Green Building & Zero Energy Homes, Alternative Energy, Metal Roofing, Portable Buildings, Green Home Improvements, and Green Living Tips

Designing a bathroom, and going green? You can save a lot of money in the long run by designing a bathroom for long-term functionality. A well-designed bathroom will result in fewer repairs and replacements. It will also keep your energy and water bills low, with the advent of new earth-friendly bathroom materials technology.

Let’s start with the most important part of the bathroom: the toilet.

Older toilets can waste literally thousands of gallons per year. At five gallons per flush, you’re literally flushing your money down the drain. A high-efficiency toilet will use just over a gallon per flush. The even newer model of toilet, the dual-flush model, uses even less.

Faucets and shower heads are also now designed in low-flow models, saving even more water, and money. If your appliances were installed before 1994, chances are they are not a low-flow design.

How else can you design a green bathroom, other than the obvious water-saving appliances?

And How about saving energy on heat?

Invest in a solar-powered water heater. It’s a green solution that is getting more affordable to install, now that the technology behind solar powered appliances has continued to develop. Another design idea for a shower stall is to install a waste-heat recovery system. The system uses the water that goes down the drain to preheat the shower water itself.

The shower stall itself is a water-saving part of the bathroom, when you compare it to a bathtub. Using a separate shower stall, even a traditional one, limits baths and saves seven times the amount of energy.
Look at your typical bathroom cabinet, usually under your sink. It’s probably made of particleboard, which contains formaldehyde. Go with bamboo instead, which is a rapidly renewable natural source, and makes beautiful cabinetry.

What about the vanity top itself? Recycled glass countertops are sparkly, easy to clean, and can be continuously used throughout the bathroom on the walls as well, with recycled glass tiles.

You don’t have to be entirely new-fangled though – traditional ceramic and porcelain tiles are still OK.

This article was brought to you by Budget Bath, found here: Bathroom Remodeling MD

Carefully, consider these 10 factors before you commit to buy a solar water heater collector system.

1. Certification – The Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) reviews and certifies both solar collectors (OG-100) as well as the entire solar water heating system (OG-300). This certification provides a minimum standard of quality for the industry as well as providing a basis for comparison between different products. Don’t consider buying a solar water heater without both OG-100 and OG-300 certification.

2. Collector frame materials – Solar hot water panels come primarily with either aluminum or steel frames and backs. The aluminum products will come with either raw, painted or anodized frames. The steel only come in painted versions. Generally speaking if you are in an area away from the coast any of these styles will do as long as you can handle the aesthetics (generally painted or anodized will be preferred for appearance). If you are within proximity of the coast the anodized surfaces will provide you the long term corrosion protection that the other materials won’t.

3. Fluid path materials – a solar collector can come with aluminum, steel or copper tubing for the fluid to flow through . The most common material in north America is copper although the other materials are available. Be aware that the aluminum may suffer from galvanic corrosion as a result of the other copper, brass and bronze that are likely to be in the system and therefore prematurely degrade. The solar collector (s) that have steel fluid paths are only appropriate for glycol systems.

4. Warranty – while the SRCC certification mentioned above covers the minimums there are differences in both the length of the warranty as well as if they warrant labor. It isn’t much good if a collector goes out after 6 months, and then the contractor can’t get paid to replace the one on your roof.

5. Installed base – It is a perfectly fair question to ask for references or what other solar heating project the installer may have done. As a homeowner you need to be patient because depending on the area where you are located you might not have any choice of contractors.

6. Absorber connection method – solar water heaters come with four main styles of producing the absorber

ultrasonic welding – this method is probably the most common method for attaching the absorber fin to the tubes but it leaves a line down the absorber that some homeowners find objectionable The advantage is you can see the quality of the weld.

Soldering – this has diminished in popularity over the years since it is difficult to maintain the quality of the process although some companies still use it to great effect.

Mechanical bonding – the absorber is crimped around the tube that holds the water. This can be an effective means to attach the tubes to the sheet but there is a risk of poor mechanical sealing and then the thermal performance of the collector is greatly diminished with the buyer being none the wiser.

Laser welding – this process is very capital intensive but provides an excellent seal between the absorber and the tubes without having the witness line associated with ultrasonic welding above.

7. Pre-engineered – solar heating installations are technically complicated and require the greatest of care to insure that the system will function properly for years to come. Either go with a pre-engineered system from a manufacture or stick with a very experienced installer. Having an installer cut there teeth on your house isn’t the way to go with solar heating.

8. Aesthetics – Congratulations you are leading the green revolution by going with a solar water heater. Keep the positive vibes going by making sure the installation is good looking. Nothing will turn off future solar customers more than an unattractive installation.

