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There are many automated lighting systems on the market today.  Each company that develops their own 'unique system' seeks to sell you not only their product but a lifetime obligation to their services.  First, the system will have to be installed by one of their professionals and then you must pay to 'unlock' new features.  All the while, the cost effectiveness of an automated lighting system seems to go out the door.  So before you commit to a state of the art product and service, consider building your own automated lighting system with individual components.  If well executed you can create a luxurious, convenient lighting system on the cheap that will provide energy savings for years to come.  

First you must become familiar with what technology is out there.  There several types of wireless communications, two in particular are most commonly used in lighting.  The first is infrared technology.  Infrared light is electromatic radiation that has a wavelength longer than visible light.  These wavelengths are communicated by a corresponding frequency range.  Each frequency communicated signals a different function or command to the end user lighting component.  The other type of wireless communication is a wireless local area network (WLAN) or Wi-Fi.  Each component within the automated lighting system will have an IP address on a network and transmit communications resulting in lighting controls and responses.  The main benefit of Wi-Fi communications over infrared is that communications are relayed over the network and each component can send signals both forward and backward.  Also all activities can be monitored by a base station on the network.  This could be your home computer with Wi-Fi access or your smart phone.  The base station logs onto the network and can monitor all signals being transmitted and even schedule activities.  This is very helpful in creating an automated lighting system. 

Now you can shop for lighting components that communicate on one of the two platforms and start to assemble a
unique one of a kind lighting system.  One lighting component that is crucial to any lighting system is an occupancy sensor.  While occupancy sensor switches are not ideal for all spaces and applications they can  automatically turn lights off when not needed in areas of your home or office where you usually leave the lights on.  This will help you save tons of money on your energy bills.  Occupancy sensors are available to fit in a wall switch junction box or for a ceiling mounted application.  There are
also a variety of lamps and LED fixtures that come fitted with occupancy sensors built-in.  This option adds an extra dimension of flexibility to your DIY automated lighting system design; allowing you to place sensored lighting in areas where conduit had never been installed.



Tony walker
9/19/2013 08:40:23 am

I recently hired the team at Pure Audio Video to install a home automation system for my elderly parents living in Pompano Beach. Unlike many companies I’ve met, they are licensed and insured. They took the time to understand my parent’s lifestyle and what they needed before recommending the appropriate system, and their installation team was courteous and professional. Now I have peace of mind knowing that my loved ones are comfortable and safe. Contact them today at www.pureaudiovideo.com or (954)-581-4434.

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    construction

    • Sustainable Facility Management Software

      -- Recent developments in technology strive to induce an energy efficient mindset to the occupants of sustainable buildings.Since early 2010, there has been alot of discussion about net zero energy buildings on the Sustainable Construction Blog.  It is evident that sustainable construction technologies have greatly advanced over the past few years; making net zero energy a viable goal for new construction projects.  However, one very important aspect is often not emphasized enough when discussing the criteria necessary to acheive superior energy efficiency goals.  This aspect is the occupants' ability to operate under the energy loads established in the design phase of the project.  Simply put, if day-to-day energy loads continue to exceed the allotted "energy budget" the building cannot be considered net zero energy.  This is a major concern of facility manager's whose job is to ensure the building is operating efficiently.  This is difficult to do when energy demand is strongly dictated by the building occupants. So what are the facility managers to do?In a recent article written by Ashley Halligan, she outlined five strategies to help boost occupant compliance in "green" buildings to help meet environmental performance goals. She interviewed experts involved in sustainability efforts and facility management software gurus that have created dashboards that measure and report live consumption--and with that data, created a guide for both design teams and building managers to better their performance. These ideas include: engaging occupants during the design phase through educational meetings, taking a holistic approach to sustainability campaigns, integrating software solutions that measure consumption, creating competition among occupants and creating a transparent, easy-to-understand campaign that's clear and concise.Because this area is still so new and occupants do, in fact, account for up to 50 percent of energy consumption in a building, it's important to implement a strategy early on to optimize performance. Not only does meeting environmental performance goals provide cost-savings over a period of time, but it also demonstrates a commitment to environmental responsibility, which is a credible trait in corporate social responsibility. 

