Reductio ad absurdum

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I recently went through the scoring tool on the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) green building website www.nahbgreen.org. The tool lets you get a good idea how your project would rate according to the National Green Building Standard (EBN, March 2009), and to plan adjustments in the design and construction process to do better.
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Beautiful Green Home on the Oregon Coast

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The Cannon Beach Residence is located along the northern Oregon coast, with excellent orientation to the south for daylighting and views of the ocean. The home was designed to generate as much energy as it consumes annually. Strategies that contribute to the project's efficiency include natural ventilation and daylighting, a high-performance envelope, and a solar-assisted heating system tied to a ground-source heat pump.
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Understanding Pellet Stoves

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I resisted buying a pellet stove for a long time for a number of reasons. First, I would be tied to a fuel source that I don't have control over--and whose price might go up if demand exceeds supply.

Second, pellet stoves don't work without electricity, and I didn't want to risk freezing pipes in the event of a power outage. Third, I don't really like the noise of the fan and the blowtorch-like flame. Fourth, I had heard about technical problems with early pellet stoves. And fifth, good pellet stoves cost a lot.

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Outdoor Wood Boilers

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Outdoor wood boilers typically look like a small utility building with a smoke stack.

Over the past few weeks, we've been looking at wood burning--a popular and affordable heating option in rural New England. Ten or 15 years ago, a new option started showing up. Driving along country roads, we began to see shed-like structures with smoke billowing from smokestacks. These are outdoor wood boilers (sometimes called outdoor wood furnaces), and they have been the focus of considerable attention and debate in recent years, mostly over the pollution they generate.

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