Stunning photo of Dubai

#architecture #dubai

Energy efficient ways to tame summer's cooling bills

Whether replacing light bulbs or unplugging your unused cellphone charger, small changes can make a big impact on your electricity bill this summer and beyond.

Here are five energy hogs to tame for summer:

1. Light fixtures. Kristinn Leonhart, spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, said the average home has about 30 light fixtures, together consuming more electricity than a home's washer and dryer, refrigerator and dishwasher combined.

And because regular incandescent light bulbs emit heat, she said, using more-energy-efficient bulbs in your home's most-used fixtures makes a significant difference in cooling bills.

"Replace them with more-energy-efficient bulbs, which use less energy and produce about 75 percent less heat," Leonhart said.

The two kinds of energy-efficient bulbs Energy Star certifies are compact fluorescent (CFL) and light-emitting diode (LED), both of which have longer life spans than conventional incandescent bulbs.

2. Overcooling. Reset the thermostat. Cindy Olson, vice president of the green energy consulting firm Eco-Coach, said air conditioners are often left on when no one is home and set to temperatures lower than is necessary for comfort.

"It is something that is very personal," Olson said. "A lot of times, simply air movement is enough to be comfortable, even with just a ceiling fan."

Test how you and your family feel by adjusting the temperature up by one or two degrees at a time. Every degree of change, she said, can make a 2 percent difference on your utility bill. An air-conditioning system can account for 30 percent of an energy bill in the summer, according to power company data.

3. Old cooling. Updates in technology have made new central air systems, often with programmable thermostats, at least 15 percent more efficient than older models. If you aren't ready to replace your central air-conditioning unit altogether — the EPA suggests doing so if it is more than 10 years old — regular maintenance will ensure your unit is running as efficiently as it can. A dirty air filter, for example, can damage equipment and cause early breakdown.

4. Unused appliances. Whether you're going on a summer vacation or not, unplug coffeemakers, toasters and hair dryers, or invest in power strips with energy-saving features.

"My computer charger was pulling a huge amount of energy," Olson said. "Unused appliances make up anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of your bill. It's not doing you any good to leave anything plugged in if you aren't using it."

5. Unsealed leaks. Both Leonhart and Olson also stressed weatherizing your home. If it's drafty in the winter, Olson said, it's still going to be drafty in the summer, letting cool air escape unless cracks or doors are sealed properly. And be sure to seal up heating and cooling ducts where air tends to leak, Leonhart said. Olson suggested having a professional inspect your home's heating and cooling system and make the repairs. Exposed ducts in crawl spaces, basements and attics are often fixed with duct sealants or metal tapes.

More cost-saving suggestions from the EPA and the Potomac Electric Power Co. (Pepco):

• Plant shade trees strategically around your home. Properly selected and planted shade trees can save up to $80 annually on the average electric bill.

• Reduce the temperature of your water heater. Setting it too high (140 degrees or higher, according to Energy Star) can waste anywhere from $36 to $61 annually. In summer, a cooler shower is actually more pleasant.

• If you raise your thermostat setting by only two degrees and use your ceiling fan, you can lower your cooling costs by up to 14 percent.

• As much as 20 percent of the air moving through your home's duct system is lost through leaks, holes and poor connections. A professional contractor can identify leaks and fix them.

Read more: Five energy efficient ways to tame summer's cooling bills - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/athome/ci_23743379/five-energy-efficient-ways-tame-summers-cooling-bills#ixzz2aJGVc7Xb
http://www.denverpost.com/athome/ci_23743379/five-energy-efficient-ways-tame-summers-cooling-bills

Brad Pitt the Builder

Brad Pitt and Hurricane Katrina

After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Brad Pitt called in the world's top architects for his acclaimed Make It Right project. The plan was to build green homes to replace those destroyed in New Orleans. Now the first houses are up and inhabited… so is it just a celebrity ego trip or a true regeneration?