    • Commercial Warehouse Energy Retrofits

      One type of building that does not often get mentioned in energy conservation discussion is commercial warehouses and storage facilities.  In order to conserve energy in these spaces it is important to identify defficiencies.  These buildings are unique in that the inhabitants do not desire typical interior temperatures, however, some products and materials held in warehouses require to be stored at a certain climate.  For this reason heating and cooling loads can still be a large contributor to a warehouse's energy consumption.  In most cases, however, lighting often leads to a large portion of energy consumption.
      To correct these energy deficiencies in warehouses and cut back on energy consumption, several things can be done.  Michael Koploy, manager of Warehouse Management Systems Guide website, recently took some time to meet with a few professionals on the topic to compile a list of energy retrofits that can help warehouse managers have a more energy efficient facility and save more money.  The list of 9 Energy Retrofits to Reduce Energy Consumption provides cost effective solutions to acheive many benefits.A few energy retrofit ideas from the article include:Installing solar light tubes to help natural light effectively penetrate into spaces on the warehouse floor.Replacing halogen and incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent and LED lighting.  These lights are cool buring, consume less energy and last longer, while offering superior light levels.Controlling these lights with automatic occupancy sensor switches will help save more energy by automatically turning lights on and off by detecting motion or lack of motion on a certain area of the warehouse floor.Using a white roof membrane to help reflect light that will otherwise be absorbed by a traditional dark roof and contribute to heating loads.Deploy destratification fans to help keep warm air down in colder climates will help cut back on heating bills.And of course, insulating a building with spray in foam or batt insulation is a common energy retrofit for any structure with conditioned spaces.

    • 5 Components of a Net Zero Energy Building

      --Unfortunately, there is not a recipe for constructing a net zero energy building, but these guidelines provide a fundamental basis of how net zero energy is acheived through smart design and innovative technologies.Alternative Energy SourceAlternative energy can come from a variety of sources: solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass.  These renewable energy sources can be harnessed in a variety of ways to provide power, heating, and cooling to a building and lower supplemental consumption by traditional grid utilities. The most influential factor in acheiving net zero energy in a building is choosing what type and how much alternative energy will be used.  Simply put, the alternative energy  source should be chosen based on the natural resources offered by the particular region of the world the building site is located.  A marine or coastal building site might consider wind while a tropical site might consider solar, and an inland moderate site may want to explore the local geothermal resources.  These are by no means strict guidelines for choosing a source but offer a logical basis of how to choose which source a feasibility analysis should be performed on.
      In addition to an alternative energy source, other sustainable construction design, technologies and components must be used in order to further lower a building's demand of traditional grid utilities.
      Passive Solar Design
      One aspect of building design that has been around for hundreds of years but is very underconsidered is how the building will behave according to the sun.  Solar gain is responsible for heat gain that can drive the costs of cooling a building through the roof.  On the other hand the sun offers valuable natural light, and solar gain in the winter can help to heat a building.  Passive solar refers to a building's ability to naturally collect, store and distribute energy as needed according to a builing site's particular climate. 
      Paying close attention to the building's orientation on the site, and window and door placement is essential to passive solar design.  In addition it is important to use components of a high performance building envelope, further reducing energy loads to create a net zero energy building. 
      High Performance Building Envelope
      Today, many building materials and technologies are designed to contribute to a building's ability to lower heating and cooling loads.  The concept of superinsulation is to make a building as air-tight as possible.  This can be done by adding multiple high performance insulations to a traditional structure, or by using panelized or site casted wall systems that eliminate thermal bridging while offering sound structural performance.  These non traditional wall structural systems are structural insulated panels (SIPs) and insulated concrete forms (ICFs).  Unfortunately, these panels can not alone be responsible for creating a superinsulated envelope as windows and doors will likely be present on everyside of the building.  The highest whole wall R-value is acheived by using SIPs and ICFs in combination with superinsulated doors and windows. 
      Lighting and Daylighting
      In commercial buildings, only one energy load is more demanding than heating and cooling individually.  That is the energy consumed by lighting.  In recent years, lighting products and systems have improved significantly to contribute to lower demands.  Of course, using no artificial lighting at all is the most beneficial to lowering consumption.  A typical net zero energy building will effectively allow daylight to penetrate deep into highly occupied spaces, and employ a high-tech sensored lighting system that adjusts artificial lighting output based on the amount of daylight present.  In addition, occupancy sensors can be used for areas that do not constantly need to be lit.  Of course, the artificial light source itself can draw less power when CFL adn LED bulbs are used.
      Low Consumption Technology/Appliances
      Other than lighting, additional electrical consumption comes from appliances and office equipment.  Fortunately, many manufacturers accross many industries have sustainability initiatives that focus on lowering the power consumed by their products.  Many rating systems such as the U.S. Government's Energy Star program make it simple for consumers to choose the right products that will help to acheive a net zero energy goal.

