“Green” Home Rebutted (why the quotations?)

February 25th, 2011

I tuned into the 6 o’clock news last night (channel 4) to check on the weather forecast and see if I would be spending some quality time in my basement. While waiting for the weather forecast, I was able to catch a special report from Channel 4′s I Team or special reporting group. The topic of the report was the hidden dangers of a “green” home (not my use of quotations-I’ll get to that).

Unfortunately, this article bordered sensational. The premise of the story is that a family somewhat recently built a new home and the home was built to “green” standards (again, not my quotations). After a few months of living in the home, the pet hamsters became sick and died. After replacement hamsters also died, the homeowners became concerned and hired an indoor air consultant. After many tests the culprit was found: carbon dioxide (CO2). Let’s not confuse carbon dioxide poisoning with a more common indoor air quality concern: carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon monoxide is formed when combustion appliances (furnace, water heater, fireplace, etc.) converts propane or natural gas into heat. Carbon dioxide is formed by the simple act of breathing. If you remember back to your high school science classes, humans and animals breathe in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide.

So how did the home suffer from elevated levels of carbon dioxide? The house was not appropriately exchanging air to the outside. The common description for this condition is that the house is too tight and will not breathe.

While I do believe that the story is sensational, it does highlight a very real concern with energy efficient homes. And while this condition did create tragedy in the home, the real tragedy is that this problem is very easily avoided if the proper steps are taken during the construction of the house.

My challenges to this article are: 1) it seems the journalist has confused green with energy efficiency 2) the journalists did not take the time to discuss how this could have easily been avoided 3) what’s the deal with the quotations around green-did the homeowner go through a certified, third party verification process?

Every green building certification in which we participate (LEEDH, EarthCraft and NAHB) requires that a home’s tightness be checked with a blower door. Also, a home’s air changes (ACH) must also be calculated and if the air changes are below a certain threshold (the home is a certain tightness) fresh air must be introduced to the home or some ventilation strategy must be implemented. The Energy Star program, which is the most popular certification building program but not a comprehensive green building program, also requires fresh air if the home’s tightness is below a minimum threshold. The Energy Star program is also requiring a ventilation strategy on all homes beginning the implementation of Version 3 that will take affect January 1, 2012.

As a further testament to the importance of indoor air quality the above mentioned green building programs have mandatory point requirements in the an Indoor Air Quality section.

Indoor air quality is also very serious to E3 Innovate, which is why we insist on using a blower door. A blower door is not only a useful tool in diagnosing air leakage at a home, but it also allows a home’s air tightness to be calculated and evaluated.

The honest truth is that most existing homes are not going to achieve this minimum ACH even after a comprehensive energy efficiency upgrade, but this does not mean the home’s tightness should not be evaluated.

While I am very thankful that Channel 4 decided to bring attention to a real concern with new homes, I wish they had taken a more balanced view. Again, this problem could have easily been avoided using a whole house system-based building approach.

Jeff Middlebrooks

E3 INNOVATE, LLC

April is Cap Haitien Children’s Home Donation Month

March 30th, 2011

During the Month of April, E3 will be collecting items to send to Cap Haitien Children’s Home (CHCH). CHCH is an orphanage in Haiti that is committed to providing a safe, loving, engaging atmosphere for the children it serves.

E3 has a particular fondness for CHCH because our friend and former employee, Hunter Kittrell and his wife Jillian, moved to Haiti in January of this year, to take over the orphanage operations.

If you would like to donate items for E3 to ship to CHCH at the end of April, please drop your items off at 3004 Poston Ave., Nashville, TN. If this is not convenient, please call our office at (615) 876-5479 and we can try to make alternate arrangements.

To view the list of items that they are requesting, please visit:

http://www.caphaitienchildrenshome.org/Needs_List.html

Hunter with one of his kids.

