Recovery Act Announcement – Tax Credits for Home Energy Efficiency Improvements

U.S. Department of Energy – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

EERE News

Recovery Act Announcement: Secretary Chu Highlights Recovery Act Tax Credits for Home Energy Efficiency Improvements

March 26, 2010

Today while visiting Seaway Manufacturing Corporation—an energy efficient window manufacturing company in Erie, Pennsylvania—Secretary Chu highlighted the tax credits available to American families as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Taxpayers are eligible for up to $1,500 in tax credits for a range of home energy efficiency improvements—such as adding insulation, installing energy efficient windows, or replacing water heaters.

“Investing in energy efficiency is one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways reduce the energy bills in your home,” said Secretary Chu. “We want to make sure that families that made those investments are taking advantage of the Recovery Act tax credits, which can put up to $1,500 into their pockets.”

“Thanks to the Recovery Act, homeowners can save as much as $1,500 in tax credits for energy improvements—a major savings for families. With quality, energy efficient products made right here in Erie, homeowners in our region can save money and support local businesses at the same time,” said Rep. Dahlkemper. “Western Pennsylvania boasts an innovative and hardworking manufacturing base; our region is poised to be a leader in new energy technologies.”

The Recovery Act expanded residential efficiency tax credits for some energy-efficiency improvements, including replacing doors and windows; upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment; adding insulation; or replacing a water heater. Through 2010, homeowners can receive a tax credit for 30% of the cost of the improvements, up to $1,500.

Secretary Chu reminded taxpayers that they can collect on those benefits this year as they file their 2009 tax returns, and can continue to receive tax credits through the end of this year. To help make sure that taxpayers are aware of the Recovery Act benefits they are eligible for this year, the Obama Administration launched a new interactive Tax Savings Tool, which can be accessed on the White House Web site.

These tax credits are in addition to the energy and cost savings that come with energy efficiency. Investments in efficiency products can save homeowners up to 40% on energy costs over the long-term.

Consumers who installed renewable energy systems in their homes, including solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, or wind turbines, are also eligible for tax credits for 30% of the cost of the systems, which are available through 2016. Additional detail on the renewable energy tax credits is available on the Energy Savers Web site.

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Geothermal Gaining Ground

Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems Are a Viable Alternative to Traditional HVAC

Geothermal systems, which use the relatively stable and moderate temperature of the ground as an energy source, are piquing the interest of green-minded builders as an efficient and clean alternative to conventional heating and cooling systems.

Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) accounted for about 50,000 residential and (mostly) commercial installations nationwide in 2006. That’s less than 1% of the overall heating and cooling equipment market, according to a recent report issued by the Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based research firm. GHPs work typically by exchanging or transferring heat via liquid-filled tubing loops that run between the house and the ground or a nearby body of water. That same report, though, forecasts 6.5% annual growth for the technology through 2011, setting a new bar of 70,000 installations that year. By 2016, the report predicts nearly 100,000 geothermal heat pumps will be put in place per year.

“The growth is exponential,” says Eric Dickie, president of Delta Geothermal, a distributor and installer in Lake Country, British Columbia. “For every geothermal heat pump system we sell, it generates two more sales.”

And why not? Geothermal (also called geoexchange, earth-coupled, or ground-source) offers some pretty attractive benefits, from far superior heating and cooling efficiencies compared to even the highest-rated furnaces and air conditioners, to the use of a free, nontoxic resource of ground temperature.

“Simply, you’re moving energy from one place to another versus spending money and resources to create it,” explains Cary Smith, president of Sound Geothermal Corp., a ground-source system designer in Sandy, Utah.

In addition, a geothermal heat pump is a heating and cooling machine-in-one, eliminating the outdoor air conditioning or air-to-air heat pump compressor from the spec sheet. Fitted with a standard blower and filter, it leverages the same distribution network of ducts and supply/return registers as any other air-forced system.

GHPs also mitigate seasonal fluctuations in performance (unlike air-source heat pumps), run on about half the amount of electricity of a conventional system, deliver effective humidity control, and can be specified within the same unit footprint to heat the home’s water supply, in-floor radiant heating system, and swimming pool.

And while builders will need an excavation or drilling crew and likely a certified installer to trench and hook up the underground loop of circulation tubes that feed the system, any HVAC contractor worth his sheet metal can connect the rest of the equipment. The systems are generally applicable in almost any climate, thanks to the consistent temperature of the ground of around 70 degrees F, at about 8 feet below the surface, whether you’re in Scottsdale or Scarsdale.

What to Watch For

There are caveats, of course, chief among them an installed cost that’s about two to three times that of a conventional system, primarily to excavate for and install the underground loop of high-density polyethylene tubing.

For a new home, the straight return on an upfront investment of about $2,500 per ton of capacity plus perhaps another $5,000-plus to install a closed-loop, ground-source system (see “How It Works,” below) is at least four years and probably more, even in the most expensive utility markets. Some of that premium might be recouped from local utility rebates, state-sponsored grants, and federal tax credits, though it may require proof of a system that meets minimum performance standards and certified installation to qualify.

