Smart Home or Business Applying Technology For Energy Efficiency

A Smart Home or Business is applying technology for Energy Efficiency, Comfort, Convenience and Safety.


The days of a smart homes are no longer for the wealthy few. There are affordable product’s now in the market that can create pre-set conditions of electrical use by each room or area. All light switches and wall resptical’s HVAC Thermostats to have its own IP address. This gives a control of all electrical use back to the home or business owner from a Desktop or laptop while away from your home.


This is technology has mainly been brought to our energy conservation uses thru the technology in the security industry or protection system business. The same wiring and security systems innovations have now been applied to saving money. The biggest cost savings comes from the use of the common wire that is already running in the walls or roof. This new SMART light switch or SMART receptacle eliminates the invasion or need of running all new wires.


Lighting conversion to LED, CFL or florescent light ballast conversion is another area of great innovations and should be done sooner than later in any planning for Energy Efficiency.


For more information about this and other Smart products and services contact you’re Green Castles Ambassadors today.

PV Solar Photo-voltaic Modules For Homes and Business

Photo-voltaic Modules or better known as PV Solar. These photovoltaic cells absorb the sun’s energy and converts it into DC electricity. The concept of Thermal Solar is converting the suns heat thru a collector for the purpose of heating a pool or your homes water system. There are many varied products and thoughts of use in both of these very different industries. While both types of Solar can have very aggressive state or federal rebate programs, these programs do vary regionally by the allocation of previous commissioned (installed) Solar systems.


The cost of energy from the US grid has increased at an average rate of 6% year over year, since 1932. Analysts anticipate a much more rapid rate of increasing the coming years as the worlds finite supply of fossil fuels, which generate the majority of our electricity, is reduced by increasing demand from large emerging markets.


The idea is to first identify what is your current electrical and natural gas uses have been for the past 13 months. Then create some future goals in energy efficiency goals for your home or business.


For more products information about PV or Thermal solar products or services contact your Green Castles Ambassador today.

Energy Efficiency? You Need An Energy Audit

Many new County or State Energy Efficiency regulations like CA-AB811 that has gone into effect this past year. For program funding a required third party home inspection has been done before the EE Retro-fit work starts and after the EE Retro-fit has been completed. This will give a true picture of the homes improvement in energy efficiencies. This then gives the home a Green Point Rated Certificate. We think of it like your new car has a MPG sticker on the window showing the fuel performance. This Green Point Rated home will receive a certificate that rate the fuel performance as well. In the Future this EE Green Point Rated Certificate will be listed on the Real Estate Multiple Listing.


This Energy Audit inspection is not unreasonable in cost when you consider the relationship to the new value that can be place on your property or business. The third party inspection is not performed by the same parties that do the home retro-fits, thus eliminating any conflicts in interest. There are several elements that are being considered in an Energy Audit from your Blower Door Performance Test to test the gaps around the windows and doors.


For more information on an Energy Audit contact your Green Castle Ambassador today.

Water Conservation Strategies You Can Use

While our earth’s water has long been overlooked on the subject of conservation, today it almost has a place on the endangered species list. Our planet Earths water is 98% saltwater. Leaving just 2% to be used for drinking bathing and supporting mankind. The typical Southern California home owner uses 50%-60% of their water on their landscaping. Our past generations were ignoring or not knowing the catastrophic damages that industrial waste and other toxic issues would have on our ground water supply. The fact is we all can protect and conserve water by many different strategies and actions.

There are many products that can help change this pattern of water uses. The old method of putting a brick in your toilet has been replaced by the toilet manufactures making the tanks smaller. Any faucet leak or running toilet needs repaired ASAP. All garden hoses should have a valve or handle at the end to eliminated running water. The lawn can be replaced by synthetic grass completely eliminating the need for water. There is also the smart water irrigation system and your garden spray heads can become soaker hoses reducing evaporation. The notion that it is for someone else to be water wise is gone, we all have a role.

To find out more about water conservation strategies, products or services contact your Green Castle Ambassador today.

How To Set Up Rainwater Harvesting

The idea of Rainwater Harvesting is an old concept to many cultures thru out the world. In the United States we are now creating an industry around the concept. The water harvesting starts at the roof gutter with separating leafs and debris away from the water as it comes off the roof into the gutter. There are several ways to store the rainwater above ground in a plastic barrel or below the ground in a cistern. There are new tanks that bolt under the patio decks or stand end on the concert patio.


Rainwater Harvesting is a new area of sustainable thoughts but is well worth the time and cost of reclamation this valuable commodity.


To find out more about Rainwater harvesting products or services contact your Green Castles Ambassador today.

