Green Remodeling | Green Contractor | Bethesda Maryland DC Contractor

Green Materials	Green Technologies
Water Filtration

Green Materials
Flooring
Photo	Material/Object	Brand Name	Phone Number	Additional Notes / Website
	Bamboo	Teragren	800.929.6333	Teragren's "product lines have expanded to include Teragren bamboo flooring in random lengths, wide plank and floating applications as well as bamboo accessories and stair parts." http://www.teragren.com
	Cork	FPI	608.526.2557
	Recycled Rubber	ExPanko	800.345.6202	"Designed for high traffic areas where durability and easy maintenance are desired, [ExPanko Rubber] offers a unique palette of neutrals, primary, and predominately black colors." http://www.expanko.com
	Marmoleum	Forbo	41.1.868.2525	This specially designed material, a blend of wood flour, linseed oil, pine rosins, and jute fibres, makes for a bio-degradable, allergen-free, and bacteria-resistant floor. http://www.forbo-industries.com
	Ceramic and Plastic Tiles	Terragreen	765.935.4760	http://www.terragreenceramics.com
	Woolen Carpets	Earth Weave	706.278.8200	http://www.earthweave.com/index.html
Lighting
Photo	Material/Object	Brand Name	Phone Number	Additional Notes / Website
	Sun Tubes	Velux Solatube	800.88.VELUX. 800.966.7652 518.287.1428	These innovative sun tubes can provide a flood of natural light into hallways, bathrooms, walk-in closets- anywhere that lacks windows. On sunny days, they can reduce the need for artifical light. http://www.veluxusa.com http://www.solatube.com http://www.cetsolar.com/naturallight1.htm
	Compact-fluorescent Bulbs	Philips		These bulbs are so highly energy efficient that they can last up to ten times longer than the traditional incandescent bulb. http://www.philips.com/index.htm
Windows Skylights
Photo	Material/Object	Brand Name	Phone Number	Additional Notes / Website
	Residential Window Films	Sun-Gard		These window films provide energy efficiency, enhanced beauty, and comfort. Because they eliminate 99% of UV light, they decrease the fading of carpeting, furniture, and artwork. http://www.ftitechnical.com
	Energy-Conserving Skylights	Sun Optics	1-800.289.4700	These skylights eliminates damaging direct sunlight with 98% ultraviolet screening. http://www.sunoptics.com
Energy Generation
Photo	Material/Object	Brand Name	Phone Number	Additional Notes / Website
	Windmills	Bergey Wind Powe		Harnessing the power of the wind utilizes a cheap renewable form of energy and ultimately protects you from rising gas prices and oil shortages. http://www.bergey.com
	Solar Electric Power	Kyocera		With a system of roof-mounted panels containing photovoltaic modules, the Kyocera MyGen system provides a source of clean energy. http://www.kyocerasolar.com/products
	Solar Pool Heaters	Heliocol		Heliocol's Individual Tube Design brings creativity, long-term manageability, and severe-weather resistance to your poolside. http://www.heliocol.com
	Solar PV system	Thermomax		Harnessing solar energy is an Earth-friendly and unique way to power your home. One benefit of having solar panels is that it can protect you from power outages. http://thermomax.com
	Kitchen Design	Snaidero		http://www.snaidero-usa.com
	Recycled Fabrics	Design Tex	800.221.1540	http://www.dtex.com
Appliances
Photo	Material/Object	Brand Name	Phone Number	Additional Notes / Website
	Washer-dryer combos, Dishwashers, Refrigerators	Equator	800.935.1955	Equator greatly popularized these energy, space, and water-efficient models. Washer-dryer combos do both jobs in one unit. http://www.equatorappliance.com
	Tankless Hot Water Heate	Rinnai	800.Rinnai-1	Rinnai Continuum is up to 50 percent more energy efficient than a traditional natural gas water heater and up to 70 percent more efficient than an electric water heater. http://www.foreverhotwater.com
	Cooktops	Caldera	802.244.3000	They feature multiple instantaneous heat settings, detailed heat settings, timers, cooktop fan control, and child safety locks. http://www.calderacorp.com
Bathroom Products
Photo	Material/Object	Brand Name	Phone Number	Additional Notes / Website
	Bathtubs	Neo Metro	800.591.9050	With style and innovation, Neo Metro offers all types of products for the bathrooms. http://www.neo-metro.com/index.html
	Toliets	Caroma	800.325.4148	Pioneers of the dual-flush system, Caroma toilets are the designed tto reduce the overall water usage of your toilet by up to 67%. http://www.caroma.com.au/index.html
	Sinks	InStone Gallery		http://www.instonegallery.com/index.htm
	Faucets	Pioneer
Siding
Photo	Material/Object	Brand Name	Phone Number	Additional Notes / Website
	Siding	HardiPlank	1.888.542.7343	Made of concrete, HardiPlank siding is the stable burn-resistant replacement for the older vinyl siding. Resists weathering damage. http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner.htm