But, amortized within a fixed-rate, 30-year mortgage, the per-month payback for a geothermal system is almost immediate thanks to energy use that even the EPA says can be 50% less than a furnace and air-conditioning system.

The effectiveness of a geothermal heat pump also relies on a well-built and insulated shell. “If the [building] envelope is not designed for high-efficiency equipment, a ground-source heat pump won’t do you any good” in terms of significant energy and cost savings, says Phillip Russell, a Pensacola, Fla.–based custom builder. Russell’s first house 28 years ago featured an open-loop geothermal system, and he’s installed variations of the technology in about 75% of his homes to date.

The performance of the system also requires a more deliberate calculation of the home’s heating and cooling needs than what’s typically conducted for a traditional HVAC system. “If you oversize a gas furnace, it’s not a huge deal,” says Dickie. “If you oversize a geothermal heat pump, you increase the cost of the equipment and the infrastructure.”

Dickie recommends a thorough heat-loss and heat-gain analysis and calculation for the home, which determines the capacity of the system that, in turn, dictates the design and extent of the ground or water-source loop.

Defining Efficiency

If you check the spec sheet of a geothermal heat pump system, you’ll notice two distinct ratings regarding its efficiency: COP (coefficient of performance, for heating efficiency) and EER (energy efficiency ratio, for cooling performance). In both cases, the higher the rating, the better the energy performance.

These two ratios should be used as a relative gauge among geothermal systems—and within that, similar types of GHPs such as open- vs. closed-loop—and reflect a “steady-state,” or factory-tested, performance rather than what’s likely to be found in the field. The ratings are similar, but not directly comparable, to efficiency ratios calculated for conventional HVAC equipment. That being said, GHPs are typically three to four times as efficient in heating mode and at least 50% better in cooling mode than a furnace and air conditioner, respectively.

To ensure consistency, the ratings were standardized for the industry in 2000. The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute regulates them, mitigating discrepancies in what manufacturers include in their energy-use calculations to arrive at the ratios.

And, relative to conventional HVAC equipment, which also is tested and rated in a steady state, GHPs are clearly—and in some cases dramatically—more energy efficient.

Demand Drivers

Though suitable for almost any climate and scalable to any building size, geothermal isn’t for everyone.

Bob Schmitt Homes in North Ridgeville, Ohio, for example, installed about 85 geothermal heat pumps in the late 1990s, but stopped doing so eight years ago after financial incentives and other support provided by the local electrical utility vanished. “If there’s an easy way to get it installed, it’s a nice system,” says executive vice president Scott Kubit, noting that the tight-lot suburban land plans the company develops are less accommodating to geothermal than wide-open rural lots.

But some builders may not have much of a choice. Economic and environmental factors are both coming on strong as demand drivers among consumers. “Ninety five percent of the inquiries we get for residential systems are homeowner-driven,” says designer Smith. “The builder can embrace it and learn about it or resist it,” perhaps at his peril.

Smith also points out that contractors are being held more accountable by building codes for energy performance, specifically higher standards for the thermal envelope. “If you’re forced to make that investment, these systems make a lot more sense,” he says.

A complex combination of environmental and economic factors is conspiring to drive a cottage technology that’s been in use since the 1940s, and especially since the first “energy crisis” of the early 1970s, into the mainstream.

“Interest right now is off the charts,” says Thomas Ross, vice president of marketing and sales for manufacturer Northern Heat Pump. “I call it a 30-year overnight success.”

How It Works

All heat pumps, whether air-to-air or ground-source, work by exchanging heat from one place (the equipment) to another (the house). In a geothermal setup, the “equipment” is the relatively stable and moderate temperature of the ground at about 8 feet below the surface, a storehouse of heat derived primarily from solar radiation. In a GHP, the heat is carried through a closed loop of high-density polyethylene tubes filled with a heat transfer agent, usually a nontoxic antifreeze solution.

There are, however, variations on that basic model. Among closed-loop systems, the network of tubing can be installed horizontally or vertically, usually depending on site conditions and available land around or even under the building footprint, as well as the comparative costs of trenching (for horizontal) or drilling (for vertical). Closed-loop systems also can tap the heat stored in a water well or nearby pond, which is called a water-to-water system.

Lastly, an open-loop (or ground-water) GHP eliminates the antifreeze carrier, instead using the solar-heated water of a pond or well. The heat is then exchanged at the pump inside the house, as with a closed-loop system, or used directly for hydronic space (and perhaps water) heating. For various reasons, some municipalities regulate the drilling for and discharge water of open-loop systems, especially large-scale installations far exceeding those of an individual home. For open-loop systems, especially, consult the local building department and other appropriate regulatory agencies about what is allowed and how to best handle the discharge of water that’s been through the heat exchanger.

Once the heat from the ground or water source makes it to the heat pump inside the house, the system works the same as any forced-air system. In cooling modes, the process is reversed, with the heat pump taking hot air out of the house and exchanging it with the ground temperature—which, in the summer, is far cooler than the outside air—and using an ozone-safe refrigerant to cool it further and distribute it throughout the house.

