Contraflow Fireplace by Tulikivi

So what is a contraflow fireplace? Who knows how to build one? Not me as of yet. The idea sounds interesting, though. With a huge pile of bricks in my front yard, I started my research.

Turns out the idea, although it carries a very long and distinguished history, dovetails neatly with today’s green revolution. The northern European countries and Russia have been using masonry stoves for years—since the 17th and 18th centuries, when kings in Prussia and Scandinavia ordered their craftsman and architects to produce better wood stove designs.

This concerted effort produced radically new heat-storing masonry stoves, which showed enormous improvement in efficiency and wood conservation.

Contraflow heater by Eric Moshier

Fast-forward to today, when masonry heaters are still in widespread use throughout northern Europe and are highly regarded for their excellent heating abilities, safety, and environmentally positive aspects. Countries such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland use the “kachelofen” or tile stoves, which are so popular that buying one can require a one-year wait.

In North America, our heating traditions unfolded differently, where an abundance of available, relatively cheap fossil fuels led to more widespread use. As a result, gas, oil, and electricity still have the lion’s share of the residential heating market (and the industry marketing budgets spend millions of dollars to keep it that way).

During the North American energy crisis of the 70s, many people turned to wood stoves to cut their heating bills. Environmental and economic concerns of the last decade have forced a critical look at better wood-heating devices. If we’re going to get this right ecologically, the stoves have to be efficient more efficient than typical metal-clad stoves.

How energy efficient are today’s masonry stoves? They are proving to be the cleanest method of burning wood, because the wood burns very hot and quickly, producing little or no smoke, soot, or creosote. When wood burns at 1100ºF, everything that can be burned is consumed. The secondary combustion chambers in masonry stoves reach temperatures of 1400º-1800ºF, and well over that point.

After the quick-burning but intense fire has gone out, the energy stored in the massive bulk of masonry is released slowly into the house over the succeeding 18 to 24 hours. Various forms of biomass heating, including masonry stoves, are getting a lot of attention from ecological architects and designers today.

If you’re considering a masonry stove, you can take one of three approaches: ready-made product, stove kits, or custom design. But first, be prepared for a long-term investment. The better-known soapstone fireplaces from Tulikivi will set you back anywhere from $7,500 to $10,000. Temp-Cast build-it-yourself stove kits start at about $3,500; then add another few thousand for professional installation.

Bread oven by Gulf Island Oven

The Masonry Heater Store in Holland, Ohio designs and installs custom masonry, which is a beautiful way to make the hearth the heart of your home—see photo to the left. In talking with co-owner Nancy Matesz, I learned that business is brisk in their corner of the world. She said, “As the environmental and cost advantages of masonry are becoming more understood, our business is really growing. Whether we’re doing a custom design or installing a Tulikivi, we hear the same message from our customers—they like the security of protecting themselves against skyrocketing fuel costs.”

Like many decisions that support a more sustainable world, an investment in a masonry stove saves money. Then, as a bonus, add a pizza or bread oven to keep your buns warm.

LED Garage Lighting - www.betaLED.com

Even such a simple act as parking the car and walking into the house can be compromised by poor lighting design. Bumping into low shelves, tripping over toys and many other common garage accidents could be avoided with proper lighting.

But how can you achieve that?

The process starts by first recognizing the difference between wattage and illumination. A 100-watt incandescent bulb draws 100 watts of power from the electrical outlet. That’s how the number gets assigned. The bulb consumes 100-watts. That’s only indirectly related to how much light is given off, measured in lumens.

A standard 100-watt bulb gives off about 1,740 lumens. By comparison, a pair of 4-foot 54-watt fluorescent bulbs, the type commonly found in garage lighting fixtures, can provide anywhere between 5,000-8,800 lumens, depending on the design. That’s a considerable difference in efficiency, which is one of the major reasons fluorescent bulbs are so much cheaper to use.

In many garages, that ordinary 2-bulb fluorescent fixture may well be adequate, but usually just barely. Any garage with shelves, corners, or — most especially– a workbench will need much more.

