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.

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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.

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Consumer Reports: What’s the greenest countertop material?

Q&A: What’s the greenest countertop material?
As part of our kitchen remodel, we plan to use highly efficient appliances and windows and even green flooring. Is there an eco-friendly counter we can use?
None of the 11 different countertop materials we've tested is green. Even the single paper-composite counter we've tested isn't completely green. While this countertop [...]

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Top 10 green building products of 2010

Green buildings take green products and the Sustainable Industries Top 10 Green Building Products 2010 guide can help companies decide which products should go in their eco-friendly building. The top 10 products were chosen from more than 100 entries and were evaluated on several different criteria including environmental performance, design aesthetic, and compatibility with the [...]

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Green Roofs Take Root in NYC

The rooftops of Manhattan are as varied as the city itself. A glance at the city skyline reveals a myriad of shapes and colors. Look a little closer and the shapes reveal themselves to be the things we often see rooted on Manhattan buildings, such as water towers, ventilation systems and communications equipment. But, on [...]

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Microsoft Hohm scores home energy efficiency

Microsoft is trying to garner more interest in its Hohm home energy app through neighborly competition.
The software giant released on Wednesday the Hohm Score, a free Web application that judges a home's estimated energy efficiency based on its general size and location. With estimations already in place, Hohm has determined that homes with the worst [...]

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Buyers will pay more for green features: poll – Hotspotting.com.au | Helping Real Estate Investors find the Next Big Thing

A poll indicates 59% of home hunters would pay more for an environmentally-friendly property.
According to the PRDnationwide poll, 30% of respondents would pay up to $10,000 more to buy a house with green features, 20% would pay between $10,000 and $30,000 extra, while 9% would spend $30,000-plus.
PRDnationwide managing director Jim Midgley says most people “have [...]

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3 Disadvantages of Owning a Natural Gas Tankless Water Heater | DoItYourself.com

A natural gas tankless water heater can provide instant hot water and replace your own water heater. However, before you buy one, there are a few drawbacks that you should consider.
via 3 Disadvantages of Owning a Natural Gas Tankless Water Heater | DoItYourself.com.

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How Dyson’s Air Multiplier Works — With Less Energy

Source: www.pocket-lint.com
So, you’ve read about the Dyson Air Multiplier, and you’ve looked at the photos, but you’re still baffled about how the damn thing works. You’ve seen vague promises of “Engineering” being responsible (which we’ve come under criticism for, for some reason), but here’s – in gory physics-y detail – roughly what’s going on inside [...]

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10 Ways to Green Your Home | LiveScience

Build it Green
Trees, in a word, rock. They absorb heat-trapping carbon dioxide, hold soil together to prevent landslides, and provide a rich habitat for diverse plants and animals. Choose furniture made from eco-friendly sources such as sustainably managed forests, bamboo, and reclaimed wood. Buying vintage wherever possible, rather than adding something new into the waste [...]

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