Understanding Petroleum
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In oil refineries crude oil is distilled into fractions that provide our major fuels and other petroleum products. Photo: BP. Click on image on enlarge.
This week I'll take a detour from practical energy-conserving solutions to take a look at oil (petroleum)--the fluid that has powered our automobile-based society. Be prepared for some new terminology and a little bit of chemistry!
LEED Volume Certification Program Launched
USGBC has launched a new program aimed at larger LEED customers—building owners and property managers certifying 25 or more LEED projects within a three-year window.
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The LEED Volume Program, launched at Greenbuild 2010, is designed for government, education, real estate organizations, retailers, and the hospitality industry. The fledgling program has already engaged eight organizations, according to USGBC. A pilot program launched in 2006 had 38 participants, including Best Buy, Marriott Hotels, and PNC Financial Services Group, and resulted in 350 LEED certifications.
LEED App Store Coming Soon – What's on Your Wish-List?
“LEED Automation,” the beginning of a new model for LEED documentation and reporting
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With a new initiative called “LEED Automation,” the U.S. Green Building Council has announced the beginning of a new model for LEED documentation and reporting. Currently, teams submit LEED project data for review by entering it into the LEED Online website. LEED Automation makes it possible to collect that data in third-party applications and upload it for review without going through the LEED Online interface. “The world of LEED execution just got faster, better, and cheaper,” promised Mike Opitz, USGBC’s vice president for LEED, at a Greenbuild 2010 session.
Comfort and Drafts
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A Minneapolis Blower Door with DG-700 instrumentation kit. Photo: The Energy Conservatory. Click on image to enlarge.
Insulation is really important when it comes to saving energy in our homes. With more insulation in our walls, roofs, and foundation, less heat escapes via conduction to the outdoors. Insulate well!
All right. That's pretty clear.
What's behind the proposed changes to the LEED AP credit for LEED 2012?
I spoke with USGBC's Corey Enck to understand the proposal a bit better.
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Among the key changes coming down the road for LEED, as I recently wrote about (Your Guide to the New Draft of LEED), is a change to the LEED AP credit, formerly IDc2, now dubbed IPc2 (that's "Integrated Process" credit 2).
A Foot-control faucet for convenience and savings
It's certainly a convenience to turn the water on and off without using your hands. But it also saves water.
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For the past eight years we've been able to turn our kitchen faucet on and off using a knee- and foot-control valve from the Canadian company Tapmaster. This may seem like a convenience-only product designed for lazy people. I can't argue with all of that--and admit that I probably wouldn't have installed one if I hadn't received it for testing from the manufacturer after we had reviewed a competing product in Environmental Building News.
What's behind the proposed changes to the LEED AP credit for LEED 2012?
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Among the key changes coming down the road for LEED, as I recently wrote about (Your Guide to the New Draft of LEED), is a change to the LEED AP credit, formerly IDc2, now dubbed IPc2 (that's "Integrated Process" credit 2).
BrightShelf – An Easy-to-Install, Easy-to-Maintain Lightshelf
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UPDATE: This blog post and the GreenSpec product entry have been updated to reflect that BrightShelf is now manufactured by Hunter Douglas Contract.