Energy Tight starts with a detailed questionnaire about how you use energy in the home, thermal imaging, blower door testing, indoor air quality testing, and duct leakage.

Energy Tight helps families and businesses live better for less. Customers love working with us because we make the process of being more energy efficient simple and comfortable!

But in recent years, Japanese architects have turned necessity into virtue, vying to design unorthodox and visually stunning houses on remarkably narrow pieces of land. In the process, they are also redefining the rules of home design.

Few Americans would consider a parking-space-sized lot as an adequate site to build a house. But in Japan, homes are rising on odd parcels of land, some as tiny as 300 square feet.

Yet the term “house” doesn’t really do justice to these eye-catching architectural gems, fashioned from a high-tech palate of materials like glittering glass cubes, fiber reinforced plastic and super-thin membranes of steel.

More With Less

The need to do more with less space has sparked a boom in house designs that are as playful and witty as they are livable. One of Japan’s leading designers of kyosho jutaku, or ultra-small homes, is Tokyo architect Yasuhiro Yamashita.

“People tend to think of homes simply in terms of floor space. We architects think in 3-D.” Yasuhiro Yamashita, Tokyo architect

“If you tried to build a normal house on a super-small plot of land, it would end up being really cramped. So in order to make the house as roomy as possible, we have to think up new structures and assembly,” Yamashita says.

Ultra-small homes conserve space by dumping conventional elements like entranceways, hallways, inner walls and closets.

Windows, in a variety of shapes and sizes, are scattered across a wall, or concealed near the base. A bathroom is separated by just a curtain. Furniture can be folded into the wall, allowing a single room to serve multiple purposes.

Designers indulge in fantasy, like asymmetrical walls, cantilevered floors, or cover their houses in a translucent skin, in order to exploit all available natural light.

Yamashita built a long, skinny, cathedral-like futuristic home on a sliver of land just 40-feet wide, and named it “Lucky Drops.”

“‘Lucky Drops’ was built on an extremely long and narrow space. So light could enter only from the ceiling,” Yamashita says, speaking in Japanese. “All the light comes in from the top. So the whole house becomes like a Japanese paper lantern.”

The boom in quirky small homes was fueled by new design and materials technology, which have slashed the price of a custom-built home by as much as two-thirds, making these homes affordable for singles and middle-class couples.

Minoru and Aki Ota, a couple in their 30s, reside in a home that sits on fewer than 500 square feet. The walls, floors and even the kitchen table are made entirely of precast concrete.

“We weren’t interested in a big house in the suburbs. We were happy to have a comfy place downtown. It’s not that we wanted to live in a micro-house, but it’s turned out to be plenty of room for two and convenient,” Minoru Ota says.

The home features narrow windows at ground level, strategically placed to reveal bits of scenery, and flood the house with light.

Washing dishes at the counter — it’s also made of concrete — Aki Ota says the house has proved warmer than they expected, but the novelty hasn’t worn off four years into their residence. She says it’s like living in an art museum.

Azby Brown, author of The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas for Living Well in Limited Space, says the phenomenon’s impact on Japanese popular culture has been huge.

“Where the forms of these houses is very unusual, asymmetric, seemingly unbalanced or lopsided, it’s because there’s a room or certain functions that need to be accommodated,” Brown says. “And rather than make everything be symmetrical and line up, they just said, ‘Well, if this living room is just going to have to stick out, over the parking space, so be it.’”

The real genius of ultra-compact homes is the use of visual tricks that make tiny spaces appear roomier.

Thinking 3-D

“People tend to think of homes simply in terms of floor space. We architects think in 3-D,” Yamashita says. “Using all three dimensions, we can make a space look larger, and more functional. It becomes easier to devise ways of bringing in more light and air.”

“It’s kind of a psychological jujitsu,” Brown says. “That changes your sense of perception from the things that would make you feel claustrophobic perhaps, and rather focusing on the life and the people that you’re with.”

Bigger is not better for a growing number of homeowners who live in, or use, tiny homes.

Jay Shafer’s entire house is just 70 square feet, and he’s encouraging others to live that way, too.

Super-small luxury houses might seem counter-intuitive to most Americans, who measure their floor space in the thousands of feet, not hundreds.

