From: treehugger.com

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 06.24.10
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Late last year we reported that the US Federal Trade Commission proposed a new label for compact fluorescent lightbulbs that would show vital statistics like mercury content and the light output in terms of lumens rather than watts, which would make the brightness of CFLs, LEDs and other lighting technology more comparable among consumers. Well word has just hit that the new system has been approved and we'll soon see nutrition-facts-style labels on our lights.

EarthTechling gave us a heads up about the new label, pointing us to the announcement from the FTC.

The FTC states, "Under direction from Congress to re-examine the current labels, the FTC is announcing a final rule that will require the new labels on light bulb packages. For the first time, the label on the front of the package will emphasize the bulbs' brightness as measured in lumens, rather than a measurement of watts. The new front-of-package labels also will include the estimated yearly energy cost for the particular type of bulb."

Watts is the old standard for lighting, but we've come to associate the term with brightness, rather than energy consumed. We know a 60 watt bulb is brighter than a 40 watt bulb, so we buy what suits our brightness needs. However, new energy efficient bulbs can use as little as 13 watts for the same brightness as a 60 watt incandescent or a 9 watt bulb can replace a 70 watt incandescent, so we need an apples to apples way of comparing bulbs in terms of both brightness and energy consumption. That solution is held within this new labeling system.

The FTC announcement shows what will be included on the label, including:

* brightness;
* energy cost;
* the bulb's life expectancy;
* light appearance (for example, if the bulb provides "warm" or "cool" light);
* wattage (the amount of energy the bulb uses); and
* whether the bulb contains mercury.

The new information will come to be handy as we start to navigate the new lighting options, which are sure to shift even more in the coming years as LED and even OLED lighting technology hits mainstream retailers.

The new labeling will start mid-2011, according to the FTC.

From: Environmental Leader

Houston Neal
Director of Marketing
Software Advice

Earlier this year I wrote about the “coming renaissance of electrical contracting,” an upward trend of electricians transitioning into energy contractors to keep up with demand for green construction. A fast growing segment of this green construction market is building retrofits, or energy efficient renovations. Numerous reports forecast retrofitting to become a multi-billion dollar market over the next three to four years:

McGraw Hill estimates it will become a $10 to $15 billion market by 2014;
Pike Research puts it at $6.6 billion annually; and,
SBI Energy predicts green renovations will make up 13% of the total renovation market by 2015.

To help electricians segue into their new role and win a piece of the burgeoning market, here are five green retrofits electricians should pitch to drive business. While our guide is intended for electricians, it can be used by any homeowner or building owner looking to adopt sustainable building practices.

1) Relamping

Out of all the green retrofit projects, lighting retrofits present the biggest opportunity for electricians. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), lighting accounts for more than 40 perent of the commercial sector’s electricity consumption. Not to mention, it makes up nearly 20 percent of all electricity used in the United States (including residential and industrial spaces). This chart from the ACEEE illustrates how much lighting energy is used by different types of buildings.

These numbers can be significantly reduced by replacing antiquated lighting systems with an energy efficient substitute. Take for example, light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LEDs are much more efficient than incandescent lamps – LEDs use 2 to 10 watts of electricity while incandescent lamps use 60 watts – and they are close to becoming a replacement for fluorescent tubes (see: Are LED Tubes Ready for Prime Time?).

In addition to reduced energy consumption and operating costs, there are other carrots and sticks motivating building owners to retrofit their lighting systems. Utility companies and other organizations offer incentives (here’s a handy look-up tool for California residents), while new legislation requires buildings to use energy-efficient lighting.

Finally, factor in the 2.2 million buildings that are candidates for lighting-system upgrades, and you’ve got a lot of low hanging fruit in the market.

2) Daylight Harvesting

Daylight harvesting is the practice of reducing artificial light in a room when sunlight is available. According to a study performed by the NRC Institute for Research in Construction, it can reduce lighting energy costs by 20 to 60%. Call it “upselling” if you will, but electricians should pitch this retrofit to customers that are already relamping their homes and buildings.

A daylight harvesting system uses photosensors to detect light levels in a room. As sunlight becomes available, the artificial lighting will be reduced. When it’s cloudy or becomes dark outside, the level of artificial lighting will increase.