    • Choosing a Low-E Window



      In a recent post, we explained the benefits of using DIY low-emissivity coatings to insulate your current windows at the fraction of the cost of replacing them.  But if you are designing a new sustainable building or home and have the opportunity to select your windows from the cutting edge options available today, these general guidelines will help you make logical decisions.There is a true science behind low-e coatings that bares the necessity of mentioning that no two low-e coatings are created equal.  However, this is not to say that some products are universally better than others, but that selecting the right window depends on the climate it is being installed in and orientation to the sun.  In order to receive maximum energy efficiency, each window on a building should be analyzed independently and fitted with the appropriately insulated window.Many superinsulated window manufacturers take these factors into consideration to offer a lineup of windows that are optimal for each application.  In general, for colder climates, it is desired to encourage long-wave solar heat gain and not let the reradiated heat out of the interior space.  For this application, a low-e hard coat on the inner-most surface of the window would be optimal.  A hard coat is a layer of indium tin oxide that gets floated into the glass when it is still molten.  This allows for more durable surface hence the name hard coat. Compared to soft coats this allows 20-30% more light transmittance, which decreases its insulating R-Value, but encourages passive solar heat gain.  This combined with its application to the inner-most window surface makes it the appropriate choice for colder climates.For warmer climates, it would be desired to use a soft low-e coating that is typically a spattered layer of silver on the already-hardened pane of glass.  This layer is less durable compared to the hard coat of indium tin oxide, but delivers less light transmittance, thus rejecting more radiant energy from the sun that will contribute to unwanted heat gain in this particular case.  For optimal results this layer should be applied to the outer most surface of the window, but due to the delicate nature of the soft low-e coatings, can be applied to surface #2, just inside the air-space of the window.  For moderate climates that see a fair share of all four seasons, selecting energy efficient windows becomes more complicated.  In this scenario, it is important to consider each window and its orientation to the sun.  In the northern hemisphere, northern facing windows will never see too much direct sunlight.  Because of this it is not as necessary to have a low light transmittance soft coating, but a well-insulated double or triple pain air-space with a hard low-e coating that will help keep the interior climate constant.On the contrary, south facing windows might want to encourage solar heat gain for winter months and inhibit solar heat gain in warmer months.  In this case, a well-insulated window is most effective in controlling interior temperatures and the use of low-e coatings is necessary to insulate but the difference in using a soft or hard coat and placement of the coating within the window will be very minimal when evaluated over the course of a year.  There are other measures to be taken in order to create the most energy efficient interior spaces.  Using louvered sun shades and strategically placed operable windows may help to deliver better results as the seasons change.

    renovations

    • Occupational Safety in Sustainable Building Renovations

      --The most sustainable materials are often recycled materials.  The same can be said for buildings in some cases.  But it is important to realize that when cleaning up an older building you often run into unsustainable materials that can be hazardous to contractors during renovation.  Our friends at Asbestos.com have delivered a featured blog post to share some of the hazards of renovating a building.

      As the “environmentally friendly” movement continues to gain popularity, sustainable building renovations are also taking up an ever-increasing percentage of construction projects.Some sustainable renovations are simple, like adding rooftop solar panels or installing new light shelves. However, other renovations that can enhance a building’s “green” factor can damage asbestos-containing materials, posing an exposure threat to the workers.Sustainable renovations that might release asbestos into the air include:
      Tuning up heating or cooling systems (often insulated with asbestos)
      Clearing out boilers (also insulated with asbestos)
      Tearing up carpet to expose terrazzo flooring (asbestos was once an ingredient in carpet glue)
      Replacing old windows (asbestos has been found in wall cladding and window sills)During these renovations, or any other renovations where older construction products are disturbed, workers must make asbestos safety a priority. Asbestos is a natural material, but it can cause cancers such as mesothelioma and lung cancer if it is inhaled or ingested. Construction (both on traditional and sustainable projects) poses one of the largest risks for asbestos exposure.Reducing Asbestos Risks during RenovationUnfortunately, the presence of asbestos is almost guaranteed in buildings that were constructed before the 1980s, and handling asbestos-containing materials is sometimes unavoidable. However, asbestos safety procedures can reduce the risk of releasing asbestos fibers into the air.Before performing any construction activities on a potentially asbestos-containing material, workers should send samples of the item in question to a laboratory, where its asbestos content can be confirmed.If a product is found to contain asbestos, workers can employ wet-removal techniques (or dry ice techniques when dealing with certain asbestos adhesives) to reduce the chances of asbestos entering the airspace. Any debris that is released during the construction process should be treated with care and vacuumed up by a machine equipped with a HEPA filter before the construction crew leaves the site.While performing these sustainable renovations, construction workers must wear appropriate safety gear as provided by their employer. Personal protective equipment recommended for asbestos-contaminated jobsites include disposable coveralls, eyewear, boots, gloves and full-or-half-face respirators with a HEPA filtered cartridge. Author bio: Faith Franz is a writer for the Mesothelioma Center. She combines her interests in whole-body health and medical research to educate the mesothelioma community about the newest developments in cancer care.