As in any other area of the home, there are three types of lighting: ambient, task and accent. Accent lights are just what they sound like, lights used to highlight some feature, such as a decorative wall painting. Ambient light provides the overall illumination for the room. Task lights are especially important in a garage that is used for anything more than just to store the car.

Even something as simple as storing tools and tool boxes, gardening supplies and the like will benefit greatly from task lights. Imagine going into the garage to pull out the right chemical and grabbing weed killer instead of plant food. That means a trip back to the garage for the right stuff. Grab a flat head screwdriver instead of a Phillips head and you have the same problem.

Good ambient light is still important, though. No one should have to feel their way around the garage to avoid bumping into things. Slips and falls are more common in the garage than they are on indoor floors, even though both are about equally slick. Installing lights that provide good ambient light are a small investment to minimize that risk.

Finally, though it’s not often considered very much, a garage too creates a mood. Compare the dark hole of many home garages to the well lit atmosphere of a professional car dealership garage. Safety is one factor. But having lights to lift the spirits is just as important, especially since many garages have few or no windows.

Design a lighting scheme for the garage with the same attention to goals as you would any other room in the house. If you spend time there, it’s worth lighting right.

Global warming drives solar markets. Solar is perceived as the best, perhaps the only widespread solution to global warming. Every large enterprise has adopted a social responsibility strategy that makes a nod toward solving the issues of global warming and embraces renewable energy. Every person in the world is aware of the problems that global warming is bringing.

High growth is forecast for residential solar markets as solar moves to take on a measurable supply of world energy. As penetration from .3% of the world energy supply raises to over 15% in five years, residential uses of solar energy will represent a significant part of the growth. Residential solar energy represents a measure of energy independence for every household, used as hybrid systems independently of, but not completely in place of traditional grid electricity.

It is not economical to put solar generated electricity back on the grid, instead it will be used from batteries where the electricity is stored for later use. Solar systems will initially be used for lighting and charging hybrid and electric vehicles. Traditional grid electricity will only slowly be replaced. Grid hybrid electricity solutions will persist for a long time.

Demand for energy is accelerating as more of the world becomes developed. Developing countries are anticipated to double the worlds demand for energy in the next thirty years. Energy creation is becoming a central environmental issue with air quality, water quality, and flooding because of global warming having implications for the entire world.

Solar energy is a clean, reusable and affordable solution that is increasingly being recognized as the leading alternative energy source for the 21st century. While hybrid solutions are anticipated to evolve with wind, geothermal, and nuclear solutions, evolving as well, solar looks to be a dominant technology. The solar panel size is a tradeoff between the amount of money wanted to invest and the amount of electricity needed to produce. A typical US home uses 13,000kWh per year or 5kWp.

On average, the sun radiates 2.6 gigawatts (GW) of energy onto a square mile of the earth’s surface, and the most suitable way to harvest that light depends on two factors: cost and the available real estate. It does not matter that thin film solar panels are not more than 10% efficient initially, the roof of the home is not doing anything else except sit there. The sides of the home, the back fence can be used to collect solar energy and that energy can be stored for later use in vehicles and lighting.

This market segmentation is anticipated to shift as the thin film solar panels become commercially viable. The thin film solar panels will be used initially in utility applications, but also in residential applications for fueling motor vehicles. The ability to store energy from solar panels makes them a viable alternative to gasoline. The lithium and lithium ion batteries are a very dense energy storage medium providing incentive for people to put in a modest amount of thin film battery banks recharged by solar panels. As people do this, the silicon markets keep growing at a steady pace, due to the decrease in the costs for the silicon raw materials due to increased capacity for manufacturing the raw materials and increased demand for the silicon solar panels.

The thin film solar panel technology has yet to mature. It is in this segment where the phenomenal growth occurs. Versatile thin film solar products are based on unique manufacturing processes. Sputtering is used to do thin film solutions for solar cell manufacture based on defining a repeatable process. Solar cell efficiencies are in the 9 to 10% range for sputtering implementations, but roof installations are not sensitive to size restrictions.