Three other lighting controls worth mentioning here are dimmers, motion sensors and timers. These energy savers have been around for years, but they are just as relevant today as when they first came out. Homeowners looking for simple ways to reduce energy can install any of the above. For more information, check out the US Department of Energy’s lighting guide.

Mechanical contractors are typically more qualified to take on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) retrofits. However, as electricians move into the role of energy contractors, they will need to provide a complete energy solution. Consider this quote from Lara Schwicht Richards, manager of marketing projects for the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA): “Energy solutions are a growing market for electrical contractors at a time when traditional construction work is declining,” she says. “Customers can look to electrical contractors to provide a total energy solution—integrating multiple technologies, when appropriate—for their building project rather than simply installing a single product.”

3) Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Retrofits

Some HVAC retrofits will always require the know-how of mechanical contractors. But others can be performed by an electrician because of their overlapping skills and knowledge. For example, electricians can install electrical consumption economizers – devices that reduce energy use of AC units – or programmable thermostats that optimize efficiency of HVAC equipment.

Energy Retrofitters, a licensed electrical contractor from Fort Worth Texas, lists other HVAC retrofits among their services like installing oil, acid, and moisture (OAM) purgers for chillers and adding special additives (e.g. thermo-conductive heat transferring compounds) to HVAC equipment. Both reduce electricity use in HVAC equipment.

4) Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems and Wind Turbines

Any article about green retrofits would be incomplete without a discussion of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and wind turbines. Solar photovoltaic systems – a.k.a. solar panels – are gaining traction in both residential and commercial applications. Lower production costs, government rebates and tax incentives are the primary drivers of increased adoption.

Grid-Tie Solar System

Electricians will likely have the most success pitching “grid-tie” solar systems, especially in areas where sunlight is not abundant. Using this type of system, the building remains connected to the utility power grid but disconnects as soon as enough solar power is available. Because these systems actually generate electricity, building owners may be able to receive payment or energy credits from their utility company.

Wind turbines are another viable option for building owners looking to recoup electricity costs. While less common than solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines can reduce electricity bills by 50 to 90%, according to the American Wind Energy Association. However, wind turbines aren’t for everyone. They are too big for urban or small-lot suburban homes, and of course they’re not effective in places with low wind speeds.

Other forms of renewable energy include biomass and geothermal systems. These alternative power generation methods are getting attention and they present job opportunities for electricians. As Rob Colgan, executive director of marketing for NECA, points out: “Consumers are becoming more educated about alternatives to conventional power generation, such as solar, wind and biomass. Effectively using these alternative methods of power generation, however, takes specific skills and experience with a wide array of new products.”

5) Energy Management Systems and Monitoring Devices

Energy management systems have garnered a lot of press over the last year because of Microsoft Hohm and Google PowerMeter. With the aim of helping consumers monitor and manage energy consumption, these programs have the potential to drastically reduce our country’s carbon emissions. Studies show that giving consumers access to detailed home energy information results in 5 to 15% savings on monthly electricity. If half our country adopted these systems, Google says this would be the equivalent of taking eight million cars off the road.

Signing up for Hohm and PowerMeter is free and easy. However, accurately measuring energy use is more challenging. It requires the use of an energy monitoring device (e.g. TED). Installing these devices requires the knowledge of an electrician (or the bravery of a tech-savvy do-it-yourself’er). Multi-family, commercial and industrial buildings require a more sophisticated, “smart meter” system, and therefore necessitate the experience of electricians.

Wrapping up, these five retrofits make up a small portion of possible green renovations. There are hundreds more building products and technologies that will improve energy efficiency, while reducing energy costs. And with buildings producing up to 70% of some cities’ carbon emissions (as reported by the Energy Circle blog), there has never been a more relevant time to implement these technologies. So what other retrofits do you think we should include in our list? Leave us a comment if you know of a product, new technology or type of retrofit that can have a big impact on improving energy efficiency of a building.

From: Triple Pundit

By Scott Cooney | July 13th, 2010 View Comments

Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE, headlined a conference in San Francisco today, announcing three major initiatives that GE is committing to, in order to advance their Ecomagination project. GE is planning to expand further into the clean tech world, and to drive innovation around the smart grid, energy efficiency, renewables, and electric vehicles.