But Brown, who has lectured on the subject for New York City planners, says the techniques in Japan could offer lessons on how to comfortably house residents in other teeming cities.

“We are larger people physically than the Japanese, we do tend to need more space, we’re less comfortable in some sitting positions, like sitting on the floor, than most Japanese are. But I think we could also accommodate ourselves to it,” Brown says.

As for the Japanese, who have updated their small-house design based on traditions such as the teahouse, they haven’t just accommodated to ultra-tiny homes — they now revel in them.

Source: Lucy Craft on NPR.org

Through the 2025 Integrated Transit/Land Use Plan, many improvements have been made including the enhancement of customer amenities, expanded bus routes, improved services and advancements in the rapid transit program and construction of the LYNX light rail line.

In 2006, the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) adopted the 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan, furthering the vision outlined in the 2025 Integrated Transit/Land Use Plan. The 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan will help focus future growth along five primary transportation corridors, linking our area’s key centers of economic activity. In other words, transit is once again taking us into the future.

For more information and images check out CATS website

To ship your holidays gifts the smart way, consider these tips that will help reduce what ends up in our landfills:

1. Instead of throwing away the shreds you get when using a paper shredder, use them to fill packages you send in the mail. It doesn’t cost anything, it can be recycled and it’s an environmentally safer product than Styrofoam.
2. Save cash by reusing. Boxes can cost a few bucks each. Avoid buying new ones by reusing the ones sent to you.
3. If you don’t have old boxes to reuse, insist on mailing boxes that use 10% to 30% recycled paper.
4. Ship early to avoid shipping by air. Energy costs for sending a package for next day delivery are four times higher than the cost of ground shipping.
5. Lighter means more energy-efficient (and cheaper), so make sure you’re using the right size box for the job.
6. Consider using cornstarch packing peanuts. They are made from corn starch and dissolve in water leaving no toxic waste. Organic fill is static free, economical, fast and easy to use. Place them outside and they will either disappear when the birds take them to make their nests or they will melt in the next rainstorm.
7. Use recycled plastic bubble wrap to cushion the contents of your package.
8. Reuse plastic shopping bags or shredded newspaper and pack it around breakables.
9. Try gummed paper tape made from recycled Kraft paper.
10. For holiday packing materials, try dry pine cones and air-popped popcorn. They’re virtually free, festive and can be fed to the birds or put in the back yard after use.

Source: Shoplet Blog

Rebate Offered:
Central air conditioners $300
Clothes Washers $100
Dishwashers $75
Freezers $75
Gas Furnaces $300
Gas Storage Water Heater $200
Gas Tankless Water Heater $200
Heat Pumps $300
Refrigerators $150
Solar Water Heater (electric back-up) $200
Solar Water Heater (gas back-up) $200

More information check out EnergyNC.net

1. Recycle everything, especially paper! Think about how many pieces of paper you go through in a semester. There’s your class notes, your scrap copies, your term papers, your daily school newspapers, and assorted stuff that you’ve printed out from the Internet… it all adds up. Look for a paper recycle bin on campus– you might find one near a dormitory or large classroom building. And recycle other items as well, including cans, bottles, and cardboard boxes.
2. Use your printer wisely. You can save paper by printing on both sides of the page. Many professors don’t mind if you turn in a paper like this– just ask first. Save pages that you’ve printed and use the backs to print out drafts and other things you don’t have to turn in. In addition, many printers have multiple settings for print quality. Use the high quality print setting for things that have to look nice, but use the low quality setting for things that don’t. This will save ink. While you’re at, consider cutting down on the things your print out. Do you really need to print out that web page, or can you just bookmark it?
3. Limit the use of disposable cups and plates. If you’re moving into your first off-campus apartment, it can be tempting to buy disposable cups and plates to save time. This adds up to a lot of waste and money. Buy yourself some inexpensive plates and wash them. You can do this if you live in a dorm room too. Many dorms have a kitchen, and if yours doesn’t, wash dishes in the bathroom sink.
4. Limit the use of paper napkins. Since college students eat a good deal of fast food, napkin use can add up. It’s good that you want to be clean, but one napkin will probably do the trick!
5. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs cost more, but they last longer and ultimately save you money. If you live in a dorm, get yourself a lamp and screw in one of these bulbs. Lamp light is much more pleasant and environmentally efficient than overhead dorm lighting.
6. Walk, bike, and limit your use of a car. Most campuses are very pedestrian friendly, and many college towns offer good public transportation and bike paths. Ask yourself if you really need a car as a college student, because if you can get by without one, you can save a good deal of money on gas, repairs, and overpriced student car insurance. If you do own a car, try to use it as little as you can.
7. Buy green. Buy recycled products whenever you can, especially paper. Buy environmentally safe cleaning products as well. Some of these products cost more– but many don’t, or the price difference is negligible.
8. Carry a water bottle. Think of how many bottles of water get consumed on a campus every day. Save waste and money and carry a refillable bottle. If the tap water on your campus is questionable, buy large containers of waters to refill your bottle.
9. Use refillable binders instead of notebooks. This is a simple way to save waste. If you want to save your notes after the semester is over, take them out of the binder and staple them. Or you can go electronic and take all of your notes on a laptop.
10. Buy used clothing. Lots of students do this to save money, but it’s also a great thing to do for the environment. Reusing clothes decreases the use of resources to make clothing and puts a dent in the problem of worldwide sweatshops.