 

Jeff Part of GNAR Conference Panel

October 7th, 2010

Jeff Middlebrooks, co-owner of E3 INNOVATE, is part of a panel discussion today at the Middle Tennessee Realtors Convention. The panel discussion includes Renewable and Green Resources, referrals and Social Networking.

E3 Presents at USGBC Member Luncheon

September 24th, 2010

Erik Daugherty and Jeff Middlebrooks, co-owners of E3, will be presenting at the Adventure Science Center on Friday, Sept. 24th from 11:30 -1:00 PM.

They will be discussing “High Performance Certified Homes”, to provide an update on the broader and specific residential market transformation occurring in Middle Tennessee.  Included in the discussion will be local project case studies, relevant home performance data, environmental benefits, and the economic benefits of building high-performance residential.

If you are a home-owner, home-buyer, builder, architect or just curious, it isn’t too late to sign-up.

We’ll let you know how it goes!  And if you attend, we’d like to hear your opinion.

Finally a safe hand sanitizer for our kids!

September 21st, 2010

Health and safety are recurring themes in the E3 mantra. With kids of our own, we are particularly picky about the products that we use.

This recommendation is my own opinion and though I haven’t performed my own scientific testing on this product, I did do some research to ensure that, yes, this product does actually do what it claims.

“CleanWell”, at www.cleanwelltoday.com, is a hand sanitizer that we accidentally discovered in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry’s, ‘Green Home’ exhibit gift shop. This great smelling hand sanitizer is made from essential plant oils, no harsh chemicals, alcohol free, safe for kids and kills 99.99% of germs. It has a great scent and comes in a more liquid spray form, so there is no big gloppy gloop on your hands or your kids hands.

So when your kids then promptly put their hands in or near their mouth again, it gives you at least some greater peace of mind.

E3 INNOVATE Gives Green Make-Over

September 1st, 2010

E3 INNOVATE is passionate about what we do.  We are passionate about helping Middle Tennesseans realize the importance of making their homes healthier and more energy efficient.  This goal was the driving force behind the decision to participate in TVA’s “Go Green on the Silver Screen” contest.   One of the goals of the contest was to educate customers about the TVA/NES In-Home Energy Evaluation program.  This program provides home owners with a cash incentive when energy-efficiency improvements are implemented.

E3 INNOVATE donated over $5000.00 in home performance upgrades, such as cellulose insulation and a radiant barrier, installing a sealed crawlspace, and air and duct sealing, in order to demonstrate and promote home energy efficiency.   As a direct result of these efforts, the lucky contest winners, Gretchen Knapp and Jason O’Brien, are expected to realize over $900 in savings a year.  E3 comprehensive diagnostic testing before and after our work showed a 52% reduction in duct-work leakage and reduced air leakage in the home envelope by 30%.

We are ready to provide YOU with a personalized home performance plan so you too can realize savings and improved home comfort.

To read more about E3′s involvement in this project, read the article in today’s TENNESSEAN.

E3 on Nashville’s Channel 5 News Tonight!

August 31st, 2010

Tune in tonight, July 31 at 4:30 and 6:00 PM to see E3 INNOVATE at work on the TVA contest winner’s home. News Channel 5′s Marcus Washington will be interviewing our team and showing some of the home performance work that we have been performing today. Let us know what you think after watching the news!

E3 to Perform NES Winner Energy Improvements

August 17th, 2010

After the Nashville Electric Service’s “Go Green on the Silver Screen” YouTube contest, a winner has finally been decided.  Gretchen Knapp and Jason O’Brien were named the grand-prize winners for their video titled, “O Kilowatt, Where Art Thou.”

And did they ever hit the jack-pot! Knapp and O’Brien will receive up to $4500 in home energy efficiency upgrades provided by us, E3 INNOVATE.

Check out the Winning Video below!  While you’re at it, check out the other entries on the NES YouTube site.

http://www.youtube.com/user/NashvilleElectric#p/f/8/xL9ob8T87xM