9. Maintainability – Murphy’s Law usually to many situations including in your solar heating installation. Make sure the system is designed and installed so any of the components can be replaced should they fail while providing the minimum disruption to the system. Insist that the components are isolated from the balance of the system to allow easy change out. This also plays a part in the system design that you go with. If you have easy access to internal heat exchange tanks then they become a reasonable option. If you live in parts of the country where you local plumbing supply house doesn’t stock them, then stick with an external heat exchange system so the tank can be replaced when it fails (and it will).

10. Mounting hardware – How solar hot water panels tie into your roof is as important as the other components. You don’t want you system to create problems with your roof. The manufacturer should have had engineering done on the hardware to insure it can withstand any wind you might see in your area. In addition, you should look to be sure that you only use materials on the roof that can stand the test of time, aluminum, and stainless. Avoid using steel, galvanized steel or zinc plated hardware as part of the mounting system unless you live in the desert.

Glass Block Installation is a home improvement project that almost anyone can do even a beginner. Glass Blocks make a beautiful scene anywhere they are placed. They give off a serene yet elegant atmosphere about them, and they also provide privacy.

The first part of glass block installation is to get all of your measurements together so when you go into the home store you know exactly what or how many you need. The next part is to get all the necessary tools and supplies together so you can do your job correctly to avoid any time consuming trips back to the hardware or home store.

Now that you have all of the necessary tools and supplies it is time to get to work; install a 1 x 2 board along as the frame so that when your blocks are set they will cover the board in the back and front. Now, coat the board with sealer so that moisture doesn’t rot the wood. Now after both of these steps have been done you are ready for the mortar.

Bend the panel anchors into an L shape, nail the panel anchors to the frame and from here on add a new anchor every third row. You are now ready for a set of row blocks and their spacers once this is done you can mix the glass block mortar and using a mortar knife place a layer of mortar in the sill of the block, if you place a block onto this and mortar oozes out then you have done it correctly.

The next step is to place the spacer into place and add your first block, then put another layer of mortar like you did the first and repeat until for the rest of the row then you need to use a level and make sure it is all level. If mortar gets onto any glass blocks wipe it off immediately with a damp rag or sponge to avoid it drying.

The best rule of thumb to follow for installing glass blocks is to complete 3 rows add a line of mortar then place a wire stabilizer on top to reinforce the wall, now you can continue your process until the wall is complete. After your blocks are installed let the mortar dry for 24-36 hours and caulk the edges to block out moisture. You are almost done, if you are installing a wall or panel you will want to lay a bead of silicone caulk around the opening and center the panel keeping it level and now it is ready to be set tap the roofing nails around the panel to keep it in place. Now you can set a trim around the glass and it is ready for you to enjoy.

Installation of glass blocks are very simple and step by step if you allow yourself time and take time then you will have a glass wall installed in no time.

One great way to accent your landscaped yard is to add in the use of landscape lighting. There are some pretty easy ways to figure out which types and styles of lighting will work best for you and your yard. With “Going Green” being so popular these days, solar garden lighting is taking off in popularity as well since it is a renewable source of energy.

Even though solar lighting is great, as a Maryland landscaping professional I have yet to come across any kind of self-contained solar lighting system that stays lit for more than just a few hours. Most of them require so many lights just to produce any kind of desirable effect and instead make a beautiful yard look worse. We all are waiting for solar lighting to become a viable option for landscape lighting, but currently the technology is either not available or is incredibly expensive.

Typically, line voltage lighting is the standard. Line voltage lighting systems provide all the light you want as it runs off your house current. However, line voltage lighting requires an electrician to install it, with necessary electrical inspections, and will increase your monthly electric bill. I recommend using low voltage lighting for most landscape lighting applications.

Ten years ago, low voltage lighting was unreliable and underpowered. However, times have changed! Today’s low voltage lighting provides powerful and attractive lighting at much less cost than line voltage lighting. Low voltage lighting is achieved when a transformer which converts the standard 110v into a safe, low current is plugged into an existing 3-prong plug. One transformer can power enough lights for most residential landscapes and uses very little energy. The great thing about low voltage lighting is that they use a wire which can be safely buried below the surface of mulch or soil, and connect using a simple connector. This ease of installation and the low monthly costs make low voltage lighting the best choice for most landscapes.

Whichever type of lighting you choose, there are a couple of things you should remember when you set out to purchase your lighting system. First and foremost, do not overdo it! Landscape lighting is designed to accent your landscaped yard. You should be aiming for ambient lighting and should keep it low-key. Secondly, you get what you pay for. Inexpensive lights at your typical box stores will most likely fail quickly. Having to regularly replace your bulbs and fixtures becomes costly and inconvenient. Thankfully, there are a large variety of high quality lights for your landscape. Personally, I prefer copper lights. They patina naturally and add a very sleek, natural accent to any landscape.

As always, have fun with the creation of your outdoor space. Your qualified landscape contractor can answer any additional questions you have and help you create the landscape of your dreams. For more landscaping ideas, check out The Landscaping Wizard.