By: Suite101.com Naomi Rockler-Gladen

So what’s the secret to the lab’s success? Well, typical evaporative cooling air conditioners actually add humidity to their cool air output, meaning they really only work well in dry areas. Dubbed DEVap, the new technology uses liquid desiccants to remove that humidity from the cooled air.

What’s even better is that since DEVap uses salt solutions instead of refrigerants, it eliminates the need for harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which contribute about 2,000 x as much as carbon dioxide to global warming.

Unfortunately, we won’t be reaping the benefits of DEVap this summer, but the lab is working hard on the technology, so hopefully we will see it in a few years.



Meats
For overall environmental impact, meat is the king of foods, even if it’s not likely to be laced with pesticide residue… though a recent USDA Inspector General report found that the government is failing to even test meat for the harmful chemicals the law requires. While beef muscle is typically clean, beef fat is a different story altogether, with 10 different pesticides having been identified. Pork meat can be contaminated, but pork fat is more contaminated, with as many as 8 pesticides. For chicken, the thigh is most contaminated.

Milk
Pesticides and other man-made chemicals have been found in human breast milk, so it should come as no surprise that they have been found in dairy products, too. Twelve different pesticides have been identified in milk, and milk is of special concern because it is a staple of a child’s diets.

Coffee
Many of the beans you buy are grown in countries that don’t regulate use of chemicals and pesticides. Look for the USDA Organic label to ensure you’re not buying beans that have been grown or processed with the use of potentially harmful chemicals.

Celery
Celery has no protective skin, which makes it almost impossible to wash off the chemicals that are used on conventional crops. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include broccoli, radishes and onions.

Peaches
Multiple pesticides are regularly applied to these delicately skinned fruits in conventional orchards. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include watermelon, tangerines, oranges and grapefruit.

Strawberries
if you buy strawberries out of season, they’re most likely imported from countries that use less-stringent regulations for pesticide use.

Apples
Like peaches, apples are typically grown with the use of poisons to kill a variety of pests, from fungi to insects. Scrubbing and peeling doesn’t eliminate chemical residue completely, so it’s best to buy organic when it comes to apples. Peeling a fruit or vegetable also strips away many of their beneficial nutrients.

Blueberries
New on the Dirty Dozen list in 2010, blueberries are treated with as many as 52 pesticides, making them one of the dirtiest berries on the market.

Nectarines
With 33 different types of pesticides found on nectarines, they rank up there with apples and peaches among the dirtiest tree fruit. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include, watermelon, papaya and mango.

Bell Peppers
Peppers have thin skins that don’t offer much of a barrier to pesticides. They’re often heavily sprayed with insecticides.

Spinach
New on the list for 2010, spinach can be laced with as many as 48 different pesticides, making it one of the most contaminated green leafy vegetable.

Kale
Traditionally kale is known as a hardier vegetable that rarely suffers from pests and disease, but it was found to have high amounts of pesticide residue when tested this year.

