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What Everyone Should Know About Energy- What is the status of the U.S. nuclear industry?There are currently 104 commercial nuclear reactors at 65 nuclear power plants in 31 States. Since 1990, the share of the Nation's total electricity supply provided by nuclear power generation has averaged about 20%, with the level of nuclear generation growing at roughly the same rate as overall electricity use. Between 1985 and 1996, 34 new reactors w […]
- How can we compare or add up our energy consumption?To compare or aggregate energy consumption across different energy sources like oil, natural gas, and electricity, we must use a common unit of measure. This is similar to calculating your food energy intake by adding up the calories in whatever you eat. […]
- What role does liquefied natural gas (LNG) play as an energy source for the United States?On an annual basis from 2003 to 2008, the United States imported between 13% and 16% of its natural gas requirements. Most of these imports were in gaseous form delivered by pipeline from Canada. However, natural gas imports have also come in liquid form from overseas. Between 1% and 3% of U.S. demand for natural gas was met by LNG from 2003 to 2008. […]
- What is the status of the U.S. nuclear industry?
- Invasive Species
- New Conference Calendar Items January 29, 2010See our Conference Calendar for more information: 2010 Kansas Natural... […]
- Obama Administration Officials to Meet with Great Lakes Governors Regarding Asian Carp on Feb 8, 2010 (Jan 28, 2010) January 29, 2010Obama Administration Officials to Meet with Great Lakes Governors Regarding... […]
- New Conference Calendar Items January 29, 2010
The New American Home
Incorporate Energy-Saving Technologies
U.S. DOE
The National Council of the Housing Industry and Builder Magazine have unveiled the design of the 2010 edition of The New American Home, which aims to use 72% less energy than a similar house built to the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code. The New American Home provides an annual real-world demonstration of current innovations in architecture, construction techniques, and new products, including the latest energy-saving technologies. The design for this year’s structure features an energy efficient thermal shell, including insulated concrete forms for the walls, energy efficient windows and sliding glass doors, and an unvented attic with spray foam insulation applied to the underside of the roof and the inside of the gables. The building is also meant to be airtight, and it employs a heat recovery ventilator to provide fresh outdoor air with a minimal loss of energy.
With a solar thermal hot water system, Energy Star-rated appliances, and 80% of all hard-wired lamps comprised of fluorescent lamps and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the structure relies on the most current energy innovations. Combining these energy efficiency features with high-efficiency heating and cooling systems yields a home that consumes 49% less energy than a similar house built to code. The 10.53-kilowatt solar electric system on the home’s roof cuts its average energy use by nearly half again. The home’s energy performance helped it achieve the gold level score under the National Green Building Program of the National Association of Home Builders. IBACOS, Inc., a member of DOE’s Building America program, worked with the National Council of the Housing Industry to help ensure energy innovations in the home.
The New American Home is the official showcase home of the annual International Builders’ Show (IBS), which for this year was held on January 19-22 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfortunately, for the first time in its 27-year history, the home was not completed in time for the show. In a chain of events all too familiar to builders, tight credit and a soft market for high-end homes in Las Vegas made it difficult to find alternative financing after a private lender withdrew funding for the home. Because the home is now only 75% complete, the IBS instead created a special exhibition area that provided a virtual tour of the home.