remodeling

Greener Design and Remodeling

in
Author
Michael Anschel
Otogawa-Anschel Design + Build
Publication Date: 
November 1, 2010
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If you are reading this article, you may already know the importance of considering our planet's resources when designing our homes. Determining the most sustainable solutions is a real challenge. Should you invest in solar panels? Should you buy the carpet with the Green label? Which design solutions have the highest impact?


In order to help you make these important decisions for your home, designers Greg Kraus, Chie Morioka, and Scott Barsness of Otogawa-Anschel Design-Build provide some helpful tips.

Resources
On the Web!: 
U.S. Green Building Council, usgbc.org
All things green building, greenbuildingadvisor.com
Materials database, pharosproject.org
Read Up!: 
Cats' Paws and Catapults:Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People, by Steven Vogel, Norton, 2000.
A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction, by Christopher Alexander, Oxford University Press, 1977.
Not So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live, by Sarah Susanka, Taunton, 2009.
Act Locally!: 
Otogawa-Anschel Design-Build Minneapolis, MN 612-789-7070 otogawa-anschel.com

Funding A$$istance for Green Building Projects


Established in 1995, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) is an ongoing project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
Here are some examples of financing programs, tax incentives, loan programs and rebates:


Financing

  • Local Option: Energy Improvement Financing Programs

Performance-Based Incentive

  • Austin Utilities: Solar Choice Program
  • Minnesota: Renewable Energy Production Incentive

Property Tax Incentive

  • Wind and Solar-Electric (PV) Systems Exemption

Sales Tax Incentive

  • Solar Energy Sales Tax Exemption
  • Wind Energy Sales Tax Exemption

State Grant Program

  • Renewable Energy Equipment Grant
  • Solar Energy Legacy Grants for Local Governments

State Loan Program

  • Agricultural Improvement Loan Program
  • Home Energy Loan Program
  • Methane Digester Loan Program
  • MHFA Rental Rehabilitation Loan Program
  • NEC Minnesota Energy Loan Program
  • Rental Energy Loan Fund
  • Sustainable Agriculture Loan Program

State Rebate Program

  • Residential Small Wind Rebate Program
  • Solar Hot Water Rebate Program
  • Solar Space Heating Rebate Program
  • Solar-Electric (PV) Rebate Program


Visit the following link for up to date information on these financing options and scroll down to Minnesota listings: dsireusa.org/incentives

Shades of Green: Healthy Basement Renovations

in
Author
Erin Barnes-Driscoll
Green Buildings Team - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Publication Date: 
November 1, 2010
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Basements are notorious for being damp, dark, inhospitable places - the antithesis of what we like to associate with green and healthy living. As a rule, the basements in older homes were not designed to be functional living spaces. Yet for many of us, the basement represents potential bedroom, recreational or home office space at an affordable cost.


While some basements are unsuitable as living space, others can be transformed as long as some "green building science" principles are followed. The following is a partial list of things to consider:

Resources
On the Web!: 
Minnesota GreenStar Certified Green Homes and Remodeling, mngreenstar.org
Minnesota Office of Energy Security, state.mn.us/portal/mn/jsp/home.do?agency=Energy
Read This Before You Design, Build, or Renovate, buildingscience.com/documents/guides-and-manuals
University of Minnesota Extension, Moisture in Basements: Causes and Solutions, by John Carmody and Brent Anderson; Revised by Richard Stone, extension.umn.edu /distribution/housingandclothing /DK7051.html

A Sampling of Minnesota’s Sustainable Building History

in
Author
The Weidt Group
on behalf of the USGBC-Mississippi Headwaters Chapter
Publication Date: 
November 1, 2010
1945
Andersen introduced the Pressure Seal double hung window, which uses a removable sash and pressure-seal weather-stripping to keep out wind and precipitation.
1966
The Perm-Shield System, by Andersen, made its debut. The patented, tough vinyl exterior for wood windows was low maintenance and energy efficient with insulating glass.
1972

Green Remodeling Products... Don’t Stop There!

in
Author
BOB ALF CONSTRUCTION
Green home improvement products are everywhere! These products are helpful and fun to use for a green home remodeling project, but they are not the solution to making your home as efficient and sustainable as possible. For example, how sustainable is it to pay a premium for recycled wall tiles for your new kitchen if your home is hemorrhaging heated air all winter long?  We present here a strategy called The Sequencing Strategy, a method to making your home as sustainable and green as possible. Rather than promoting specific green products, this strategy offers
Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Center for Energy and Environment, mncee.org

Navien: Tankless water heaters,
navienamerica.com

Read Up!

Natural Capitalism, by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, & L. Hunter Lovins, Little, Brown and Company, 1999.

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way we Make Things, by William McDonough & Michael Braungart, North Point Press, 2002.

Act Locally!

Bob Alf Construction (remodeling/construction coaching)
St. Paul, MN
651-206-1937
bobalfconstruction.com

Blaylock Plumbing (energy efficient water heaters)
Richfield, MN
612-869-7531
blaylockplumbing.com

Minnesota GreenStar to Take Center Stage

in
Author
Michael Anschel & Corey Brinkema
Green Remodeling Group & Green Institute

This has been a great year of progress in Minnesota's efforts to become a national leader in preserving and restoring our environment. From the landmark legislation in addressing climate change and developing sustainable energy resources to the growth of our farmers markets and the success of the light rail, Minnesota is becoming a model for other states and on the national stage.

Minnesota GreenStar

Footnotes/Endnotes

Web Resources

Minnesota GreenStar
www.mngreenstar.org

Builders Association of the Twin Cities, www.batconline.org

National Assoc. of Remodeling, www.narimn.org

MN Pollution Control Agency
www.pca.state.mn.us

Green Institute
www.greeninstitute.org/reuse

Otogawa-Anschel Architects
www.otogawa-anschel.com

Verified Green
www.verifiedgreen.org

US Green Building Council, www.usgbc.org

Print Resources

Builder's Guide to Cold Climates: Details for Design and Construction, Joseph Lstiburek, Taunton publisher, 2000.

Buliding Green in a Black and White World, David Johnston, BuilderBooks.com, 1999.

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