We have always been interested in energy conservation, which is one of the things that got us started with Spray Polyurethane Foam Roofing in the first place over 35 years ago. Though out the years we were naturally led to maximizing an owner's investment through quality products and installation for the entire building "envelope," which then started to include Polyurethane Foam Air Barrier and Fluid Applied Air Barrier services.
For building owners and our clients it all boils down to this: decreasing your energy consumption and increase profits while protecting the health of the occupants.
As there are many ways for to accomplish this, we found an article interesting in the Commercial Construction & Renovation July/August 2012 issue which talked about ways to reduce building HVAC costs with site-recovered energy by using Energy Recovery Wheel Technology, or Enthalpy Wheels.
According to the article, enthalpy wheels "transfer energy by rotating between outdoor air and exhaust air streams to transfer heat and moisture from one airstream to another." It retrieves the wasted energy in building exhaust air and recycles it and allows the building to increase outdoor air levels without making your HVAC unit work harder.
It also helps enable building owners to participate in energy programs. Energy recovery wheels are available from most HVAC OEMs and distributors.
Showing posts with label Energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Energy. Show all posts
Why Choose Spray Foam?
Friday
Our friends at the Spray Foam Coalition provided us with a 2-page document that lists the benefits of choosing spray polyurethane foam (SPF) for your insulation and air sealing barrier needs on walls, roofs and other surfaces. You can download the document from our website or keep reading for the summarized version.
Spray Foam is Energy Efficient
As much as 40% of a building's energy is lost due to air infiltration, gaps, holes and air leaks. Spray foam closes gaps that lets air escape and can reduce utility bills. It also helps your HVAC unit as it maintains an optimal climate in your building, keeping it from working as hard. In fact, a HVAC unit can be downsized by as much as 35% when a building is SPF insulated.
When SPF is applied to the roof of a building, it can provide cool roof performance when topped with a protective, reflective coating. "Cool roofs" are designed to maintain a lower temperature than traditional roofs.
Closed-Cell Spray Foam Can Improve Building Strength and Durability
A SPF roofing system is known to have effective lifespans that can exceed 30 years. A professionally applied SPF can create a strong bond to protect the roof and eliminate water seepage through weak spots. It increases a building's resistance to wind uplift, "gluing" the overall building together.
SPF insulation is highly resistant to floodwater damage. It also prevents moisture and condensation throughout the building, helping prevent mold and mildew. When closed-cell is applied in the cavities of walls it increases durability of the wall system because of its ability to conform and adhere to the surface.
Source: Spray Foam Coalition
Spray Foam is Energy Efficient
As much as 40% of a building's energy is lost due to air infiltration, gaps, holes and air leaks. Spray foam closes gaps that lets air escape and can reduce utility bills. It also helps your HVAC unit as it maintains an optimal climate in your building, keeping it from working as hard. In fact, a HVAC unit can be downsized by as much as 35% when a building is SPF insulated.
When SPF is applied to the roof of a building, it can provide cool roof performance when topped with a protective, reflective coating. "Cool roofs" are designed to maintain a lower temperature than traditional roofs.
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| Common air leaks found in most buildings. Source: 2011 American Chemistry Council, Inc. |
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| Buildings can be sealed with SPF. Source: 2011 American Chemistry Council, Inc. |
Closed-Cell Spray Foam Can Improve Building Strength and Durability
A SPF roofing system is known to have effective lifespans that can exceed 30 years. A professionally applied SPF can create a strong bond to protect the roof and eliminate water seepage through weak spots. It increases a building's resistance to wind uplift, "gluing" the overall building together.
SPF insulation is highly resistant to floodwater damage. It also prevents moisture and condensation throughout the building, helping prevent mold and mildew. When closed-cell is applied in the cavities of walls it increases durability of the wall system because of its ability to conform and adhere to the surface.
Source: Spray Foam Coalition
Energy Wise Giving
Thursday
It happened. The year 2011 rolled into December. If you braved through the Black Friday weekend and Cyber madness then you may have already finished your Christmas shopping. For those of us who didn't, and who still have items on the "list" for Santa, we may want to take a moment to adjust our thinking which may help save our planet.
According to the Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) 18th Annual CE Holiday Purchase Patterns Study report, this year's holiday spending will increase with over one-third of purchases spent on electronics. It is good for the economy to see the increase in spending, and electronics have always been high on the list.
The propensity in human nature is to take the easy road, and let's admit it, cell phones, laptops, wireless printers, copiers, GPS units, garage openers and toys which interact with our children seem to make our lives easier. Bottom line, electronics are used to improve your efficiency in everyday living.
However, old and broken electronics end up in landfills and landfill usage is a monumental environmental concern. Perhaps if all of us over the next month would stop a moment before purchasing a new electronic device and ask ourselves a couple of questions, we may help decrease our own carbon footprint:
Can this be recycled and where? If it is a brand new and improved gadget or prototype, can we wait until the bugs have been worked out? (Do we hear a 'Bah Humbug?)
According to the cleanair.org waste facts website, "304 million electronics were disposed of from US Households in 2005 and two-thirds of them still worked." The website also mentioned that if we all recycled cell phones for one year, we would save enough energy to power 18,500 homes for a year.
There are many places in Kansas City that assist with recycling and some communities even have "drives" which are set up throughout the year. On recyclespot.org you can find a list of service providers near you.
Source: Green Building Elements website : Cleanair.org
According to the Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) 18th Annual CE Holiday Purchase Patterns Study report, this year's holiday spending will increase with over one-third of purchases spent on electronics. It is good for the economy to see the increase in spending, and electronics have always been high on the list.
The propensity in human nature is to take the easy road, and let's admit it, cell phones, laptops, wireless printers, copiers, GPS units, garage openers and toys which interact with our children seem to make our lives easier. Bottom line, electronics are used to improve your efficiency in everyday living.
However, old and broken electronics end up in landfills and landfill usage is a monumental environmental concern. Perhaps if all of us over the next month would stop a moment before purchasing a new electronic device and ask ourselves a couple of questions, we may help decrease our own carbon footprint:
Can this be recycled and where? If it is a brand new and improved gadget or prototype, can we wait until the bugs have been worked out? (Do we hear a 'Bah Humbug?)
According to the cleanair.org waste facts website, "304 million electronics were disposed of from US Households in 2005 and two-thirds of them still worked." The website also mentioned that if we all recycled cell phones for one year, we would save enough energy to power 18,500 homes for a year.
There are many places in Kansas City that assist with recycling and some communities even have "drives" which are set up throughout the year. On recyclespot.org you can find a list of service providers near you.
Source: Green Building Elements website : Cleanair.org
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