Resources

Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI): Regulates and rates geothermal heat pumps for their relative performance efficiencies, specifically COP and EER, among other HVAC equipment; publishes a semi-annual directory of certified products, which is also available online. www.ari.org

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): In addition to the federal Energy Star program (www.energystar.gov), which qualifies and lists GHPs among several other product categories, the DOE offers additional information via its Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy resource. www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/ (search “space heating”)

NAHB Research Center: The center’s online Toolbase of various construction-related topics includes a section on geothermal heating and cooling.
www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/HVAC/geothermal-heat-pumps

The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA): In addition to providing a wealth of information on GHPs, the association’s Web site offers a directory of accredited installers. www.igshpa.okstate.edu

Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium: A storehouse of GHP information, including a directory of local contractors and access to financial and other incentives provided (or not) by each state. http://geoexchange.us

Rich Binsacca is a freelance writer in Boise, Idaho.

Indoor Air Quality Problems

De-Mystifying Indoor Air Quality

What causes IAQ problems and what can you do about it?

Gord Cooke, President of Building Knowledge Canada, is a Professional Engineer with 25 years experience in the residential building industry. An educator, industry consultant, and international presenter, Cooke specializes in presenting practical building science solutions in understandable terms.

Credit: John Beebe/Aurora Select

“Can you test the air in my home?”

That’s the call I get from builders who are looking for certification or validation that the homes they are building provide a healthy indoor environment. Since there is no definitive quantitative measure for air quality that would satisfy all potential occupants, I tell them that rather than spend thousands of dollars on testing, they should invest in cost-effective construction details, material, and equipment options that have proven to ensure the healthiest possible indoor air quality.

Most people tie “air quality” issues to the outside—air pollution from cars and factories or smog, haze, and ozone; however, the Environmental Protection Agency reports that a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that inside air can actually be more seriously polluted than outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.

I like to think of it this way: The air in homes originally came from outside, then we breathed in it, cooked in it, and showered in it without really doing anything substantial to improve it.

Also consider:

  • We spend more time—as much as 90% of it—indoors all year round. That means nine out of every 10 breaths is of indoor air—much of it from our homes.
  • We introduce pollutants into houses via furnishings, cleaning chemicals, and personal hygiene products. There are 4,000 to 6,000 chemicals that may be found in our houses. Plants and pets are also sources of dust, moisture, and odors.
  • Our interest in better comfort, lower noise, and greater security reduces the use of windows for natural ventilation.

Compounding these ever-increasing levels of indoor air pollutants is the fact that our homes are tighter than ever as we strive to build energy-efficient structures. Still, air tightness of buildings is not the main reason for increased indoor air quality concerns; in fact, controlling air leakage is an important element of air quality control because it keeps out unwanted outdoor pollutants such as pollen and fine dust particles and allows HVAC systems to better control the flow of filtered, conditioned air.

SIMPLE STRATEGIES

Fortunately there are simple things that we can do to ensure the healthiest possible air in homes. Most of these fall into one of four important strategies:

1. Remove Pollutant Sources.

  • Manage water to avoid mold and dampness. Plan drainage, flashing, grading, capillary breaks, and air sealing to avoid water intrusion.
  • Use low- or zero-VOC paints and finishes and choose hard-surface, prefinished flooring.
  • Specify solid wood products or, if using engineered wood products such as OSB, MDF, and particleboard, specify products that are tested to show they have low-VOC emissions.

2. Seal Out Pollutants.

  • Ensure a very thorough air seal between a house and an attached garage.
  • Seal the edges of exposed particleboard cabinetry or trim with a low-VOC acrylic sealer.
  • Create an “oasis” for occupants who suffer from respiratory problems, asthma, or allergies. This might entail creating a very “clean” bedroom with its own fresh, filtered air supply.

3. Ventilate the Space. All houses need more fresh air. While encouraging homeowners to open windows regularly is helpful, all projects should include provisions for mechanical ventilation. This could be as simple as installing good, quiet, efficient bath fans or a fresh intake into the main air handler return that are controlled by a timer to ensure extended hours of operation each day. The advanced solution is heat- and energy-recovery ventilation technology. These devices include one fan that exhausts stale air and another fan that delivers fresh air to a home. The waste energy from the exhaust air is used to preheat the incoming air in the winter and precool it in the summer.

A Control moisture to prevent mold.B Isolate garage from living areas.C Install fresh air ventilation and filtration.D Keep water away from foundation.E Use low-VOC building materials.F Use low-VOC paints and finishes.

A Control moisture to prevent mold. B Isolate garage from living areas. C Install fresh air ventilation and filtration. D Keep water away from foundation. E Use low-VOC building materials. F Use low-VOC paints and finishes.

Credit: Harry Whitver

4. Filter the Air. Choose better filters for the central air handler. The new MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) filter effectiveness measurement scale under ASHRAE Standard 52.2 offers ratings from 1 to 20, with 1 being a simple, fiberglass furnace filter and 20 being a HEPA filter. A good pleated filter with a MERV rating between 8 and 12 is very helpful in removing fine dust from inside air.

These four steps are listed in order of effectiveness. Start with removal strategies first before spending too much time or effort on filtration.