    • Energy Efficient Curtains and Blinds

      --Thermal insulated window treatments act as a similar energy efficient retrofit as low E window films.In a recent post, the use of low E residential window films was discussed as a viable opportunity to reduce solar heat gain.  Solar heat gain is perhaps one of the largest contributors to high cooling costs in warmer months.  In addition, UV rays entering your house can cause furniture to be destroyed.  There are plenty of undeniable reasons why solar heat gain can be devastating to a home's ability to be energy efficient; the question is what can be done to reduce or prevent it?If low E residential window films don't seem to be a practical solution, or if you are looking for additional protection against solar heat gain, one should consider the use of energy efficient curtains or blinds.  Mostly all windows in a home or office that look directly into occupied spaces need curtains or blinds for privacy at night and to shade the interior when not as much direct sunlight is desired.  When shopping for curtains and blinds for these instances consider options that use liners or materials that reject UV rays that cause solar heat gain and damage your furnishings.  Here are some great selections that are stylish and energy efficient.  Thermal Insulated Blackout Curtainby Best Home Fashion$64.99

      These curtains come in a variety of colors and are sold in pairs at 84 inch length and feature a sleek, contemporary look with solid grommet top fittings that slip right over any standard or designer curtain rod.  Laboratory testing concludes that these curtains will block 100% of UV rays and will insulate against heat and cold.  Also available in 63" length for $59.99.Imperial Matchstick Bamboo Roll-up Blinds(30 x 72)by Radiance$31.97

      These indoor/outdoor blinds filter harmful UV rays, offering energy efficient insulating qualities.  Use these blinds on your windows and notice a decrease in your home or office's energy demands.  Also available in 36" and 48" widths.

    • Low E Residential Window Films



      The sun's energy is one of the most overlooked contributors to the high energy costs that homeowner's face every month. Solar heat gain is used to refer to heat from the sun that enters your home through windows and skylights even when they are closed.  This heat must be removed by your air conditioning making it work harder and costing you more money.  A very cost effective way to control this heat and help keep your energy bills down is to use residential low E window films. 
      These easy, sustainable, DIY protective coatings use the same spectrally selective glass technologies that are used in some of the most energy efficient skyscrapers and commercial buildings.  Spectrally selective window films help to manage the sun's energy all year round; keeping 55% of winter heating in your home and reflecting 70% of solar heat gain in the summer.  At a negligible investment compared to new windows, you can see the return on your investment through lowered utility costs in as little as a few months!
      One of the best and most affordable window films is the Gila LES361 Platinum window films.  In addition to energy savings, this low E residential window film can offer several other priceless benefits.  By reflecting 99% of harmful UV rays you are protecting your interior furnishings from fading.  The Gila window film also rejects 67 percent of glare, filling your interior spaces with more pleasant natural light that does not heat up your home and drive up energy costs.
      Remember to be smart when installing your low E window films!  It is possible that protective coatings are not necessary for every window in your home to see results.  In the northern hemisphere the south facing sides of homes are responsible for most of the solar heat gain.  Coating these windows will allow effective natural light in, while rejecting unwanted heat gain.  North facing windows will not see much if any direct sunlight and therefore may not need to be coated.  Realizing this will help cut down the initial investment without reducing savings in energy costs!

      The Gila window film is a great product for your next sustainable DIY renovation project. This product is manufactured and packaged in the USA to ensure that it is produced to the highest standards in sustainablility and quality.