Most significantly, GE and four major venture capital firms announced a $200 Million “Ecomagination Challenge” – an X-prize like contest to fund new startups with ideas on Renewables, Grid Efficiency and Eco Homes/Eco Buildings. Proposals from big thinking entrepreneurs will be taken until September 30, 2010.

As Immelt said, they want GE to continue to be an open technology company. They continue to innovate, but Immelt himself was the first to admit that it’s a clear advantage to cooperate with others. How to cooperate in the free market and yet benefit GE’s bottom line? One of the three major announcements made by Immelt this morning gets at this innovative ‘coopetition’ model GE is going to pursue.

Immelt started by rattling off the company’s recent performance in the clean tech sector, establishing the company firmly in the center of the growing sustainable economy. Over the last five years,

GE has doubled research and development (R&D) expenditures in clean tech, to $5 Billion,
Revenues from the Ecomagination brand grew 400%, from $5 B to $20 B over the same time period,
The company lowered their own emissions 22%,
and saved $130 M in energy, water, and other resource costs.

According to Immelt, this is just the beginning. “This is not about some soft initiative,” he said, “this is about real commerce and real customers.” As proof of his business-case-first approach, Immelt made a distinction between his passion for sustainability and some of the public sentiment that sustainability is more a philanthropic effort by letting everyone know that he spent the first 12 years of his GE career running their plastics division, driving sales of petrochemical products, hardly a “green” sector.

Ecomagination, as a program, has generated a lot of lessons for GE over last five years–

GE thought, “it costs too much”–They found, “it saves money.”
GE thought, “it’s about green”–They found, “it’s about industrialization.”
GE thought, “customers will hate this”–They found, “customers like saving money.”
GE thought, “this will be action by the elite”–They found, “this is about scale and creating jobs.”
GE thought, “we’ll be going it alone”–They found, “a system is required.”

Ecomagination’s goals for the next 5 years–

double R&D to 10B,
reduce GE’s energy intensity by 50%,
reduce water by 25%,
launch 30 new Ecomagination products in 2010 and 30 new products in 2011,
GE made three announcements today.

The WattStation, an electric vehicle recharging pump: This is planned to be commercially available by the end of this year and should be widespread by 2013.

The Nucleus, a smart meter of sorts for the home: the device will show people their energy use, making it obvious how people can save.

The Ecomagination Challenge: They will be reviewing clean tech ideas submitted via Ecomagination.com, evaluating them as potential commercial relationships, as well as potential grant recipients from a $200Million fund.

From: SF Business Times

Friday, July 9, 2010
PG&E, cleantechs fight Prop. 23
San Francisco Business Times - by Lindsay Riddell

The Bay Area cleantech industry says California’s leadership on climate change and renewable energy is growing jobs and efforts to thwart climate change legislation will only delay the inevitable.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. joined July 6 with hundreds of other businesses opposing Proposition 23, the state ballot initiative bankrolled by Texas oil companies that would block AB32, California’s climate legislation, until unemployment reaches 5.5 percent or lower for four consecutive quarters. That’s only happened three times the last 30 years.

AB32 regulates greenhouse gas emissions and would make the state’s largest polluters reduce emissions or pay. It is set to be rolled out gradually starting in 2012.

Even while climate change legislation targets utilities, oil refiners and other large polluters, PG&E said California’s economy will benefit both from the renewable portfolio standard that mandates utilities get 20 percent of their power from renewable energy, and from AB32.

“We believe they’re compatible with a strong economy and cleaner environment and we’d like to help AB32 succeed,” said PG&E spokeswoman Cindy Pollard.

It’s unclear how much AB32 might actually cost PG&E or its customers because details of the bill have not yet been settled but refiners Valero and Tesoro, based in Texas, have put up 79 percent of the money to fund the ballot initiative and the campaign to get it passed while PG&E is taking a different approach.

“PG&E and many companies already have invested to comply with the law and they don’t want to see that money thrown out the window,” said Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for the campaign against Prop. 23.

While supporters of the ballot initiative to halt AB32 say it will hurt business in California, the cleantech industry feels differently. The 350-strong coalition of businesses and organizations against the initiative includes solar, biofuels, wind and electric car companies. South San Francisco-based LS9, Oakland utility-scale solar developer BrightSource Energy Inc. and electric car infrastructure company Better Place are oppose it.