	Green Technologies Solar Energy Solar energy can be harvested in two ways. The first is Solar Photovoltaic. The second is Solar Hot Water. While both of these methods of collecting solar energy cost money to purchase and install, the major savings can make the upfront cost worthwhile. For example, switching to solar hot water can reduce your water bill anywhere from 50 to 85%. In addition, the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia both offer significant grants for those businesses and residences interested in installing solar technology.


	Solar Photovoltaic Systems Solar photovoltaic systems (PVs) can collect and convert the sun’s rays into usable electricity for your home. Setting up a PV system in a home involves the installation of solar panels onto the outside of the house, usually on the roof. PV panels can be connected into local power grids which allow for net metering. Net metering allows excess electricity to be sold back to the local power company. When your solar array is producing more electricity than you’re using, your electric meter runs backwards.


	Solar Hot Water Solar Hot Water involves the installation of solar collectors and a collection tank into your home. The tank stores the water heated by the panels until the water is ready to be used. “Passive” solar water heating systems, for mild climates, use natural convection or municipal waterline pressure to circulate the fluid through the collector to the storage tank. They have no pumps or controllers, and are less expensive, more reliable, and easier to maintain than active systems. “Active” systems, preferable for colder climates, work by pumping cold water from the water tank (usually in the basement) up to the roof and through the system. The solar collectors are warmed by the sun, and in turn heat the water as it flows through. Gravity then sends the hot water back to the tank and into your home. While more expensive than passive systems, active systems are more efficient. This diagram shows how an active solar hot water system works. Aside from providing hot water for bathing, a solar water heater can heat your pool or Jacuzzi.


	GFX Heat Recovery System The Gravity Film Heat Exchanger (GFX) is a system that captures the heat in the warm, drain water that falls down a vertical section of copper drainpipe and transfers it to cold water. This saves energy otherwise used to generate hot water and, by extending the recovery performance of the water heater itself, saves money and increases shower capacity. Up to 60% of the heat energy from taking showers and doing laundry can be reused. The heat exchanger was designed through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and comes in 30”, 40” and 60” sizes.


	Whole House Fans Whole house fans are usually mounted in the attic and draw air through open windows in the house and exhaust it to the attic. For pleasant evenings when there is little or no breeze, the whole house fan provides a flow of cool air. Whole house fans are best for one or two story homes with unfinished attics. A fan for your house should be able to draw three times the number of square feet that you are trying to cool. For example, a 2000 square foot house should use a fan that can deliver 6000 cubic feet per minute (CFM). Attic-mounted fans also need at least 10 square feet of free-venting area to exhaust the air out of your attic. Insufficient vent area will cause the fan to work too hard and will cause your attic to over-pressurize.

Geothermal Heat Pumps
The ground below the frost line, about 3 to 5 feet below the surface, maintains a nearly constant temperature between 50° and 60°F (10°–16°C). This ground temperature is warmer than the air above it in the winter and cooler than the air in the summer. Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of this resource to heat and cool buildings.
Geothermal heat pump systems consist of basically three parts: the ground heat exchanger, the heat pump unit, and the air delivery system (ductwork). The heat exchanger is basically a system of pipes called a loop, which is buried in the shallow ground near the building. A fluid (usually water or a mixture of water and antifreeze) circulates through the pipes to absorb or relinquish heat within the ground.
In the winter, the heat pump removes heat from the heat exchanger and pumps it into the indoor air delivery system. In the summer, the process is reversed, and the heat pump moves heat from the indoor air into the heat exchanger. The heat removed from the indoor air during the summer can also be used to heat water, providing a free source of hot water.
Geothermal heat pumps use much less energy than conventional heating systems, since they draw heat from the ground. They are also more efficient when cooling your home. Not only does this save energy and money, it reduces air pollution.
All areas of the United States have nearly constant shallow-ground temperatures, which are suitable for geothermal heat pumps.

Home Size	With a Geothermal System	With a Natural Gas System*	With a Propane/Oil System**
1,800 sq. ft.	$470	$1,550	$2,400
2,400 sq. ft.	$580	$1,900	$3,000
3,000 sq. ft.	$710	$2,300	$3,600
4,000 sq. ft.	$940	$2,900	$4,800
* Based on 90% efficient gas furnace, gas water heater, and electric central air conditioning **Based on 90% efficient propane furnace, propane water heater, and electric central air conditioning

The Heating Cycle:

A. Ground loop: An environmentally safe water/antifreeze solution is pumped through a system of buried, polyethylene loops. As it courses through the system, the solution absorbs the earth's heat.