Thin film solar sputtering technology achieves physical vapor deposition which takes an ion and accelerates it. In this manner, the sputtering is used to knock out a target, depositing uniform films at high rates.

Residential solar markets at $2.5 billion in 2007 are anticipated to reach $39.3 billion by 2014. Growth is a result of using residential solar systems to power hybrid and all electric vehicles. Units raise from 74 million solar panels in 2007 to 25.6 billion units in 2014. Growth comes not only because solar power is the cheapest power source which it will be in many cases, but because it fulfills a variety of convenience needs, not the least of which is a way to attack global warming. Every large enterprise has adopted a green strategy in response to public demand for better energy solutions.

Green budgeting is a new concept for a generation of Americans who are used to satisfaction on demand. The problem of climate change has people thinking of ways to reduce their carbon footprint, but consuming less also keeps “green” in your bank account.

“We can’t continue to live on credit cards,” warned Ann Estes, vice president of counseling delivery at ClearPoint. “Food and gas prices are rising, home values are falling, and credit is less available. The time has come for people to make serious lifestyle changes,” she said.

The certified counselors at ClearPoint, one of the largest 501c3 non-profit credit counseling services in the country, are advising their clients to seriously rethink the way they make financial decisions. “We call it ’greening’ your budget,” said Estes. “For many people, compromise is necessary if they are going to live within their means. For example, with gas prices at record highs, it’s time to organize a carpool,” she said.

In the past five years, consumers have taken on unprecedented levels of debt, but now credit is becoming more expensive and less available. The threat of inflation and already rising costs has people redefining “need”, and making budget cuts in all aspects of their lives. “A child is just as happy on his birthday with a cake and one new toy as he is with a destination party and 20 pieces of plastic made in China,” she said.

Home owners hoping to attract buyers in  the midst of a housing slump are “teaching” their homes to save money on energy costs.

“Smart homes can be made even smarter if they are wired to control energy costs as well as water the lawn and arm the alarm system,” says Sheldon Anderson, president of Atlanta Smart Homes Inc.

In a “buyer’s market,” sellers are looking for every advantage and energy consumption is always high on the list according to realtors.

“One of the easiest ways to make a home smarter and more valuable is to reduce the amount of energy wasted each day,” says  Anderson. “If a home owner is going to have a house wired to control surveillance cameras, home theaters, blinds, sprinklers, and so on, they should seriously consider climate and lighting control systems too.”

According to Anderson home owners should install lighting timers and programmable thermostats to run systems. He said they should also consider putting incandescent lights on dimmers so that lights aren’t running at full capacity.  Anderson said that there are a variety of lighting and thermostat control products; dimmers, timers and sensors; fluorescents and LEDs; and other products that homeowners can have installed to save on their energy costs.

“In most homes, lighting accounts for nearly 25 percent of home electricity use,” he explains.  “The average household could cut a third – or even half – of its current energy bill by switching to energy-efficient appliances, equipment and lighting, which use less energy than standard products. An energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) uses at least 60% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and provides the same amount of lighting.” An automatic timer controls when and how long a light stays on and off. Dimmers enable home owners to adjust the intensity of light in a room manually.

Anderson claims that a programmable thermostat with air cooling set at 78 degrees F can cut cooling costs 15 to 25 percent with the actual savings dependent on climate, home insulation, and utility. For people with varying schedules these thermostats can be programmed for each day of the week or be controlled remotely from a computer or even a cell phone.

Consumers can access to the Energy Wizard that covers a range of topics from conservation and new technologies to generators and tax incentives, among others. Energy related questions can be submitted to energywizard@energywizard.info or go to http://www.energywizard.info/ to read the EnergyWizard columns. For more information about Atlanta Smart Homes Inc. go to http://www.atlantasmarthomes.com/ or call Sheldon Anderson at (404) 638-6791.

