Check out the full story over on KBDN’s Top Headlines here.

I did plumbing & heating work for a number of years and installed hundreds of radiant heating systems in homes throughout Long Island. From 20,000 square foot mansions in the Hamptons, to modest everyday houses: existing, new construction and with newly constructed dormers or extensions. Radiant heat is, by and large, not only the most economical form of home heating (in the long run) but it is also the most efficient. The up front cost for Radiant heating compared to traditional forms-such as baseboard or heat exchanging coils- runs in the range of 35-65% above these alternatives base prices.

That may sound steep but due to the high-cost of the specialized parts (mixing valve, manifolds, tubing, talon clips, etc.) the expertise required by the installer, and other additional inputs such as sleepers being laid down where there will be the installation of wood flooring or the cost of Gyp-Crete where there will be tile or rugs laid down. However, in spite of this up-front expenses the heating system itself will begin to return money on your investment, normally within a period of three years from the date of installation. This is an approximate time period, seeing as how the number of zones which were installed, your personal temperature preference during the winter months and other factors such as programmable thermostats will each play an important role in how quickly you will begin to reap the rewards and savings of radiant heating.

The main reason for this savings is a direct result of radiant heats efficiency and placement within a room. Unlike baseboard and hot air which are either placed along the base of a room’s wall or through a vent placed in the ceiling, radiant heat covers the entire square footage of a room, maximizing output and equality that all areas of a room will receive.  Moreover, because of the use of a mixing valve, the boiler will fire less often and when it does fire, will only need to heat the water to  a certain temperature (recognized by the valve) in order to efficiently heat the space intended. Also, because of the heat loop restriction of 330 ft. (manufacturer’s suggested length) applied to each zone on the radiant heating manifold, each loop independently receives hot water, thereby using less oil/gas for the boiler’s initial firing period and bypassing the continuous pumping of hot-water to a large baseboard loops or hot-air exchangers located in the attic of a home which are typical of conventional heating systems.

As far as drawbacks, there are a few such as the cost and also pesky leaks that can occur underneath flooring after/during construction. However, a simple pressure test on each manifold can overcome such problems and give the homeowner and installer peace of mind that their work and investment are respectively protected. All in all, I can only laud the use of radiant heating, not because I used to install it, but because whenever we performed an installation on a single room of a home, we were inevitably back at that same location a few months later installing it where ever it was possible in the rest of the house and listening to the homeowners not only exalt their new heating system’s wonderful warmth but also how much less their boilers have been firing since the time of installation. In my opinion, radiant heating is definitely worth every penny, but I encourage anyone looking to spend their hard earned money on such an expensive  undertaking to do their own research and check the credentials of those they have chosen to install it.

Daniel Bell,
Long Island, NY

In a less ideal world, the building would still exist.  It would have CFLs, a green air conditioning system, no-formaldehyde wood components, working windows.  Some of the materials would be recycled, but some would not.  The developer might have purchased some carbon offset credits to adjust for this, but probably not.  Still, there would be recycling/composting facilities and solar panels on the roof to offset the impact on the fossil fuel-run energy grid.

In our world, there are still forests which aren’t sustainably run, pH-destroying nitrogenous fertilizers, formaldehyde in our processes, high-VOC stains and paints being used, and buildings which, although there might be a wealth of CFLs and LEDS, aren’t using any solar or wind power, let alone a green garden on the roof.

But that’s why we’ve got green building programs, I hear you say.  Or, do we?  The New York Times is reporting this week that some buildings certified by the USGBC aren’t meeting the program’s standards once certified and in use.  The USGBC doesn’t deny it, either.

The council’s own research suggests that a quarter of the new buildings that have been certified do not save as much energy as their designs predicted and that most do not track energy consumption once in use. And the program has been under attack from architects, engineers and energy experts who argue that because building performance is not tracked, the certification may be falling short in reducing emissions tied to global warming.

Yikes. 

The tack most of us in the green journalism community have taken on the subject is to say that if there weren’t organizations like the USGBC making their certifications desirable for tax credits and energy savings audits, the building community at large might have had less pressure from the green movement as a whole.  Basically, any movement toward sustainability is better than none at all.  Still, it makes this reporter wonder why a developer would bother going through the paperwork, the energy audits, and the bureaucracy of the process to attain LEED certification in the first place if the building’s overall performance wasn’t going to be tracked, monitored and, in some way, monetized.  Theoretically, it’s just as much as savings for them in the long run as it potentially is for the environment.

Let me know what you think! Leave your comments.