Amit Chatterjee, CEO of sustainability software company Hara in Redwood City, said AB32 presents an opportunity for California to boost the percentage of renewable energy technology that contributes to the state’s overall economy and tax base.

Rodrigo Prudencio, a partner at cleantech venture capital firm Nth Power, said companies will eventually be forced to comply — either through AB32, proposed federal climate change legislation or increased environmental regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency.

“We had better get started on it,” Prudencio said.

From: Jetson Green

Green Building Market to Surge by 2015
By Preston Koerner | July 6, 2010 | topics: Green Building, News

Over the next five years, according to a subscription report published by Environmental Leader, total United States green building market value is expected to increase from $71.1 billion to $173.5 billion. The EL Insights report projects a compound annual growth rate of 19.5% in green building market value from 2010 through 2015.

Also, green building opportunities could create roughly 30% more jobs in the construction industry with EL Insights seeing the potential for 2.5 million new American jobs.

At the same time, American demand for green building products is expected to reach $80 billion by 2013, according to a separate report by the Freedonia Group, Inc. The Freedonia report estimated an increase in demand of about 7.2% per year on average over five years.

2 Green Businesses For Sale.

Organic Hair & Skin Care Products.

Organic Infant & Toddler Apparel, Gifts & Accessories.

Email Chris Bartle for more information Chris@TheEvergreenGroup.com

From: SF Business Times

Friday, June 25, 2010 | Modified: Monday, June 28, 2010
San Francisco residential development map
San Francisco Business Times

In the 2010 edition of San Francisco Structures, we listed 95 large residential projects that were either under construction, approved for construction or in planning stages.

Projects range from 8,000 units approved for Treasure Island to 176 affordable apartments proposed at 900 Innes Ave. in the Bayview. Click the project name or site for more details about it. Click the pages beneath the table for the next 15 projects.

This list was compiled in June 2010. To make updates or corrections, contact Senior Editor Emily Fancher at efancher@bizjournals.com.

Click link above to see complete map.

From: SF Business Times

Friday, June 25, 2010
Condos still a tough sell to finicky lenders
San Francisco Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

It’s likely 2010 will be remembered as a year when not a single significant condo project broke ground in San Francisco — and 2011 may not be much better.

While several apartment projects are likely to start this year, the future for condominiums is considerably bleaker. The Section 220 program that provides loans for apartments does not cover for-sale housing. While the projects on the market have been selling well, prices are still near enough to construction costs that it would be difficult to make a profit.

“There is still not really much development capital out there for urban housing,” said John Manning of Highland Realty Capital, a commercial real estate finance firm. “Sales values are just not high enough yet to justify new construction and there are still enough clouds in the sky that we don’t know where we are going to be in 18 months.”

Mapping San Francisco Structures
Click here for a map and list of the 95 active residential projects in San Francisco.
Click here for a map and list of the 35 active non-residential projects in San Francisco.
The few banks that are willing to discuss new condo deals are generally requiring equity to cover 50 to 60 percent of the cost, according to Lennar Executive Vice President Kofi Bonner.

“The conventional, non-recourse condo construction loan that would go up to 80 percent (of value) — they have not come back,” said Oz Erickson. “That was the typical instrument that we used and you could get them from anybody if you were an experienced developer.”

Finding an equity partner to fill in the gap is possible — but prohibitively expensive for the developer. Erickson said the return on equity investors expect has jumped from 20 or 21 percent three years ago to 27 or 28 percent.

Another hurdle to new condo construction is that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will not guarantee mortgages on condo projects with less than 50 percent of the units sold. Even if a developer sells seven or eight units a month, it would take a good 18 months for one of the larger entitled towers on Rincon Hill to get to that point. An exception to this is phase two of One Rincon Hill. The first tower of that project is 85 percent sold, taking sales of the entire development above 50 percent.

One Rincon Hill developer Michael Kriozere said three factors bode well for a 2011 ground breaking at One Rincon: construction costs are 20 percent down, inventory of new condos is dwindling, and Mayor Gavin Newsom recently signed a provision that defers 80 percent of project impact fees until construction is nearly complete.

On the more negative side, there is still uncertainty in the overall economy and lenders are nervous about the political landscape and new taxes that may be introduced. Kriozere said he has been talking to lenders. “Everyone has their finger on the trigger, but no one is ready to pull it.”