The strategies are recognized and rewarded by certification programs such as LEED for Homes, the ANSI National Green Building Standard, and the new EPA Indoor airPLUS program.

Specification checklists from programs such as these provide a great starting point for building professionals wishing to ensure their clients are provided with the healthiest possible air. At a minimum, appropriate details always include:

  • Direct- or power-vented combustion appliances to ensure the safe, effective venting of combustion products directly outside.
  • Thorough, consistent water management details to ensure buildings don’t get wet and that if they do get wet they are able to dry within 48 hours to avoid mold and rot.
  • Properly sized HVAC systems to ensure consistent temperatures and humidity levels.
  • Effective, efficient ventilation systems that bring in just the right amount of fresh, filtered air.
  • Control of unwanted air leakage from outside to reduce dust and pollen entry.
  • Effective insulation and better, warmer windows to avoid condensation on surfaces.
  • Air handlers with filters with better filtration effectiveness—MERV 8 or better.

EDUCATE YOUR CUSTOMERS

To ensure your IAQ steps are effective, it’s vital to teach residents simple strategies for maintaining healthy indoor air. Here are a few best practices to pass on:

  • Never allow smoking indoors.
  • Choose hard-surface flooring; clean floors thoroughly at least once a week.
  • Limit the use of chemical cleaners, and choose unscented cleaning and personal hygiene products.
  • Keep pets and plants out of sleeping areas.
  • Manage indoor humidity and odors by using bathroom and kitchen fans regularly.

By implementing these details and specifications, as well as passing along a few consumer guidelines, building professionals can assure clients they are providing the potential for a healthy indoor environment. As hinted in the introduction, this does not mean you can guarantee air quality or prevent all indoor air quality problems. I like to remind my clients that I am a housing professional and not a health professional. Lifestyle choices and the personal health of occupants is beyond our control but to the extent that indoor air is an important input to our bodies, we can help ensure that air is as clean as possible.

New Standards For Indoor Quality

Recovery Time

Tighter homes and increasingly stringent residential energy-use standards put whole-house heat- and energy-recovery ventilators in the spotlight.

Starting in 2011, all new homes built to comply with the federal Energy Star Qualified Homes standard—perhaps 200,000 units if the NAHB’s forecast for that year holds true—will be required to provide an adequate amount of controlled, fresh-air ventilation as part of a comprehensive energy conservation and indoor air quality goal.

Already, the ANSI National Green Building Standard (NGBS) and LEED for Homes require builders to meet the airflow (cfm) per square foot ventilation standards established in ASHRAE 62.2-2007 for residential applications, the same thresholds that Energy Star will apply.

All three programs allow multiple options for compliance and, in the case of the ANSI and LEED for Homes rating systems, award additional points toward certification for upgraded solutions.

Of those options and upgrades, an increasingly likely choice for builders is mechanical ventilation: whole-house heat-recovery ventilators (HRVs) or energy-recovery ventilators (ERVs) integrated into forced-air HVAC setups.

According to the “2008 NAHB Construction Technology Survey” of 2,700 builders nationwide, 56% already report using mechanical means to bring a controlled amount of fresh air into the home (and about half of those extensively), while another 12% are considering it. Meanwhile, the most recent “Annual Builder Practices Survey” by the NAHB Research Center found that HRV use among builders increased from 2.7% of all new single-family units in 2002 to 3.6%—or about 23,000 homes—in 2008.

Those aren’t earth-shattering numbers—yet. But the combination of tougher (and greener) building standards and codes that will require whole-house ventilation in new homes; concern and market demand for healthier indoor air; and the improved performance, reliability, and ease-of-maintenance of ventilation equipment positions HRVs and ERVs to work into the spec sheets of an increasing number of homes.

Consider the experience of Asheville, N.C., HVAC contractor Duane Gentry: During the last three years, he says, demand for ERVs has jumped from about 1% of his HVAC system installations to nearly 70%. That spike in demand, he says, is driven by consumers who are increasingly savvy about green building and by architects and builders who are trying to satisfy clients and qualify the energy efficiency and health of their projects. “We’re putting them in virtually every custom home project we have,” and a growing number of tract homes, says the owner of Gentry Heating and Cooling. “With new state energy codes [reducing air infiltration], it won’t be long before they’re mandated for all homes.”

How They Work

Simply, HRVs and ERVs provide a balanced, controlled, and measured amount of fresh air into the house to cycle out pollutants, while also capturing and exchanging the heat—or sensible energy—from the exhausted indoor airflow with the incoming air. This exchange preheats incoming air in the winter, or “pre-cools” it (if to a lesser extent) in the summer, reducing the energy demand on the home’s primary heating and cooling equipment.

Because furnaces, heat pumps, and air conditioners don’t have to work as hard or as long with an HRV or ERV supplementing them, they also might perform longer at optimum levels and achieve better investment values.

The equipment design of an HRV is fairly simple: It is typically comprised of two fans that push a balanced amount of incoming and outgoing air, respectively, through fixed filters (some with HEPA technology to capture most airborne pollutants) positioned to effectively facilitate an exchange of heat between the two flows. ERVs follow the same general design and concept but with an additional, separate chamber to manage humidity levels in the air exchange.

