Building Green just got easier with Super Sips.
http://StyroHomeNews.blogspot.com

I noticed the recently published ASHRAE Guides to energy efficiency for schools, retail buildings and small office buildings elude to installing a "durable support" when using flexible duct to make an elbow.

This evidently is the FlexFlow Elbow mentioned above.

The description in the guides coincides with the written spec on the FlexFlow website.

My experience has been - kinked flex duct is just like your kinked garden hose - no flow.

Great to see a product address a major concern in the industry.

Dallas, Texas has passed a comprehensive new green building ordinance that will greatly expand its existing ordinance which only requires publicly-owned buildings exceeding 10,000 square feet to be built to USGBC LEED Silver standards or above.  The new ordinance which will be implemented in two phases starting in 2009 focuses on energy and water efficiency requiring homebuilders to build homes that are more water efficient and at least 15% more energy efficient than the base energy code.  In 2011, the requirements increase to require all homes to be either LEED or GBNT (Green Built North Texas) certified. 

The new ordinance is not just limited to residential building though.  Starting in 2009 all commercial projects under 50,000 square feet will be required to meet similar standards as residential buildings, with the requirements nearing LEED certification levels for larger projects.  Starting in 2011 Phase 2 of the new ordinance will require all commercial building projects to be LEED certified under the appropriate LEED rating system.

Dallas's new green building ordinance represents one of the most comprehensive to be adopted to date by a major U.S. city.

Full PDF Copy of Dallas's new Green Building Ordinance:

Dallas Green Building Ordinance #081070

The LBM Journal has a certified green dealers program that allows lumber businesses to become certified green dealers.  According to the LBM's Certified Green Dealer Website, The Certified Green Dealer™ Program is a national, Web-based “distance learning” program that allows lumber and building material dealers and distributors to learn about green building techniques and products.

If you're in the lumber business you should check it out both as a means to stay on top of sustainable building trends, but also as a way to brand and differentiate yourself from your competition.

The NAHB is updating their 2005 voluntary green building standards this year.  The new NAHB green building standard will be the first and only true consensus-based standard for residential green building. The NAHB standard will also be the first green building standard to receive accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

NAHB anticipates publishing the new standards in May pending approval by the Amercan National Standards Institute.

2008 NAHB Green Building Standard

We actually haven't used the web to promote our Geothermal and Energy Star businesses - other than being members of RESNET and ENERGY STAR.  You'd be surprised by how many leads come directly from professional organizations such as those.

Also, I know there are two big players in online contracting lead generation, Service Magic and Reliable Remodeler.  They cover most categories.  We've used them as a consumer on the quotation side, but not on the other side, so we can't really speak to the cost and/or quality of the leads.

Hope that helps.  Would love to hear other's thoughts as well.  This is often one of the biggest challenges for small businesses.

Hey guys,

I've been checking out this forum for a while now so I thought I'd actually register and start this thread. Anyone know of a great marketing site for contractors and/or a place to find discounted equipment and materials? Yeah, I'm aware of Ebay and Craigs but I'm wondering if there is anything better specifically for folks like us.

The new no VOC, 100% green paint product is called FreshAire and is being placed into all Home Depot's during Feb. and March 2008. It has a 65 color collection, a primer/sealer, and a ceiling paint.  It is manufactured by Glidden Paints and you can get more information on this product at www.freshairechoice.com

The unfortunate thing about solar panels as it stands is the most successful technology is also the oldest. Which is silicon solar cells, but they have fairly long lives 20 years plus for Polycrystalline and Polycrystalline types, and 10 plus years for amorphous type. 

There are other technologies out there that may have potential such Diamond film solar cells, Organic solar cells, dye solar cells and other miscellaneous semiconductor solar cells but they have their drawbacks. Longevity for example is an issue, dye and organic cells less than five year life span, the other semiconductor are just as expensive and are new technologies so no one is certain how long they will last in the field.

My personal favorite tech is diamond film solar cells, which don't really work like the others at all. It draw back is it only produces 0.1 V which means it is has high energy losses for now. But it will cheap to produce on a large scale using methane(major component of natural gas ) as its feed source. The purity of the stock needed would be low, and diamonds are very stable. However the funding for this technology is almost non existent so who knows, the best technologies don't often make it to market. However Google may change that:)

Check this site out if you want to know more about diamond film solar cells.
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0104/14diamondarrays/

Transport of goods globally is a necessary evil but if sails were added to the world's shipping fleets it could cut those emissions by half and thats an estimated 146 million tonnes. To place that in perspective the entire UK produces the same amount in a year.

Check out this web site it will give more information,

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/supersizedkites/index.asp.