Debra Dupar, pregnant with her fifth child, is sitting outside her new house. She is washed by the noon sun of an early spring day, nursing a pinkish-red drink and chatting to her friends. A short way off a camera crew is setting up, assessing shots, squinting at the light, chatting to potential interviewees. They are working for Spike Lee, who is making a documentary about the place where Debra lives.

A guided tour of about a dozen people tramps along the vestigial street, marked out by some sinewy evergreen oaks, or "live oaks" as they are called here. Two men, self-consciously dressed – architects, probably – get out of a maroon taxi, scan the scene, sweep it with camcorders, say to each other: "OK, I'm good", get back in the taxi and go, all in about 60 seconds. And then the man from the London Observer wants to look inside Debra's house.

Brad Pitt had warned residents of New Orleans's Lower Ninth ward that "we would be turning their neighbourhood into a circus"......(READ MORE AT:http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/mar/14/brad-pitt-architecture-new-orleans

• • 
    Rowan Moore
  • The Observer, Saturday 13 March 2010

We just finished this Andersen Patio Door!

#doors #denver #remodel

Float Glass

Float Glass for Windows How is float glass made?  At the heart of the world's glass industry is the float process - invented by Sir Alastair Pilkington in 1952 - which manufactures clear, tinted and coated glass for windows, and clear and tinted glass for vehicles. Float glass uses common glass-making raw materials, typically consisting of sand, soda ash (sodium carbonate), dolomite, limestone, and salt cake (sodium sulfate) etc. The process, originally able to make only 6mm thick glass, now makes it as thin as 0.4mm and as thick as 25mm. Molten glass, at approximately 1000ºC, is poured continuously from a furnace onto a shallow bath of molten tin. It floats on the tin, spreads out and forms a level surface. Thickness is controlled by the speed at which solidifying glass ribbon is drawn off from the bath. A start to finish process showing the melting or raw materials such as sand, gypsum, soda ash and limestone in the furnace, through to annealing and finally to the packaging and final inspection the glass emerges as a 'fire' polished product with virtually parallel surfaces.  A float plant operates non-stop for between 10-15 years. Our partner, Andersen Windows, uses Cardinal Insulating Glass.  Cardinal’s float glass plants are designed to provide for the demands of our valued customers. Top of the line residential window manufacturers rely on a constant supply of high quality float glass. At Cardinal FG Company, such quality is what you can expect – our five U.S. FG facilities will provide it every time.

Did you know?

• Float glass plants are enormous – over 350,000 square feet under each roof.
• Each plant uses $500,000 of natural gas and $85,000 of electricity every month.
• Plants run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Each FG plant ships 35-40 trucks of glass every day, at almost 35,000 square feet per truck.
• Glass is cut in sizes as small as 16” x 20” to as large as 130” x 204.”

These systems as well as the industry-leading inspection processes are the assurance that Cardinal glass will always meet or exceed specification and expectation. Great glass helps make great windows, so manufacturing superior float glass is always Cardinal's stated goal. Glass line

Float Glass Video

Andersen 100 Series Windows

Andersen 100 Series Windows

Wood or Vinyl Windows?

http://www.trwindowservices.com/wood-or-vinyl-windows/

Frank Lloyd Wright

Fallingwater stands as one of Wright’s greatest masterpieces both for its dynamism and for its integration with the striking natural surroundings. Wright’s passion for Japanese architecture was strongly reflected in the design of Fallingwater, particularly in the importance of interpenetrating exterior and interior spaces and the strong emphasis placed on harmony between man and nature. The house was meant to compliment its site while still competing with the drama of the falls and their endless sounds of crashing water. The power of the falls is always felt, not visually but through sound, as the breaking water could constantly be heard throughout the entire house. The exterior of Fallingwater enforces a strong horizontal pattern with the bricks and long terraces. The windows on the facade have also have a special condition where they open up at the corners, breaking the box of the house and opening it to the vast outdoors. It is an iconic architectural masterpiece that will remain so in the hearts of Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts forever!

Window project with Andersen Windows