Cherries
Even locally grown cherries are not necessarily safe. In fact, in one survey in recent years, cherries grown in the U.S. were found to have three times more pesticide residue then imported cherries. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include raspberries and cranberries.

Potatoes
America’s popular spud re-appears on the 2010 dirty dozen list, after a year hiatus. America’s favorite vegetable can be laced with as many as 37 different pesticides. Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include eggplant, cabbage and earthy mushrooms.

Grapes
Imported grapes run a much greater risk of contamination than those grown domestically only imported grapes make the 2010 Dirty Dozen list). Vineyards can be sprayed with different pesticides during different growth periods of the grape, and no amount of washing or peeling will eliminate contamination because of the grape’s thin skin. Remember, wine is made from grapes, which testing shows can harbor as many as 34 different pesticides.Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include kiwi and raspberries.

Leafy Lettuce
Leafy greens are frequently contaminated with what are considered the most potent pesticides used on food (51 of them), though they dropped off the 2010 list.Can’t find organic? Safer alternatives include cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.

Carrots
Off the list in 2010, carrots have made the Dirty Dozen list in previous years because of the 26 different pesticides that have been detected in food residue.Can’t find organic? At least be sure to scrub and peel them. Safer carrot alternatives include sweet corn, sweet peas and broccoli.

Pears
As insects become more resilient to the pesticides used on pears, more and more chemicals are used (28 of them), though pears have dropped off the 2010 Dirty Dozen list. The safest bet is to go organic.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes, on the Dirty Dozen list in 2008, and the Clean 15 list in 2009, rank neither among the dirtiest nor the cleanest in 2010. It’s still true that the thin skin of tomatoes can allow pesticides to enter the fruit, so it’s always a good idea to buy organic when possible, even if the popular food is no longer among the worst actors.

Source : http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods

The DSIRE web site provides information about renewable energy and energy efficiency incentives and policies in effect in the United States. Relevant incentives and policies established by the federal government, state governments, local governments, utilities and non-profit organizations are included in DSIRE.

DSIRE provides the following information and resources:

Incentives Available in U.S. States & Territories

The DSIRE home page features a U.S. map for easy access to incentives and policies available in each state. Clicking a state or territory provides a list of available incentives and policies in that state, organized into two categories: (1) Financial Incentives and (2) Rules, Regulations & Policies. (To find out what types of incentives and policies are included in each category, visit the DSIRE Glossary.)

The list of incentives and policies provides links to individual summaries with the following details:

• The incentive or policy type (e.g., tax credit, rebate program, net metering)
• The implementing sector (e.g., federal, state, utility)
• Eligible sectors (e.g., residential, commercial, government)
• Eligible technologies (e.g., solar water heating, wind energy, insulation)
• Links to authorizing statutes, regulations and relevant legal documents
• A summary of the incentive or policy
• A link to the incentive or policy web site
• Contact information

For more information visit DSIRE website at www.dsireusa.org

• Aquarium = 50–1210 Watts
• Clock radio = 10
• Coffee maker = 900–1200
• Clothes washer = 350–500
• Clothes dryer = 1800–5000
• Dishwasher = 1200–2400 (using the drying feature greatly increases energy consumption)
• Dehumidifier = 785
• Electric blanket- Single/Double = 60 / 100
• Fans
  • Ceiling = 65–175
  • Window = 55–250
  • Furnace = 750
  • Whole house = 240–750
• Hair dryer = 1200–1875
• Heater (portable) = 750–1500
• Clothes iron = 1000–1800
• Microwave oven = 750–1100
• Personal computer
  • CPU – awake / asleep = 120 / 30 or less
  • Monitor – awake / asleep = 150 / 30 or less
  • Laptop = 50
• Radio (stereo) = 70–400
• Refrigerator (frost-free, 16 cubic feet) = 725
• Televisions (color)
  • 19″ = 65–110
  • 27″ = 113
  • 36″ = 133
  • 53″-61″ Projection = 170
  • Flat screen = 120
• Toaster = 800–1400
• Toaster oven = 1225
• VCR/DVD = 17–21 / 20–25
• Vacuum cleaner = 1000–1440
• Water heater (40 gallon) = 4500–5500
• Water pump (deep well) = 250–1100
• Water bed (with heater, no cover) = 120–380

Source: U.S. Department of Energy