    • Home Energy Audit Tools

         



      Residential energy audits are the first step in cutting energy costs. Before eliminating energy loss in your home you must first identify where your house is losing the most energy. Using this information you are more capable of effectively cutting energy costs without wasting time and money on projects that may not produce as valuable results. Another way to save money and increase the return on investment for your energy efficiency projects is to perform the energy audit yourself. While a professional home energy audit provides a thorough analysis of all energy loss in a home, a DIY energy audit can be just as effective if done correctly. These tools can be used to perform your DIY energy audit at very little cost compared to a professional audit.

      The Black & Decker TLD100 Thermal Leak Detector is very easy to use and is useful to perform seasonal energy audits. The thermal leak detector is a dramatically cheaper alternative to a thermo imaging camera used by professionals. Thermo imaging cameras start around $1,500 dollars and take radiometric images to locate air leaks. The Black & Decker TLD100 Thermal Leak Detector detector is a similar looking device that retails for $64 and provides the same results.

      The thermal leak detector works using an infrared thermometer to take a thermal measurement at different points along a building envelope. By reporting the temperature at different points along a wall the user can locate hidden energy leaks. It is very useful in revealing leaky windows, doors, uninsulated walls, pipes, ducts and more.When performing a DIY energy audit using this tool, you can identify which walls to insulate and which windows and doors to replace. This allows you to maximize return by only replacing windows and doors that leak energy.

      Another very useful tool in performing a home energy audit is a Kilowatt meter. The Kill A Watt
      EZ Electricity Usage Monitor helps homeowners recognize which appliances are drawing the most power on any given day. As the cost of electricity increases it is more beneficial than ever to cut back on electric usage.

      More often than not homeowners don’t realize what really makes a difference on your energy bill. Typically, a homeowner’s first action is to turn off the lights when not in use. While this is a good idea, it is not necessarily the most beneficial. More often than not appliances, computers, cable boxes, and other electronics that are constantly plugged in draw the most power throughout the day. Whatever the cause, the KILL A WATT EZ Electricity Usage Monitor will help you find what is consuming the most electricity in your home and help you cut the cost of your monthly utilities.

    news

    • Demand Response for Sustainable Infrastructure

      photo source: nj.com
      --Our current energy grid suffers from a lack of communication and shared information.  Demand response is one solution that is transforming the energy industry.
      For the past few decades, our nation's infrastructure has struggled to keep up with the exponentially rising energy demand.  The rise in demand is mostly due to our growing dependence on technology, and as businesses turn to new technology, they rely on the energy grid to support their business more than anything.  Energy is something that consumers generally take for granted, but since the blackouts in 2003 we have realized how economically devastating loss of power can be.
      The object of demand response is to reduce the demand from the grid during peak hours.  Peak demand refers to the hours of the day when most people are home from work, cooking dinner, or watching TV.  In the United States, peak demand would usually be between the hours of 6 pm and 9 pm.  Demand response groups take this into consideration, and gather regional consumption data with the support of larger corporations that conduct energy intensive operations.  The idea is for these companies to coordinate and shift operations when possible to lower peak demands.  Energy costs are higher when the demand peaks; so when power plants don't have to work as hard they are not only saving carbon emissions, but the consumers are also saving money.
      Residential demand response groups work a little bit differently.  Overall, promoting awareness of when peak demand is and that reducing non-essential power loads during peak hours can save money is the focus of most groups and services.  More effectively, this idea has been churning into technological advances in smart grid technology.  A smart grid refers to the communication and sharing of real-time information between the residential and commercial consumers and the utilities that provide the power.  In general, the current grid tells the utilities how much power it produces at any given moment; which dictates the price of energy along with other involved operational costs. 
      Essentially, a smart grid would consist of networked sensors at the power plant's substations providing power to certain sub regions and at each consumer's utility meter.  When the smart grid knows who is consuming energy where and when, everyone benefits.  The utility can adjust output to sub regions that need more power while borrowing it from others that do not need as much at that time without increasing overall production.  The consumers, both residential and commercial, can access this information from the internet and other networked smart grid tools in order to respond accordingly; a business shifting operations, and a consumer understanding when to run the dishwasher or turn their computer off if their not using it.  This is the culmination of what demand response groups are trying to orchestrate, and the benefits are universally invaluable.
      It will be interesting to see the smart grid industry develop and how many other industries may need to adjust their product development to be compatible with the smart grid.