Stop Your Biggest Energy Loss

The one of the biggest Energy Loss in your home or business is your glass doors and windows. It is a known fact that cold air travels to hot air. The window glass is the difference between the two elements of hot and cold. Do you have afternoon heat gain or heat loss at night is the question? This Loss will create a Hot or Cold living area and that then that need for a comfort temperature forces your AC or Heater (HVAC) to work more which then forces your Energy bills to go up.


While, any type of Thermal pane or Low E windows and doors is preserved as more expensive in the beginning or upfront cost. It is one of the most effective retro-fits an owner can do to an investment, and should be planned early in any project. Before you jump into this part of your Energy Retro-fit. Many things should be considered like the orientation of the home. Basically which way does the sun travel on the home or business? Are there many ways to mitigate the suns afternoon affect on the glass like exterior shades or patio covers?


For more information on this type of product or service contact your Green Castle Ambassador today.

What is a Daylight Harvesting?

It is any area in your Home or Business you can get sun light, without heat loss or gain and minimum UV. Years ago and still today it was mainly a group of horizontal windows that was in the Northern most side of the structure in the uppermost part of that wall. These daylight harvest areas give medium sunlight without the heat.


However there are several other methods like Tubular Daylight Devices known to the architect as TDD. These devices create daylight in rooms without windows like kitchens, offices, warehouses, bathrooms, wardrobes or hallways. Much of the workday there is no need for traditional electrical lighting. The Silver lined tubes bring the light down from the roof as much as 12-14 feet in a warehouse with little loss of efficiency to the illumination. There are the Square or Rectangle skylights as well.


For more information about Daylight Harvesting products or services contact your Green Castle Ambassador today.

Wind Hydro Power For You

The Wind or Hydro power play is the most elusive and yet there are so many properties that will accommodate these methods of power. We all know about the big windmills with 75 foot blades or the Dams with big generators. However, small commercial or residential wind or hydro generators are available. With the approval of city or local agencies there can be some wind or hydro power made. There are some requirements like a ¼ acre parcels and the next door neighbors to be in agreement to the project, particularly if the tower can be seen or heard.

The micro turbine hydro power generators require some moving water at least seasonally. These are mostly submersible and tethered to overhead lines.

For more on wind or hydro power products or services contact your Green Castles Ambassador today.

Have Your Home Eco Rated

Be the first on your block, in your town to have your home rated. Over time these home performance evaluations will create value far beyond your cost of the products installed in your home or business. In time these home Energy Efficiency Performance results will be then published on the Real Estate MLS for all potential buyers to see and consider when buying their next home or commercial building.


For more information on this and any other energy saving products or services contact your Green Castle Ambassador today.

What is Sealing the Envelope?

If you consider the outside of any structure as an envelope the questions is, is it sealed? There are many schools of thought on where you start. We think you do it all, starting at the foundation and going up to the top of the structure. What this sealing does is create a barrier between the outside air pressure and the living area inside the structure with the HVAC running. Basically, where ever you have insulation. All types of insulation values (R- Factor’s) are based on dead air space in the walls. This insulation is only good if all the exterior and interior gaps are sealed up tight.


If you think about the exterior foundation as a place to start and go up. Sealing the gap between the concrete, stucco and wood. Then any other exterior gap that is seen and those that are not seen. Like under the eaves where the roof meets the walls. Where window meet the exterior materials. There are many types of Low VOC foams and latex sealant products available. Even the interior and exterior light and switches need to be sealed off by gaskets.


These products and other services are available just contact your Green Castle Ambassador today.

How To Create A Green Grant & Rebate Strategy

Creating a rebate or grant strategy is a moving target, that is constantly changing. This is the area in the sustainable business world that is the most difficult to manage as a businessman. The local state and federal governments are constantly changing the percentages in a program or adding or removing devises without notice. The sustainable businessman must also carry these rebates as long as 90 days before being paid on the work and part’s that are on a customer’s home or business. Before any project is started we suggest a customer create a strategy of what is the devise I want and the current rebate percentage.


The grants are also being changes without notice. It is also a good idea to get this research work done prior to any commissioning of any project.


For help with these two funding concepts and any other services contact your Green Castle Ambassador today.

What are Conservation Financing, Green Loans and Energy Efficiency Loans?

While these past 18 months in the loan business has been difficult, there are residential and business loans available to credit worth applicants. Most of these EE Loans or programs like CA-AB811 are local to the property being retro-fitted. We are currently prospecting national lenders for this emerging domestic market. Stay tuned for any new additions to these and other programs.
From what we see there is an Energy Star device approved loans and a DOE program thru Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For assistance in these locale CA-AB811 programs and EE financing services, please contact your Green Castle Ambassador today.