Showcasing exciting new directions in sustainable living and environmentally friendly technology, the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit will offer guests a view into the latest innovations in reusable resources, smart energy consumption and clean, healthy-living environments in a contemporary setting within the 2,500 square-foot home and surrounding gardens and grounds. Michelle Kaufmann Designs conceived the home and worked closely with the engineering and manufacturing team at the All American Homes manufacturing facility in Decatur, Ind. to complete this custom home. The design, called the mkSolaire™, was built for an urban environment and features inviting, family-friendly interior architecture. The home will demonstrate the benefits of energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and earth-friendly building components to create a healthy living environment.

The seven modules, five comprising the house and two modules making up the garage, were manufactured at the All American Homes’ construction facility in Decatur, Ind. On February 11, the custom house was “test fit” or “soft set” at the factory prior to being transported to the Museum site where it will be set on its foundation. After the home is set in place using a crane, a process that can take one to two days depending on the weather, the finish interior work, furnishing and landscaping will be completed in preparation for the opening of the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit on May 8, 2008.

Quality Assurance Manager on the project for All American Homes, Dwight Martin, spoke to the complexities of building an authentically “green” home. “This has been an exciting project in that many of the environmentally friendly materials and vendors specified by Michelle Kaufmann Designs to build this home were new to us. From roofing, to rain shield barriers, to tile flooring materials composed of recycled goods and even uniquely engineered floor joist systems, this project has provided us with a better understanding of what it really means to engineer and build an environmentally friendly home. Green building is the future for All American homes and we’ll take this experience forward,” said Martin.

Rick Bedell, President of All American Homes, LLC, elaborated on the timing of the exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry and the green initiatives that the Company is now undertaking, “We are honored to be the builder of the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit. We are in the midst of evolving as a company towards designing and building more environmentally friendly, energy efficient and sustainable products. We will continue these efforts throughout our company with the philosophy that being green is good for the environment and good for business.”

Tickets for the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit, which opens May 8, 2008, are now on sale at www.msichicago.org.

About the Museum of Science and Industry

The Museum of Science and Industry’s mission is to inspire the inventive genius in everyone by presenting captivating and compelling experiences that are real and educational. The Museum first opened its doors on June 19, 1933. In 2008—more than 175 million guests later—the Museum commemorates its 75th Anniversary with a year-long celebration. Located at 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, the Museum is open every day of the year except December 25. Regular Museum hours are 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. The Museum offers indoor parking and is accessible by CTA and Metra. The Museum is supported in part through the generosity of the people of Chicago through the Chicago Park District. For more information, visit the Museum’s Web site at www.msichicago.org or call (773) 684-1414 or (800) GO-TO-MSI outside of the Chicago area.

About Michelle Kaufmann Designs

Michelle Kaufmann Designs (MKD) is a full service design/build architectural firm that specializes in sustainable, innovative, high-quality modular architecture. Michelle Kaufmann has become the leader in home design, which creates a marriage of beauty and sustainability using modular construction. Working under the belief that sustainable, well-designed buildings should be accessible to more people, Kaufmann has simplified the process and chosen off-site modular technology as the means to create beautiful, eco-friendly homes and buildings. The goal of her company is to make it easier for people to build green and live a more sustainable lifestyle. The home being built for the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit is a new MKD design called mkSolaire™a three-story, loft-style home, suitable for an urban environment. The Museum’s home is the first mkSolaire™ to be constructed. More information about MKD can be found at www.michellekaufmann.com.

To commemorate National Coin Week (April 20 – 26) and Earth Day (April 22), Coinstar, Inc. today launched its Change for our Earth™ program. This program encourages a new form of recycling, educating consumers on the environmental benefits of putting coin back into circulation, thereby reducing the need for limited natural resources used to create new coin.

Coins are made to be reused. And with an estimated $10 billion in coin sitting idle in U.S. households, reusing even 10 percent could supply roughly 15 billion coins, contributing significantly to the country’s coin needs.

According to the Coinstar National Currency Poll, 81 percent of Americans said that they don’t feel guilty about having change sitting around, not being put to use. However, 78 percent of poll respondents said they would make more of an effort to put coins back into circulation if they knew it would reduce environmental impacts.

