A cool roof reflects and emits the sun’s heat back to the sky instead of transferring it to the building below.  “Coolness” is measured by two properties, solar reflectance and thermal emittance.  Both properties are measured from 0 to 1 and the higher the value, the “cooler” the roof.

Benefits of cool roofs include:

• Energy savings and global warming mitigation
• Reduction in urban heat island effect and smog
• Improved occupant comfort
• Comply with codes and green building programs

—source

Looking to save energy costs? Put the wind to work for you.

Install a wind turbine, save on your electricity and get a tax credit from the government.

Ann Marie and Tom Noone, of Union Dale, recently installed a Skystream 2.4 KW wind turbine on their property.

… More

The Daily Green has some interesting facts about natural light:

Studies in recent years have shown that natural light, if it is allowed to stream into schools and workplaces, is correlated with higher test scores and happier and more productive workers. So it’s worth noting an experiment in Salt Lake City, where a new $16 million middle school is opening.

One of its principle architectural achievements is the promotion of natural light, according to a story in today’s Salt Lake Tribune. That a reporter could describe a traditional classroom as a “windowless tomb” ought to be evidence enough, but there’s more. … More

If you’ve been following this blog chances are by now you know that I try to be “green,” but I’m the first to admit it can be tough. … More

If you’re like most people today, you have a house full of things that need to be charged in order to work.

I’ve always wondered when I passed the threshold from charging batteries to wasting electricity. While all chargers are different, I’ve found one simple test you can perform to help determine whether or not the charger is wasting power after the charge is complete. … More