Once a month, Moen puts out (on Mondays–just in case you couldn’t tell) a cheerful, information-packed e-Newsletter, to plug products, trends, contests, whatever’s new and happenin’ at the fixture maker. (Want to see?  Click here to check out August. There’s a link to sign up to receive it at the bottom, if you are interested.)  I like it: it’s short, informative and there’s a handy link to the company’s green press kit right on the page.  Any green news, is good news.

But you don’t need to be a Moen to think that a newsletter is a good idea.  A few months back, we profiled Steve Gray Renovations, which we knew about because the staff regularly receives his e-Newsletters, which are a feast of tips, tricks, news and a lot of well-designed stuff to look at.  It’s a way for him to plug his new services, like a handyman division which is available for maintenance jobs once a project is completed.  Because Gray invested time and money to create a neat marketing tool like his e-Newsletter, it got our attention and he and his firm ended up in the magazine.  Pretty cool stuff, huh?  You can check out his newsletters here.

My point is this: we all know it’s important to market ourselves creatively, now more than ever.  And while the tried-and-true methods might still be working for you, an e-Newsletter can cheaply (and, of course, without using paper, stamps or the post office, greenly) spread the word to a targeted audience: former clients, people who come into your showroom (the people who need to kick the tires for awhile before they buy the car types), people you want to network with, etc.  Who knows?  Receiving a once-a-month friendly update could be the deciding factor whether you get a yes or no on a job quote.

What’s happening to your marketing dollars during these hard times?  What are you finding works and doesn’t work?  Are you having to rethink your model and where you spend your ad dollars these days?  Leave it in the comments, I’m eager to hear!

 (Oh, and to sign up for KBDN’s e-Newsletters covering kitchen and bath news, trends and products, you can sign up on our homepage, here.)

LED luminaires are the next big thing; clean light that beats the pants off compact fluorescents for longevity.  GE, the company that made the soon-to-be-outlawed incandescent what it is today, is innovating as fast as it can and is garnering some serious recognition for its efforts.

Everything you ever wanted to know about GE’s advancements in the world of light emitting diodes, after the jump.

(more…)

 Remember Greensburg, KS?  Remember how an F5 tornado 1.7 miles wide flattened 90% of the structures in town on Friday, May 5, 2007?  With virtually nothing left standing in Greensburg but the grain elevator, the New York Times reported on May 7, 2007 that the town of approximately 1,500 would have to be completely rebuilt. 

 Seven days later, there was already talk of rebuilding, and the town leaders were beginning to envision emerging from the tragedy.

 July brought the exciting news that Greensburg was literally going to become a Green burg, and the sustainable building folks rejoiced.  The goal: LEED Platinum, the first-ever city to aim for the rating. Zero-energy commercial buildings, houses and schools. Wind power, solar power, energy efficient everything. mong some donors to the reemerging town are names familiar to us in the k&b world like Caroma, Evolve and on the architectural/building side, companies such as Dryvit and PF Waterworks.

 And after one year had passed, the Discovery’s Planet Green channel announced that a new reality program called simply ‘Greensburg’, which had been in planning stages shortly after the LEED announcement, would follow the town’s journey from grisly scene to lean and green.

 Now, it’s the two-year anniversary of the tornado, the bustling town is well into its restructuring and is holding their annual celebration to mark the event.  Not only that, Planet Green renewed the town’s series for a second season; the season premiere is this Monday, May 4… it’s worth a look, for sure.  Check out details and local air times at Planet Green.

 Important themes here for green building and design in general, and a landmark achievement all around for everyone involved; it’s the making of lemonade from organic lemons, to be sure. I’ll be back with more K/BIS coverage later today.

 Stay green, America!

(To see the New York Times’ extensive coverage of the tornado and the rebuilding of Greensburg, click here).

Former Governor Mike Huckabee spoke to that very point at the opening keynote address this morning when he said, “No recession lasts forever,” and current NKBA president Suzie Williford agreed, thanking those in attendance (a near-capacity crowd in the GWCC’s auditorium) for having “the courage to invest in the industry and in your business’ future.”

OK, OK, enough cheerleading.  Here’s the skinny on the good, green products which are (happily) everywhere.

(more…)

First, a convenient slideshow–TreeHugger shows you what the new Prez is going to help you buy, via tax credits in the new stimulus package.

Nick Grohe of Hansgrohe addresses low-flow, aeration and the various green benefits water products can provide in this handy-dandy Q&A.

The USGBC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (doesn’t that sound peaceful?) with BREEAM, Green Star, Green Building Council Australia and the UK Green Building Council to get the beginnings of a standard metric of CO2 emissions assessment in new home and building construction started.  Read it here.

Snaidero Greens Up, Christopher Peacock Cabinetry Gets Smart and Merillat and Quality Think About Tomorrow…

(more…)