B.Pump: The pump forces the water/antifreeze solution through the buried loop system.

C. Refrigerant loop: Liquid refrigerant flows through this tube, headed toward the evaporator.

D. Evaporator: As the liquid regrigerant flows through the evaporator (at this point, it's in a tube within a tube) and absorbs the heat of the ground water, it changes state from liquid to a gas.

E. Compressor: In the compressor, gas from the evaporator is pressurized, raising the gas to a temperature of 180 degrees.

F.Refrigerant loop outlet: The 180-degree gas is conveyed from the compressor to the radiator.

G. Radiator: As the heated gas from the refrigerant loop circulates through the radiator, the fins of the radiator absorb the heat of the gas through conduction.

H. Distribution fan: This fan pulls air over the radiator fins which have absorbed heat from the compressed gas. The warm air is then distributed throughout the house, via the house's ductwork system. The gas in the loop system, as it loses its heat, changes back to a liquid, and the cycle starts all over again.


Water Filtration Water is a resource which we tend to take for granted like the air we breathe and the soil which supports us. However, we are living in an increasingly polluted environment. The liquid spilling from our kitchen faucets and up from our wells can carry a variety of contaminates. The five broad groups of contaminates which need to be considered when installing any sort of water filtration system are: (1) chlorine and its byproducts, (2) heavy metals, (3) organic chemicals including pesticides and herbicides, (4) bacteria; and (5) cysts. Having your water tested can help you decide amongst the various options. There are a number of water filtration systems and within each category there are generally a plethora of products on the market to choose some. Here's a brief description of the water filtration systems on the market: Carbon Filtration The most commonly used filtration system, but also paired with systems below as either a pre or post filter. They're designed to eliminate foul tastes and odors, chlorine and chlorine byproducts and volatile organic compounds (VOC's). Carbon acts a magnet for molecules of unwanted chemicals. - Cost - Carbon filters, as a stand alone product, are the most inexpensive filter and are available in under sink, in sink and pitcher models (such as Brita). Under $100 for most units. - Efficiency - Very energy and water efficient, but stand along carbon filters do not typically filter the water as well as the other methods below which incorporate Carbon filters as a pre and/or post filter. Efficacy depends upon the model and composition of the filter. - Maintenance - Depends upon the model Distillation Home units have two chambers; the first chamber boils the water leaving behind most of the contaminates and minerals and the steam condenses in the second chamber leaving behind most of the contaminates. Distillation removes 99.5 percent of the source water impurities, according to Water Tech Online, including nitrates, bacteria and heavy metals. A carbon post filter is often added for removing organic compounds. - Cost - Countertop distillers start at $350 + installation; Automatic units start at $1500 + installation - Efficiency - Little water is waste, however it requires electricity. Produced anywhere from 3 to 11 gallons per day. - Maintenance - Un-evaporated pollutants remaining in the boiling chamber need to be regularly flushed to the septic or sewage system. Calcium and magnesium scale collecting at the bottom of the boiling chamber needs to be removed by hand scrubbing or acid. Reverse Osmosis Reverse osmosis forces water through a semi-permeable membrane. Often, one or two post filters are used to further remove pollutants. - Cost - Starting at $150 for countertop units and upwards of $500 for under sink units + installation. - Efficiency - Produces between 2-15 gallons of drinking water. Up to 4 gallons of water are wasted per day flushing the membrane, but requires no electricity. - Maintenance - Replace pre/post filters and reverse osmosis filter every 6 months – 2 years depending upon model. Hollow Form Multibore Technology A new technology from Aquacore, it removes particles as small as .02 microns using synthetic fibers that form a membrane. Like reverse osmosis, the membrane gets flushed clean periodically based upon settings on its "smart meter" Ultra filtration ensures water safety at point of entry into the home by removing cysts, protozoa, turbidity and algae. - Cost - Pricy. Aquacore's AC 10, whole home ultra filtration system costs $3500+installation - Efficiency - Produces 10 gallons of drinking water per minute. Uses only a minimal amount water to keep the membrane clean, but requires electricity. - Maintenance - Cartridge needs to be replaced once every 3-5 years. Compiled from the following sources: EcologicalHomeIdeas Magazine - www.Ecologicalhomeideasmagazine.com University of Michigan Website - http://www.gem.msu.edu/pubs/msue/wq22p1.html Aquacore - http://www.aquacore.com/ Water Quality Association www.wqa.org

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