To enable whole-house controlled ventilation and maintain optimum indoor air pressure, HRVs and ERVs are sized based on the square footage of the home and the unit’s cubic feet per minute (cfm) rating, a calculation that roughly equates to 0.05 cfm per square foot of conditioned space; a 2,000-square-foot house, then, would require a unit with at least 100-cfm ventilation capacity to achieve a rate of 0.35 air changes per hour, the industry-accepted ideal exchange rate for good ventilation.

To effect that performance, ERVs and HRVs must be connected to the home’s central forced-air heating and cooling system, achieve a balanced airflow, and have two connections to the outdoors—one to bring in fresh air, the other to exhaust stale indoor air.

The two exterior duct ports need to be separated 4 to 6 feet from each other to avoid cross-contamination, while the intake pipe also should be placed away from gas meters, vehicle parking areas, combustion appliance vents, and trash receptacles. Suppliers typically offer angled hoods to accommodate circumstances where ideal distances between pipes and potential contamination sources cannot be achieved.

Inside, the fresh, incoming—and now semi-conditioned—air can be delivered from the HRV/ERV by an independent duct to one or more locations in the house or, more simply, connected to the return vent in a typical forced-air system.

The effect of introducing preheated or precooled air into a room or rooms will not only freshen the indoor air but also reduce demand on the heating or cooling equipment to condition the incoming air.

In contrast to the incoming air through the home’s forced-air network, the removal of the stale exhaust air must be ducted independently, ideally from several rooms in the house, directly to and through the HRV or ERV. In the case of an ERV, ducts should at least vent air from rooms that generate moisture, such as the kitchen (though not directly from a range hood), baths, and laundry areas. “That’s the ideal setup because you can eliminate bath fans,” Gentry says, a tradeoff that helps tip the upfront cost and labor premium for an HRV/ERV into better balance.

According to the EPA, HRVs are most cost-effective in extreme climates (hot or cold) and where energy rates are high; in mild climates, the energy consumed by an HRV may exceed the amount it can save.

In hot, humid climates—specifically a swath from East Texas along the Gulf Coast states and up through the Carolina coastline—the predominant need is cooling the indoor air and often the removal of humidity. For those environments manufacturers and building scientists recommend ERVs for whole-house controlled ventilation.

ERVs look and work similarly to HRVs, but with the added ability to regulate humidity levels in the incoming air before too much of that moisture is introduced to a cooling condition. By removing excess humidity—also called latent energy—from the incoming air, an ERV helps mitigate the potential for condensation and related problems of mold and degradation inside the house.

The regulator also can add humidity to the fresh air as needed to maintain an optimum level for comfort and health, using a rotary wheel core and desiccants such as silica gel. As a result, ERVs extend their value in terms of indoor air quality beyond simply refreshing the indoor air. The bit of moisture vapor captured by an ERV also helps keep the exchanger core warm, lessening the potential for freezing damage and related repair or replacement costs during the winter.

Cost vs. Value

At upwards of $1,500 or more plus some extra labor by a heating contractor in a new construction environment, ERVs and HRVs are a relatively expensive choice to provide controlled ventilation and some measure of energy efficiency, especially in affordable housing.

“If equipment prices and the cost of installation went down, we’d probably go back to using an HRV,” says Brianna Conrow, project manager at HOST Development in Portland, Ore., which used HRVs for the first phase of an affordable project before switching to a supply-air-only system of whole-house fans. “And in small homes, there’s not a reasonable payback in energy savings for HRVs.”

There’s also a remarkable shortage of hard evidence that mechanical ventilation, and specifically an ERV or HRV, is truly as effective as the presumed benefits of energy savings or improved indoor air quality that equipment manufacturers and building scientists purport. “It’s become a Holy Grail to ask for definitive research on the air quality impacts of [controlled] ventilation,” says Sam Rashkin, national director of the Energy Star for Homes program at the EPA, whose team has scoured for and requested reports from manufacturers and the building science community without success—despite pressure from those groups to add controlled ventilation into the Qualified Homes standard. “The evidence [that controlled, mechanical ventilation reduces indoor air quality hazards] is anecdotal, at best.”

In addition, Rashkin’s team found field reports and observations that HRV/ERV equipment showed a high propensity not to work properly once installed, from dampers being pinched shut to kinks in the ducting systems that restricted airflow and clogged or misplaced intakes.

It’s also a “big leap of faith,” he says, that homeowners will follow through with scheduled and necessary maintenance of the equipment. “We suspect that a high percentage of systems will be installed poorly or be set up to fail because the owners won’t do things necessary to keep them running properly,” he says. “Having a ventilation system is a feel-good thing, but there’s a tremendous behavioral component that’s hanging in the balance.”

That’s an assertion that Gentry, among others, disputes. In his experience, maintenance is an easy chore for a properly trained homeowner, consisting of cleaning the filters and blowing dust out of the system twice a year and out of the core (or heat exchanger) annually—which many owners simply add to an HVAC service contract. “Every once in a blue moon you may have to replace the heat exchanger,” he says, “but in four years of selling ERVs I’ve never had to.”