Environmental savings can be measured in the form of water consumption, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and waste material. For example, reusing 15 billion coins translates into the following estimated environmental saving equivalencies:

* Water from 82 million showers
* Energy from 4.1 million 60-watt light bulbs
* Carbon emissions reduction from 12,619 cars for a year
* 5.3 million pick-up truck loads of waste material (overburden)

“Coins are one of the most durable products in our economy and, unlike paper bills, have a lifespan of 30 years or more. And with the demand for currency rising, it’s more important than ever to reuse an existing resource,” said Alex Camara, senior vice president and general manager of worldwide coin at Coinstar, Inc. “Coinstar is proud to introduce the Change for our Earth program, and we’re confident Americans can make a difference. It’s as easy as looking for change at home in coin jars, dresser drawers and under sofa cushions and reusing it–all adding up to a greener planet.”

Coin can be put back into circulation by using it in daily transactions, donating to penny or coin drives, converting at self-service coin counting machines, or taking coins to the bank.

Individuals can estimate the environmental savings associated with their loose change by using the Change Calculator at the Change for our Earth Web site at www.changeforourearth.com. For more information about Coinstar, visit www.coinstar.com.

“This is to take Automower to the next level with higher performance and further reduced impact on the environment,” says Bengt Andersson, CEO Husqvarna Group. He continues, “90% of Automower is recyclable, it eliminates the need for fertilizers, it is quiet, has no exhaust emissions and ensures your lawn is always well-kept.”

Designed and developed in Sweden, Automower™ Solar Hybrid meets the changing demands of customers who want to minimize their impact on the environment, but still want to enjoy a professional looking garden and have time for other activities.

“This is a glimpse of what gardening will be in the future, allowing home owners to spend more time with family and friends, while still achieving perfect results,” says Towe Ressman, Head of Design for the Husqvarna Group.

Automower Solar Hybrid builds on Husqvarna’s many years of experience in developing previous versions of its smart robotic mowers and the positive experience of more than 50,000 people worldwide who are currently using and enjoying the benefits of Husqvarna Automower.

Husqvarna is the world’s largest producer of lawn mowers, chainsaws and portable petrol-powered garden equipment such as trimmers and blowers. The Group is also a world leader in diamond tools and cutting equipment for the construction and stone industries. Net sales in 2007 were SEK 33.3 billion and the average number of employees was 16,000.

“We are all proud of the significant steps our members have taken to make new homes more energy efficient,” said NAHB President Sandy Dunn, a West Virginia home builder. “More than 100,000 green homes have been built by our members in home builder association programs around the country. We’re moving the market – in a voluntary, cost-effective way.”

Americans may be dreaming of a white Christmas, but they’re determined to lead a “green” New Year.

Just under half – 49% — of all American adults say they will make a green New Year’s resolution this year, according to the results of a poll released here today by Tiller, LLC, one of the nation’s leading consultancies on the design and implementation of advocacy marketing programs.

The telephone survey of 1,004 adults was conducted between December 7 and December 9, 2007 by the national polling firm of GfK Roper. All respondents were at least 18 years of age. The margin of error for the 1,004 interviews is +/-3.0%.

“When it comes to life choices, green is clearly a primary color. Americans are viewing the environmental impact of their actions with increased responsibility and deliberation,” said Rob Densen, Founder and CEO of Tiller, LLC. “New Year’s resolutions being what they are, let’s hope that Americans are more successful at reducing waste and energy consumption than we are at reducing our waistlines.”

Watching Our Waste in 2008

Given a list of environmentally responsible lifestyle changes, reducing household energy usage was cited as the most likely to be undertaken in 2008, cited by 75% of respondents. It was followed by recycling more (74%) and reducing the use of harmful household chemicals (66%). Carrying fabric bags to the supermarket (42%) and reducing one’s “carbon footprint” (43%) were the least frequently cited.

The survey found that, in general, the more involved or personally demanding an environmental responsibility, the lower the response.

