Make Your Home Tight, Right and Sustainable.
Tight Castle provides helpful information on sustainable design, green building for reducing carbon footprint. A tight home saves energy, reduces global warming, provides increased comfort and is healthier for occupants. LEED for homes design, green construction techniques and clean energy should be priorities in new home construction and renovation.
We encourage home owners to have a home energy audit as a first step toward reducing carbon footprint.
Sungrabber Solar Water Heater
How Sungrabber Heats Your Water
Using Solar Energy
Automated pumps circulate two separate loops of water, one through the solar collectors and one through the water heater
The solar loop is heated on the roof inside the Sungrabber collectors
This heat is transferred down to the water tank where it heats a separate cold water loop
The sun’s energy then takes the place of the majority of the electricity or gas normally used to heat water
Sungrabber has been designed to work with electric, natural gas and tankless hot water heaters. Note, there are different requirements for each type of installation.
The image shown reflects the Sungrabber base model. Speak with your local installer to determine the system configuration that best suits your needs.
Manufactured in the USA, Sungrabber Solar Water Heaters are eligible for the 30% Federal Tax Credit as well as state and local incentives.
via Solar Water Heating and Solar Hot Water | How Sungrabber Solar Water Heaters Work | Made in the USA.
By Peter Troast – June 17th, 2010
One of the big challenges for gaining broader acceptance for the idea of low energy use homes is how to get the real estate market to value energy efficiency. Sadly, granite counter tops, tiled bathrooms and hardwood floors continue to be the amenities most real estate people claim to be drivers of value. These conventional notions are increasingly no better than urban myths, in my opinion, but the unfortunate truth is they're deeply seeded in real estate culture. The value of energy efficiency is not, at least yet. But while some in the real estate world continue to drill their heads ever deeper in the sand, concrete financial evidence is beginning to emerge that change is afoot.
In Maine this week, a reasonably progressive new set of building codes took effect that call for simple measures to make for better building enclosures–better standards for air sealing and insulation. The largest paper in the state led with a story entitled “Inefficient builders about to hit a wall,” which, predictably, contained the usual gnashing of teeth from construction folks worried about increased costs.
via On Building Codes, Dinosaur Builders, and the Changing Market for Energy Efficient Homes. | Energy Circle.
Sungrabber Solar Water Heater