It's so great to see companies starting to bring heat pump technology into smaller appliances.
I am thoroughly pleased to announce that Daoust Design and Construction is now a provider for the CaliforniaFIRST Statewide PACE financing program.
WHAT IS CALIFORNIAFIRST??? YOU HAVEN'T HEARD???
100% financing for sustainable projects, payed off as a line item on your property tax bill. Eligible projects include photovoltaics, wind, windows, cool roofs, HVAC equipment upgrades, electric car charging stations, heat pumps, fans, insulation and just about any type of water saving upgrade you can think of.
What are the perks?
- Low interest rates which are fixed, not based on credit scores
- borrow up to 10% of property value
- interest paid is tax deductible
- Does not count against your debt to income ratio (stays off credit reports due to it being a "tax")
- No money down
If you've been looking for a way to bring some sustainability into your life, this is a wonderful opportunity.
As we move further into environmental difficulties and water and energy shortages these numbers begin to jump out on their own. HALF. Our buildings need to start consuming less, plain and simple. Investing in green technology for our buildings is a great way to offset our footprint, but we also need to make sure these systems are properly tuned and maximizing their full capabilities. Here two great articles i found about how older systems can perform better because they are tuned better, and why reducing energy consumption is important.
California just updated it's energy requirements July 1st... Here's a downloadable PDF to keep you all abreast of the most recent Title 24 update.
GE's Microblock
It may be small potatoes now, but we are going to see a lot more facilities like this. Companies like GE are taking things one step further... Instead of thinking "how can we come up with products faster?", they've asked, "how can we accelerate the process by which products are designed?"
Keep an eye on these guys...
I have a friend who is doing great things in the world...Dana I applaud you! I absolutely had to put this out there for her, as everybody needs to understand the problem were facing with food not making it into the mouths of those who need it.
Please look at the website, it's shocking what we're wasting as a country.
I realized yesterday while having a conversation with a college that building rating systems still haven't had much exposure...
Did you know that if you build or remodel a house there are ways to certify your project as a sustainable project? LEED, or the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is hosted on by the United States Green Building Council. And The Living Building Challenge is hosted by the International Living Future Institute.
Both offer the certification of projects in various categories like to water usage, energy use, material selection, indoor air and environmental quality, site location and more!
This is the future of building... moving into times when resources are in high demand, our buildings will need to be designed to consume less and last longer.
These standards have been designed as roadmaps. More info here:
The next wave of permeable products have arrived...
Folks, if you're planning on doing any sort of hardscaping on your properties this summer, please consider a permeable surface instead of traditional concrete or pavers.
Traditional concrete surfaces drive rain water off property and toward the sewer systems which can cause overloading during heavy rainfall. They we spray our landscaping with treated fresh water from the water district????
How about keeping the water on site to begin with, and reducing the amount of water we're taking and giving to the municipal systems?
Companies like these are making it happen:
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I found Greg's work last week, what a beautiful amalgamation of materials and tribute to nature.
Wow, I never thought I'd have my very own blog but here we go!
It's no mystery that I've embraced sustainable building for a number of reasons... One in particular was quite evident this past week while spending time out in Yosemite Valley. A voice kept speaking from within...
"This is why we choose to build and live sustainably... to protect this."
View from our campsite