In addition, emerging technologies such as electronically commutated motors (ECMs), which use less energy and have been a standard in larger HVAC equipment for years, and controls that allow the installer and the homeowner to more easily and reliably program, monitor, and adjust the equipment, appear to address at least some of the current concerns.

Despite Rashkin’s reservations, he and his team resolved to mandate minimum ventilation thresholds into the upcoming Energy Star Qualified Homes standard, likely spurring HRV and ERV use, because the 2011 version significantly boosts building envelope performance. “The new [2011] standard raises the bar so much higher for a home’s tightness that we have to get fresh air into them,” he says.

Rashkin also admits that, if properly installed and maintained, HRVs and ERVs are an upgrade over exhaust-only or supply-only systems because the air in and out of the equipment is balanced and therefore better ensures the proper amount of fresh-air flow and maintains a pressure balance inside the home.

As for the energy efficiency of HRVs and ERVs, Energy Star is working to create standards to qualify the heat recovery performance and label the equipment within a new product category for the federal program; the 2011 Qualified Homes ventilation thresholds will require Energy Star–labeled HRVs or ERVs to comply (if that ventilation option is chosen by the builder), just as the current standard does for exhaust-only (spot) ventilation units.

Already, the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI) independently certifies the performance of HRVs and ERVs to provide builders with a gauge to compare products and assess their value in terms of heat recovery and airflow rates, if not their impact on air quality.

Even so, HVI considers (if not certifies) the health benefits of controlled ventilation, including ERVs and HRVs, to be a critical factor in their use. “Even with construction materials … with low-VOC off-gassing, normal activities such as cooking and bathing overwhelm the home,” with potential pollutants that ERVs and HRVs can and do address, says Peter Grinbergs, the trade association’s chairman and the director of product development/engineering for Airia Brands, a ventilation equipment manufacturer.

For Gentry, that’s a theory he’s seen in action. “Getting fresh air into the house helps more than anything, and especially achieving healthy indoor air,” he says. “This isn’t smoke and mirrors.”

Rich Binsacca is a freelance writer in Boise, Idaho.

What Do Water Treatment Systems Have To Do With Eco Friendly Living?

I have heard this question in various forms since I first became involved in the field of Water treatment back in 1980 only then it was simply why do I need a water softener or purifier, because we had never heard of eco-friendly living or green homes. I have worked in almost every aspect of the water business. I started in sales, went to sales management then as owner for 15 years before selling my business in 1998. During that time I serviced, installed, designed & sold systems. I trained salespeople, installers, service people, etc. I grew what became one of the largest water treatment companies in Illinois. I was a WQA Certified Water Specialist since 1985 and maintained that Certification until selling my business in 1998.

After selling my water company I became involved in the field I originally went to school for; construction management. It is currently the field I am still involved in and I have wore many hats in this field as well; IL State licensed lead abatement supervisor, Project Manager, and the Owner of a Rehab Company, Building Products Company, and a Custom & Spec Home Building Company. I am currently a consultant to the Green Building Industry and I am in the process of obtaining LEED accreditation.

One thing I have realized is that while I really enjoy the building industry and will always be involved in it on one level or another I have really missed the water business. I also have come to realize just how important a good, honest and ethical water treatment company has become.

Purified and Softened Water is a very important part of the green building industry and with that comes more and more people selling the latest gizmo with little regard for anything but how much money they can put in their pocket. Now don’t get me wrong most water treatment companies these days are very reputable, but there are always some that aren’t that have more concern for profit than what is most important; the customer.

Now I believe everybody pretty much gets out of life what they expect and I always expected I would be back in the water business in some form or another. Well I have now come full circle, back to the industry I started in at the age of 20 years old, but now in a more diversified capacity. I now work in an area where water treatment is a part of the whole, although a very important part.  Now it has almost been 30 years since I first started that career and 12 years since I sold the business, but I believe the timing couldn’t be better. Life is funny like that; it has a tendency to work things out for you if you will let it.

Now why is Water Treatment so important?

The  reason that the green building industry and eco friendly products have become the fastest growing segment of the building & home improvement industry,(as a matter of fact it is the only segment that has actually shown growth in the past few years), is because of an ever growing concern over health, and the conservation energy & natural resources. This is not a FAD it, is a new paradigm and it is here to stay and will continue to grow into the future.  Water treatment and conservation is a huge part of this.

Most people have just not been properly educated in the importance of soft & purified water.

30 years ago when I started in the water industry, air or water pollution was of little concern to most people, that was because even though it was a growing problem, we did not see the effects at that time and we wouldn’t for several years. We are now seeing effects from the things we did years ago and the Green Movement is a result of this. I have actually been active in the green movement before it even had a name.

Fast forward to today and it is no longer a question of whether or not it is a problem, but a question of what can I do about it and how does water treatment help with saving energy, conservation of natural resources or my health?

