as crude gushes into the sea at an alarming rate, 10 weeks into the worst environmental disaster in US history.

Feinberg, who Obama named to administer the 20-billion-dollar claims fund, insisted that BP will "pay every eligible claim," but cautioned that many perceived damages may not qualify.

"I use that famous example of a restaurant in Boston that says, 'I can't get shrimp from Louisiana, and my menu suffers and my business is off,'" Feinberg told the House of Representatives Committee on Small Business on Wednesday.

"Well, no law is going to recognize that claim."

Feinberg said he was still sorting out how to deal with indirect claims like hotels that lose bookings because tourists think the beaches are covered in oil, or people who see their property values decline but live several blocks away from an oiled beach.

"There's no question that the property value has diminished as a result of the spill. That doesn't mean that every property is entitled to compensation," he said.

"There's not enough money in the world to pay everybody who'd like to have money," he said.

Feinberg, who headed a compensation fund for victims of the September 11 attacks, assured lawmakers the fund would be "totally independent" and said BP had agreed to top up the escrow account as needed to meet proper claims.

The British energy giant has already disbursed over 130 million dollars in emergency payments to fishermen and others affected by the slick. Feinberg said lump sum payments would be offered to claimants once the true extent of the damage is assessed.

"It sure would help if the oil would stop," he told the committee.

Obama on Wednesday ordered the development of a long-term plan to "restore the unique beauty and bounty" of the Gulf Coast.

The Long-Term Gulf Restoration Support Plan aims to "ensure economic recovery, community planning, science-based restoration of the ecosystem and environment, public health and safety efforts, and support of individuals and businesses who suffered losses due to the spill," a White House memo said.

Kagan Supreme Court

As a Prior Peace Time Veteran, USARMY. I appose the Nomination of Elena Kagan for the US Supreme Court. I will be posting more information on this topic as it becomes available.

Wind Energy Milestones for the USA

Small Wind Picks Up Even as Economy Turns Down
Renewable Energy- Wind Milestone I'd like to personally commend all those involved in the Wind Industry and good Ole Mother Nature that Made Last Year the Success this Article Points out.
  • In fact, 95% of all small wind turbines sold in the U.S. last year were made by U.S. manufacturers-
  • ...federal investment tax credit for small wind turbines, allowing consumers to take fully 30% of the total cost of a small wind system as a tax credit. These few short lines of text breathed new life into a U.S.-born industry...
How did the U.S. small wind turbine industry continue to dominate the world market throughout the recession?
Washington, DC, United States –
  • The number of Americans generating their own electricity with small-scale wind turbines (those with rated capacities of 100 kilowatts and under) increased by just under 10,000 last year despite an economic downturn that impacted the heart of the small wind market: homeowners and small-business owners.
  • Last year the U.S. small wind market grew 15% with 20.3 megawatts (MW) of new installed capacity, pushing the industry past the milestone of 100 MW in total capacity.
half of these sales came within the last three years for an industry that has been around for more than 80 years.
  • More remarkable still, for much of these three years the world's economy crippled the finances of much of the industry's primary consumers.
  • Last year the U.S. small wind market grew 15% with 20.3 megawatts (MW) of new installed capacity, pushing the industry past the milestone of 100 MW in total capacity.
How did this growth happen?
Credit a cocktail of new and improved federal and state policies, optimistic equity investors, and determined consumers.
Sound Investments
The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (also known as the economic stimulus bill) expanded the federal investment tax credit for small wind turbines, allowing consumers to take fully 30% of the total cost of a small wind system as a tax credit. These few short lines of text breathed new life into a U.S.-born industry, and just in time to help stave off the effects of the flagging economy.

A growing number of states also offer incentives to help consumers overcome the still-steep cost hurdle of owning a turbine, which for a homeowner can range from $10,000 to $60,000. Governments at all levels are recognizing small wind's economic potential and are paying closer attention. New Jersey, for example, this year joined eight other states (CA, WI, DE, VT, NV, MI, OR, and NH) in streamlining small-wind permitting procedures. Many industry members have come to view streamlined permitting as the single largest factor in the small wind market's growth.
But government is not the only actor. Over the past five years an infusion of private equity investment of $250 million into 20 manufacturers worldwide (most of them U.S.-based) provided companies with the capital to ramp up production to meet a strong demand. Of that $250 million, $80 million was pumped into manufacturers during the economic gloom of 2009.

According to a 2010 survey by AWEA, these manufacturers were able to parlay this investment into sales. Even many of the companies without equity funding were able to sell more turbines than in 2008.

Consumers: The Ultimate Investors
Of course, the ultimate investor is the consumer, who has been relentless in seeking ways to cut electricity bills, become "personally energy-independent" and fight global warming in a tangible way. To 30,000 of these pioneers over the past three years, the solution has been owning a small wind turbine. In just a short amount of time, the base of small-wind consumers has diversified, evolving from green-hearted environmentalists and farmers to Home Depots and suburbanites. One consumer trait, however, has remained constant over the past 80 years: Americans buy from American companies, which dominate the global market.

Just 10 years ago no more than 50 companies in the world manufactured small wind systems. Today, 26 countries are home to more than 250 manufacturers, of which 95 are based in the U.S., and foreign companies are looking to position their operations on economically fertile American soil. In fact, 95% of all small wind turbines sold in the U.S. last year were made by U.S. manufacturers. The vast majority of these 95 U.S. companies are in start-up phase, but the leaders command roughly half the world's market share.

Can this growth be sustained? Can small wind keep up with price-plummeting solar photovoltaic technology? Small-wind lags behind photovoltaics by around 10 years, in terms of U.S. sales volumes, but that may allow small wind to learn from solar's growing pains. The annual 2010 AWEA Small Wind Turbine Global Market Study aims to address these and other questions about the market.

by By Ron Stimmel, AWEA,AWEA Windletter,Published: June 29, 2010 Ron Stimmel is manager of legislative affairs and small systems at AWEA.This article first appeared in the June 2010 issue of Windletter and was republished with permission from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).



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