“It’s a subjective thing — businesses and investors are still hanging onto their money. The amount of cash corporations are holding is at a record high. All the construction lenders are wondering where the country is going,” he said.

From: greenopolis.com

By The Green Groove
Created 06/24/2010 - 7:05am
Greenopolisusername:
Trish Smith

Avoid toxic chemicals and the high cost of pool maintenance with an eco-friendly, self-cleaning natural swimming pool!

Wouldn’t you love to have a beautifully landscaped, chemical-free swimming pool that’s full of crystal clear water? If so, then you would definitely be interested in a natural swimming pool. Just ask the Europeans about these amazing pools. European homeowners have been installing natural swimming pools in place of chemical-pumping pools for the past 20 years.

What exactly is a natural swimming pool? Natural swimming pools are the ultimate cross-breed between traditional swimming pools and beautiful garden ponds. Instead of using traditional pool building materials like concrete and fiberglass, natural pools are built with more environmentally friendly materials such as clay and gravel stone. They also incorporate plants into their design, which makes every time you swim a tropical adventure!

Click link above for pictures!

Besides looking beautiful and exotic, natural swimming pools have other added benefits. Here are a few:

Plants in the pool help circulate oxygen and act as habitat for wildlife.
Natural bacteria in the pool act as biological filters to produce clear water (instead of that murky stuff you see in ponds).
Once built, they’re cheaper to maintain than traditional swimming pools.
They don’t have to be drained and refilled over and over again.
Oh, and there’s one other thing: the wildlife. Most natural swimming pools have fish in them, but you don’t have to worry about them bothering you or biting your toes. These fish are friendly, and they’re more interested in getting acquainted with the algae and insects in the pool. Plus, they’re very relaxing to watch, and you can feed them when you’re not swimming!

Natural swimming pools are slowly gaining popularity in the U.S. with companies like Expanding Horizons [5] (California) and Whole Water Systems [6] (Idaho), but if you can’t find a natural swimming pool builder in your area, you can always attempt to build one on your own. Here’s a great article from Mother Earth News that shows you How to Build a Natural Swimming Pool [7].

So, what do you think about natural swimming pools? I think that I’m ready to swim with the fish like Mother Nature intended!

From: Sustainable Industries

Top 10 Green Building Products of 2010 announced
by Sustainable Industries Staff - 6.22.10

SAN FRANCISCO

Award-winning independent news source Sustainable Industries today announced the release of its 2010 Top 10 Green Building Products guide, the annual publication profiling industry-leading green building products selected by a panel of expert judges and Sustainable Industries magazine’s editorial team.

This year’s Top 10 winners were selected from more than 100 entries based on their environmental performance, scalability/market impact, innovativeness, design aesthetic, value and compatibility with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

The winners were announced today in a Sustainable Industries Webinar featuring Associate Editor Charles Redell and members of the judges’ panel who addressed attendees' questions about the pros and cons of the latest green building innovations. The 2010 Top 10 Green Building Products winners are highlighted in the July issue of Sustainable Industries, as well as in a digital supplement with 3D images designed by Portland’s Fat Pencil Studio. The guide is available for free at www.sustainableindustries.com/resources.

“In the five years Sustainable Industries has produced this trusted and popular independent guide, the industry has seen unprecedented growth,” says Brian Back, Founding Editor & Publisher of Sustainable Industries. “A proliferation of green building certification programs and product eco-labels have brought more builders, designers and consumers into the fold. We’re confident the Top 10 Green Building Products guide provides a unique overview of some of the most innovative building materials representing the biggest trends on the market today.”

The 2010 Top 10 Green Building Product winners are:

Aqus Greywater System, made by Sloan Valve Co.
Acrovyn 4000, made by Construction Specialities Inc.
Control4 Energy Management System, made by Control4 Energy
Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard, made by QA Graphics
Energy Recovery Ventilator, made by Building Performance Equipment
Second Glass, made by Second Glass
Solatube Daylighting Systems, made by Solatube International
Strand Poplar Flooring, made by EcoTimber
Ultimate Pervious Pavement, made by Evolution Paving Resources
Warmboard, made by Warmboard Inc.

Click link above for more.