Frances Sanderson

Passive Solar is the way we build something to let the sunlight in or to block it out. This includes facing a building solar south, using materials with thermal mass in them like stone or tile (which stores heat during the day and then releases it in the evening), building window overhangs and planting deciduous trees to shade the home during the hottest months.

Active Solar, on the other hand, is the act of collecting the sunlight's direct heat and then moving it to another place for use, usually within the building. Photovoltaics and Hydronic floor heating systems that utilize solar collectors are two good examples of active solar.

Photovoltaics is_ the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Photovoltaic cells or solar cells are devices that convert light energy directly into electricity. They are packed together in a sealed weatherproof package called a module. Modules are then wired together into PV arrays, and these arrays are what we all recognize as solar panels. Without getting into too much detail, consumers can choose to use the collected energy directly or store it in batteries. For more information on Photovoltaics, go to ge.ecomagination.com and search photovolataics, or for more local guidance, contact PAREI (Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative) 190 Main Street Plymouth, NH 03264, or go to www.plymouthenergy.org..

Photovoltaic cell, module and arrays

Hydronic floor heating, sometimes called radiant flooring, is a system of tubes that carry a heated liquid through the flooring material. Roof-mounted panels collect the sunlight and heat the liquid which is circulated to a storage tank. The tank is hooked up to a pump, sensors, a back-up heat source, etc. that sends thermostatically controlled heat through the tubes embedded in the floor. This type of heating not only cuts energy costs but is less likely to cause irritation in those with allergies. I have seen some houses with this flooring in the garage, but most install it in the basement or first floor. Check out www.healthyheating.com for more info on radiant heating.

I mentioned PAREI previously. What I understand about PAREI is that they are a group, composed of members, who actually help each other in the installation of these solar collectors as well as being a resource for each other. One such solar collector is called the Apricus.

An Apricus Hot Water collector uses vacuum glass tubes to absorb the heat. Inside the tubes, copper pipes reach high temperatures which heat the water being pumped through the collector. The water is then sent to the hot water tank and further circulated through the house. According to their website, http://www.apricus.com/, ‘Installing just one Apricus solar thermal collector can reduce CO2 levels as much as planting more than 200 trees and is the perfect choice for people wanting to become part of the SOLUTION by reducing their carbon footprint.'

To save even more, consider a tankless water heater. Chi-ching!

Today's consumers are environmentally conscious or at least they are trying to be. They want to know that the products they are buying are not harming the environment and perhaps even benefiting something. As a result, more companies are claiming that their products or services are eco-friendly and environmentally safe. Who holds these companies accountable for their claims? There are third party non-profit groups established to do just that and the US Green Building Council (USGBC) is one such group that is the driving force in the area of construction.

USGBC developed The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System^TM and it is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. It provides the building industry with consistent, credible standards in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. (http://www.usgbc.org/)

One way to earn LEED rating points or credits is to use FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified lumber. The FSC certifies forests for good management based upon 10 principles and 57 strategies. These principals and strategies address legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits and environmental impact. It's a lengthy, expensive process for a forest management company to go through, but once they receive the forest management (FM) certification, their forest becomes FSC-certified. This is desireable because the demand for FSC-certified products is increasing and that means more money, however, accountability doesn't end there.

Builders then use the FSC-certified lumber in the building of homes, and Wood-Product Manufacturers use it in the development of their products, sometimes changing it from it's original certified state into something else. One example of this is the cabinet maker who finishes a product with stain or urethane, which outgasses toxic fumes, thus changing the FSC lumber into something that does not improve indoor environmental quality. This is where chain of custody (COC) certification comes in. Someone in the company becomes responsible for maintaining an inventory management and documentation system, which gets checked regularly by an accredited certifier, thus assuring that the product has maintained its standards of FSC certification. Every person who transforms that product has to have a chain of custody certification. Sounds like a lot of work, doesn't it? This might explain why the whole idea of green building is slow in gaining popularity.

Last summer, USGBC launched a new program called LEED for Homes, geared more towards small business. It gives credits for wood product manufacturers who recycle and use environmentally safe finishes on their products. How will you know if a product is LEED certified? Look for the checkmarked tree logo.

So, how does LEED certification affect you, the consumer? Well, initially, it's going to affect your wallet. Green projects are typically running 25 percent more than standard projects, according to a recent article in Modern Woodworking magazine (January 2007), and this is due largely to scarcity of material and to higher production costs. It will become less expensive, however, as the demand for green building increases. You can speed things along by asking your local home building supplier what they are doing in regards to green building, and by supporting their efforts.

For more info, the nearest Green Building Council Chapters to New Hampshire are in Vermont and Massachusetts. Their web sites are http://www.vgbn.org/ and http://www.greenroundtable.org/, respectively.