    • Energy Efficient Lighting Supply


      The Sustainable Construction Blog is proud to announce their newest partner, the Energy Efficient Lighting Supply.  Energy Efficient Lighting Supply has recently launched their brand new store of affordable automated lighting supplies for all your energy efficient lighting needs.  The store features many products, but most proudly offers the lowest prices on occupancy sensor switches.  This modern lighting component can save you loads of money on your energy bills, while providing the interior of your home or office a futuristic, upgraded look.  Occupancy sensors range from ceiling mounted to wall mounted and passive infrared to ultrasonic.  Whether you are looking for residential or commercial use, Energy Efficient Lighting Supply is sure to have you covered.We are most proud to partner with Energy Efficient Lighting Supply because of their commitment to sustainability and smart DIY renovations.  Keep checking back at http://occupancysensorswitch.com for the latest in automated in lighting technology, and their line of LED under cabinet lighting kits and components for your next sustainable kitchen renovation. 

    • Trending Sustainable Senior Living Communities

      --Recent economic and social trends support the opportunities that sustainable communities offer more than ever.
      Traditionally, sustainable communities have been the business of many European cultures; and more recently, popular among a certain population of the west coast.  However, there is a growing demographic in the United States that could greatly benefit from the unique opportunities offered by sustainable communities. 
      The 'Baby Boomer' generation is coming of the age of retirement, and many are finding it difficult to retire when they thought they could.  This is due to many reasons pertaining to reductions in social security available, and the suffering stock market in this recession.  But maybe most detrimental to many Baby Boomers' retirement plans is the suffering real estate market.  In many parts of the nation sale prices of homes are at an all-time low when inflation is considered.  People of age to retire are forced to sell their homes well below what their value 8 years ago. And it is for these reasons that an alternative retirement lifestyle must be considered. 
      An alternative retirement lifestyle is not a compromise on quality, but only means that smart and innovative decisions must be made in order to achieve a desired retirement.  Sustainable senior living communities consider the social and economic advantages of using high performance building techniques, aspects of cohousing, and renewable energy sources.  A combination of high performance or superinsulated building techniques creates a sound foundation for any sustainable building or development.  And while off grid utilities are ideal, they are often unpractical, especially when trying to offer active seniors a certain luxuries in life.  However, the combination of lowered energy loads by use of superior building construction, and the introduction of an alternative energy source can become very economical; offering the communities' inhabitants a lifetime of low cost energy that is less susceptible to rising energy costs. 
      The idea of shared spaces and commodities is strong principal adopted from cohousing that is used by innovative sustainable communities.  In many cases, active seniors will be downsizing from larger family-sized homes to smaller cottages or residential units in sustainable communities.  This involves the difficult task of getting rid of many assets you own and love.  Fortunately, sustainable communities provide the economic advantage and convenience of allowing you to possess all these same amenities without the cost or burden of moving and storing them.  Examples of shared spaces and commodities would be a wood shop or sewing room, possibly a shed to store tools and equipment for the community gardens, and common areas to enjoy the sense of community and family.
      When economy of scale is considered in all of these amenities, one can start to see the advantages of sustainable communities for active senior living.  Developers can offer low cost housing with the freedom to have all of the things you used to and a priceless like-minded community of people to share your time with. 
       

    • Top 5 Sustainable Construction Blog Articles

      --Happy Birthday to the Sustainable Construction Blog! After one year of blogging the Sustainable Construction Blog has published many articles covering many technologies, products, projects, and issues in the sustainable construction industry. We have received a great deal of feedback in the News, Construction and Renovations blogs and look forward to more discussion and input in the next year, as more content covering the most popular trends and topics is published. This past year, the Sustainable Construction Blog was proud to partner with ZamRay.com; a cutting edge website designed to assist the sustainability of the construction industry.  We are also proud to advocate Philadelphia University’s live radio show, Ecoman and the Skeptic, as they just got their third season underway!  Again, thank you for your continued support.  Below is a list of the 5 most popular articles since the launch of the Sustainable Construction Blog.
      Passive House vs LEED StandardsThe Role of Steel in Sustainable Prefabricated BuildingsSustainable Kitchen Inspiration and IdeasRecycled Aggregate for Carbon Neutral ConcreteBIM Software for Sustainability