The first reason water is so important is simply that its supply is limited, it is impossible to make water. We have the same water now that was on this earth thousands of years ago. We simply reuse it over and over. Mother nature had a pretty good way of keeping it clean through a natural cleaning process called the hydro-cycle, as a matter of fact one of the earliest forms of purifying water was modeled after mother nature, it is distillation, which is still used today. Over the years by the addition of chemicals into the environment we have actually threatened one of resources we depend on to sustain life. Water is the universal solvent it cannot be made and it cannot be destroyed, but it can be contaminated. The amount of contamination is so significant in many areas that the only way we would have enough clean water for everyone is by using various treatment  methods to make it potable. Some areas of the country are not as prone to man made contamination as others because the water comes from wells hundreds of feet deep, but they usually come with another set of problems, including calcium and iron, while not necessarily harmful health wise, aesthetically it can be very hard to use without some form of softening or treatment.  Do not think that just because a well comes from hundreds of feet down it cannot be contaminated, I have seen many wells that are contaminated. you simply do not know, who or what may have contaminated the aquafier  that the well tapped into. Many hundreds or even thousands of wells may be on the same aquafier and all it takes is one well to have something dumped into it to contaminate  possibly thousands. It has happened, and many times you would never know because many chemicals are tasteless and odorless.

While water treatment is certainly not the only aspect of a healthy, energy efficient home it is a very important part that can usually be solved for no more money than is already being spent in the average household already.

According the Green Building Industry the 3 main components of a green home are:

  1. Energy Efficiency
  2. Preservation of Natural Resources
  3. Air & Water Quality

Now while it takes all of the above to be considered a green home, your home is only as healthy as the air and water quality in it.

Let’s start with water.

Next to the air we breathe, and that’s a major concern that we will address another time, water is the most important thing to your health for more reasons than you may realize.

The most obvious is the water you drink; I never thought I would see the day when bottled water would rival soft drinks in cost or consumption, but it actually has surpassed them . While the quality of some of the water being sold in bottles is questionable, the biggest problem has turned out to be the waste created from multiple millions of plastic bottles that do not decompose in the environment. This has become such a serious problem some states are considering banning them.

A much better solution is to make your own bottled water, you could buy the most sophisticated drinking water purifier on the market for what you spend in a couple of years on bottles and have a much higher quality of water as well. I would be willing to bet that most of you would be shocked if you added up what you actually spend in the course of a year on bottled water. So for the same amount we are spending on bottled water in just a couple of years you would have better quality water and help eliminate waste and natural resources that are used in the manufacture of plastic bottles. We also would eliminate another risk which comes from the bottles themselves as many leach BPA or other impurities into the water.

This pretty much defeats the purpose of buying bottled water doesn’t it?

There is no good environmental or economical reason to use bottled water with the affordable technology we have today to produce our own.

Now let’s talk about something that experts in the water quality field have been talking about for years. It is without a doubt the most overlooked way you come into contact with impurities or unwanted chemicals (including chlorine) from your water supply. It is the water you bath and shower in. Your skin is your body’s largest organ and it absorbs whatever it comes into contact with, so whatever may be in your water will absorb into your skin with long enough and repeated exposure . If you shower or bath every day, that adds up to considerable exposure. This is still not as bad as inhaling the steam from a shower, which concentrates various chemicals that could be in your water and should be safeguarded against if possible. There are many inexpensive shower filters available on the market today that will take care of this but a whole house system is still more efficient.

The other problem you will have if your water is hard (and the majority of the country is considered hard-anything over 10.5 gpg is considered very hard-the lake area averages 21 gpg) is the fact that hard water plugs the pores of your skin and when mixed with soap forms a film that stays on your skin. This is the biggest reason for dry and irritated skin. Now I can hear some of you already, many of you will find this hard to believe or doubt it entirely; I understand because I used to think the same thing. Some of you will say that you don’t like soft water because you can’t get the soap off and it feels slick (some even say slimy). Sorry, but the opposite is true, that slick feeling is your pores opening and your body’s natural oils lubricating your skin like it is supposed to.  This was the biggest selling point for me almost 30 years ago, and it is fact not theory, and in my 18 years as a water professional I have never failed to be able to prove this fact to anyone, with a simple test. I always had dry, irritated skin when I was a kid growing up and had to have many prescribed medicated lotions. I was almost immediately relieved of any skin problems and haven’t had a problem since I began using softened water.  Many people, like me, can eliminate lotions of any kind, another big savings, when you allow the body to naturally soften the skin. I would never be without a softener again for this reason alone, even though there are many other benefits to having soft water.

If you look at the ingredients in body soaps, detergents and cleaners and if you will research what they are, you will find that almost 80% of the active ingredient in any type of traditional cleaner is to soften the water so the water itself will work better at cleaning. The cleaner and purer the water the more aggressive it becomes and therefore better at cleaning. So one way or another you have to soften your water or it wouldn’t clean anything very well.

There are two methods to soften your water; one by addition chemically and the other is by subtraction mechanically with the use of a water softener. Which do you suppose is the safest and most eco-friendly?

The addition or chemical method is not environmental friendly, it also further helps to irritate our skin, because just as the soap film doesn’t come off your skin, it will not come off of your clothes or towels entirely either.  And these chemicals are much harsher than soap made for your skin. No wonder we have skin problems. This is also why clothes washed in soft water last much longer than clothes washed in hard water, another eco friendly benefit.