“Our desire for easy solutions relates to something we found in a survey we conducted on ‘good works’ at this time last year,” said Tiller principal Traci Ayer. “Nine in 10 Americans say it’s important to take actions in their personal lives (recycling, giving blood, conserving energy, etc.) to address social issues, but not nearly as many are actually doing so. We want to help, but between family and work, we’re stretched thin. The easier we can make it for individuals to act on their good intentions, the better. There’s a lesson in that for businesses looking to leverage the growing green sensibility.”

Densen said that when it comes to good works, the environment is a good place to start. “You may not have the time to coach Little League, mentor a young person, or volunteer at a soup kitchen, but everyone has the time to flip off a light switch or deposit a bottle in a recycling bin. The cumulative effects of millions of individual actions can be transformational.”

Young People More Focused on the Environment

The survey found that younger respondents were generally more focused on the environment than older Americans.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans 18 to 24 said they would make a green New Year’s resolution for 2008. That compares with 50% of Americans 50 to 64 and 40% of Americans 65+.

“There are, of course, shades of green. Younger respondents tend to be more environmentally focused than older ones,” Densen said. “We think that may be because they’ve grown up with heightened awareness of the environment and greater public discourse. Obviously, young people have a large stake in issues like climate change and sustainability of resources.”

Green with Guilt?

Of those surveyed, 31% admitted to feeling guilty in recent years about not living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Women (36%) are more likely than men (26%) to feel “green guilt.”

“Americans are leading ‘greener’ lifestyles, and those who aren’t feel badly about it,” Densen said. “Guilt is not going to save the environment, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.”

New York City-based Tiller, LLC is one of the nation’s leading consultancies in the creation and implementation of advocacy marketing programs for major U.S. corporations. For a checklist of 10 things you can do now to help the environment, please go to the Tiller website: www.tillerllc.com.

GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media is a division of GfK Custom Research North America. The division specializes in customized public opinion polling, issues management and corporate reputation measurement — in the US and globally.

Tiller’s Top 10 Tips for Helping the Environment

There are lots of things you can do to help save the planet. Here are 10 of our favorite ideas, gleaned from a variety of reliable sources. Some of these are new ideas, some are old standbys, but all are easy to put in place.

1. Use smart power strips for things like computers and home entertainment centers to prevent them from drawing current while idle. Along the same lines (no pun intended), unplug the chargers for your cell-phone, iPod and wireless handhelds when not in use.

2. Select the green power option from your local utility company. And if they don’t offer it, call, write or e-mail them to request it.

3. Shower but keep them short. According to the EPA, every five minutes of shower time uses 10 to 25 gallons of water and a full tub requires 70 gallons.

4. Remove yourself from junk mail lists. Save one tree for each year you say no to junk mail. www.greendimes.com or www.41pounds.org can help. And to save more trees, remember to print on both sides of the paper.

5. Go fluorescent. Replace your regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps/light bulbs (CFLs) and you will use 66% less energy. According to Vanity Fair, if every household replaced just one regular light bulb with a CFL, pollution-wise, it would be like taking one million cars off the road. But please note: because CFLs contain small amounts of mercury, it is important to dispose of them in an environmentally responsible manner.

6. Use a reusable water bottle rather than disposable water bottles.

7. Stop rinsing your dishes before sticking them in the dishwasher. It doesn’t help and skipping the pre-wash can save up to 10 gallons of water per dish load. And while we’re on the subject, only run your dishwasher when it’s full.

8. Many homes are accidental sources of water pollutants, because harmful substances like lawn and garden chemicals, outdoor cleaning products, and even pet waste wash off your property and into local waterways. Use all household chemicals sparingly, and dispose of all other potential pollutants properly.

9. When it comes to gift giving, send a card at www.treegreetings.com and a tree will be planted on behalf of the recipient or send a green starter kit from www.greensender.com.

10. Spread the word – use environmentally-conscious e-mail signatures with helpful hints/reminders to think long and hard before printing out e-mails.