Preferred Client update from Chris Whitney of Royal LePage.

Managing Rain Runoff

Using rain barrels to collect water for your lawn and garden has the added benefit of keeping water away from your home's foundation and from adding unnecessary strain on municipal systems. Pools of water at groundlevel near the house can be a cause of erosion and long-term damage to the foundation of your home. Public storm sewers may not be equiped to take on heavy rain after a flash storm or long periods of downpour. It may cause backups and flooding in low lying areas.

Roofing Materials

If you are considering replacing your roof in the near future, you want want to research the new technologies and concepts that are now available in roofing.

• energy-saving roofing membranes that help reduce electricity costs during summer and winter months by keeping the heat or cool in.
• sun-reflective roof coatings that can applied on existing roofs to reduce heat absorpotion.
• ashpalt shingles are made of energy-efficient and durable materials.
• solar panels are more thin and use the roof surface area to heat water and provide electricity
• green roofs help insulate homes and use rainwater for the vegetation which absorbs greenhouse gases.

State-of-the-art green homes can be sold at market price 

Weatherford Place in Roswell Georgia is a green residential community. It's described as a "solar community of net-zero energy homes" built to the greenest building standards.

In fact, each "EcoCraft" home is at a platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) level. The highest level which includes points for such things as reuse of materials, pollution reduction, green power, rapitable renewable resources, etc. It's the first project of it's kind built using "Nature's Code".

The solar power generation in the community is what differentiates this development from the rest. One of the unique features is that each house serves as a power source for the community. The solar energy collected from the houses are put in to the power grid and used by everyone. The specifications show that each home should generate more than it uses thus making each home a net-zero energy home.

The homes also use 2/3 less energy than regular homes and use solar power to heat water, etc. Each home will have monitors and sensors to measure energy consumption and the overall eco-friendliness. The data will be used in energy-efficiency studies.

The prices of these homes are listed at $750,000 USD (for homes between 2500 to 3900 square feet), but have already appraised at $1 million. This project indicates that green homes can be built to LEED standards and can be profitable.

Source: Article in Event Magazine by Maria Saporta titled "Green Homes"

The concentrator photovoltaic cell can create five-folds the power of a typical system

IBM Corp's new technology uses lenses to concentrate the power of the sun to increase the amount of energy produced by solar cells. The idea is the same as when kids try to burn leaves using a magnifying glass.

One of the challenges facing IBM was to avoid the photovoltaic cells from becoming a burnt leaf; the heat produced is so high that it can burn stainless steel. Special liquid metal is used as the surface which can reduce temperatures from 3,000 degrees to 185 degrees.

With more power generated, it would take less equipment and less money to build solar electric systems.

Also, while determining ways of cooling down chips, IBM recently unveiled high-end computers that are cooled using water.

Source: Article by Bob Keefe

E-friendly renovation tips that can increase the value of your investment

• Windows - switch to triple-glazed that are installed properly
• Lighting - use sensor lights, skylights, compact-flourescent bulbs
• Heating - get high-efficiency furnaces, radiant heating, solar panels, solar heated hot water tanks (hot water tanks are 25% of your gas bill)
• Insulation - pack insulation in the walls, basement, attic, around pipes
• Water - install low flow toilets and showerheads, install on-demand hot water heaters
• Paint - use paint that has no VOCs (these cause breathing problems)
• Carpet - install wool carpets that don't pollute the air and are renewable,
• Floors - use renewable resources such as bamboo or cork or recycle old materials
• Surfaces - use products such as PaperStone that is made from recycled paper instead of non-renewable stone

Tips gathered from Joanna Pachner's article titled "Green renos increase a home's value".

The City is developing an urban community at the corner of Richter and Harvey

The City Of Kelowna is spearheading a project to set the standard for sustainable planning and building practices. The project will have a mix of commercial and residential development alongside an extensive park.

Some of the highlights include:

• geothermal energy systems
• solar energy systems
• storm water retention
• natural ventilation
• green roofs
• green businesses

The Central Green project will be developed to the gold standard of LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). LEED™ is the most recognized green building rating system in North America and can achieve energy savings of 50 per cent and reduce water consumption by more than 35 per cent. 

There is a public forum April 30th 2008 7 PM at the Laurel Building, 1304 Ellis Street.