If this were not true or you have doubts, ask yourself why we have a so called gentle detergent for babies (Dreft, etc), if all the soap came out it wouldn’t matter now would it?

So why do we even use harsh chemicals for cleaners?  It is because pure cleaners will not work very well with even slightly hard water and not all with hard water.  And keep in mind the harsh chemicals are not to clean the clothes, etc. they are to clean the water.

Chemicals (traditional cleaners) are also very expensive, pure cleaners are not and it takes less than half the amount with soft water. So the amount you can save on cleaners alone will usually more than pay for a water softener.

What are some of the other benefits of soft water?

There are really many more I could list, but one of the major ones is savings of the energy required to heat water, soft water requires approximately 30% less energy to heat water and this can also add up to a significant amount since the water heater is the 2nd largest energy user in most homes. The savings on the maintenance of all water using appliances can also be a large amount, this is mainly due to the elimination of scale build up.  Foods and beverages made in soft water are more flavorful. Cleaning is much easier with soft water, due to the elimination of soap film and hard water buildup. You will find many other advantages as well and if you are like most once you get used to the soft water and its many benefits you will never be without it again.

Now if you could have soft quality water like this and it didn’t cost a dime more than you are spending right now, what would be the reason for not having it?

Water purified for drinking at the point of use and water softened at the point of entry is one of the most eco friendly systems you can have in your home.

Water treatment and water conservation will always be a major component of an eco-friendly home.

Call the Lake Eco Group and let us show you how to install a system in your home for less than you are spending now!  We are confident we can provide you with quality water at a savings and we will even leave you a generous sample of eco friendly cleaners for your time.

by David Braddy

Geothermal Is Future

The Future in Heating and Cooling is clear and we are your Geo-Thermal Specialist

Washington, DC- Imagine a heating and cooling system for your home that would keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, cut your utility bills by 25 to 50 percent, and help save Planet Earth, all at the same time.

The good news is this advanced heating and cooling system is here today. It’s called Geoexchange and thousands of homeowners nationwide are already reaping the benefits, including higher comfort levels and lower utility bills.
Geoexchange (sometimes called geothermal, or ground-source heating and cooling) taps the renewable, safe, and virtually endless energy supply that lies just below the earth’s surface.
The way it works is simple. In winter, warmth is drawn from the earth through a series of pipes, called a loop, installed beneath the ground. A water solution circulating through this piping loop carries the earth’s natural warmth to a heat pump inside the home.

Because Geoexchange technology uses such a readily available source of energy–and uses it so efficiently–it can save a substantial amount of money on monthly utility bills.

In fact, a typical 1,500-square-foot home in a moderate climate can be heated and cooled for a year-round average of just $1 a day.

Lake of the Ozarks Eco Friendly Living

A Green Home Is A Healthy Home

A Green Eco-Friendly Home has 3 major goals:

1. To be energy efficient
2. To conserve natural resources
3. To maintain air quality in the home

Bolivar Insulation Solutions has products that address all three.

A well designed and eco-friendly home uses as little energy as possible and uses renewable energy when possible. There are many effective strategies for reducing the use of natural resources and energy use including green building products and green building methods.

Bolivar Insulation Solutions is the Lake Areas Energy Specialist that employs 3 BPI Energy Auditors and a LEED GA.
They sell a variety of products and services including; blown or batt insulation as well as open and closed cell spray foam insulation, replacement windows, siding, soffit & fascia and seamless gutters and their newest product will eliminate moisture and humidity from the crawl space of your home

Your home is only as healthy as the air quality in it

This is often the most over looked area of your personal health, but is the most important area to address.
This is the environment you spend the majority of your time in and the quality of air you breathe is a major contributor to health issues. Mold and mildew are very common and are a result of leaks, not just water but air leaks as well, if air can move through a wall or floor so does moisture. Mold and mildew can cause a variety of health issues and a poorly designed, maintained or outdated building envelope can be a contributor to this problem. The most important aspect of our indoor health and building efficiency is many times the most overlooked……

Your Crawl Space is Essential to Your Homes Health

We now know that venting a crawl space to the outside in a humid environment is just plain wrong, it would be no different than taking all the windows out of a basement and claiming that’s the proper way to ventilate your home. The fact is your crawl space should be treated no differently than you would a basement, it should be sealed and dehumidified. To dry your crawl space of all moisture that causes mold and rot is impossible by open outside vents in a humid environment. If your home ever smells musty after being closed up you already have a mold problem, this leads to premature failure of the structure and health issues for its occupants, including but not limited to allergies and asthma.

  • Did you know that up to 50% of the air on your first floor comes from the crawl space or basement?
  • Did you know that by properly sealing and dehumidifying your crawl space will improve the energy efficiency by 15% to 30%?

This is one of the most Eco-friendly, Energy Saving Products I have seen and if I had to pick only one thing to do, if my home had a crawl space, this would be it.

If you have a crawl space you need this system
Call Bolivar Insulation Solutions Today!
800-955-3492/573-346-3321