ZERO ENERGY, LOW MAINTENANCE PURAFLO® RESIDENTIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM PROVIDES BIG SAVINGS FOR HOMEOWNERS WHILE HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT

New Bord na Mona Innovation Center in Greensboro, North Carolina highlights Puraflo® as the eco-friendly, high performance, zero energy natural solution for residential and community wastewater treatment applications where simple, reliable operation and maintenance are required. 

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA, May 21, 2009 — Underscoring its commitment to lead the market in environmentally differentiated, high performance residential wastewater treatment solutions, Bord na Móna Environmental Products U.S. Inc. is now demonstrating the low power, low maintenance, and environmental benefits of its Puraflo® Peat Fiber Biofilter wastewater treatment solution at the company’s new Greensboro Innovation Center.  The Puraflo system is certified by NSF to NSF/ANSI Standard 40. 

“The Puraflo Peat Biofilter treatment system is a zero energy natural wastewater treatment solution for on-site wastewater treatment requirements,” asserted Shane Keaney, President of Bord na Móna Environmental Products U.S. Inc.

 

“Utilizing a unique, natural biofibrous peat filter media, the Puraflo treatment system is, in our opinion, the highest performing, most reliable natural treatment system available today.”

 Delivered in a pre-assembled modular unit that reduces installation costs, the Puraflo solution is compatible with pad dispersal systems, making it an ideal treatment solution in difficult soil, shallow water table, and lot size restrictive applications.  It is a single pass system that does not require blowers, complex control panels or recirculation pumps.  As a result, this zero energy, or low power time-dosed solution, provides savings for homeowners while meeting LEED and other green building standards.  

“The key to our system is that it utilizes a natural peat fiber which is a by-product of the energy production industry,” emphasized Keaney.  “It protects the public’s health by removing greater than 99% of harmful bacteria through a natural treatment process without the need for chlorination or Uv.  It protects the environment by consistently producing odor free and guaranteed treatment results to a much higher standard than many of the other treatment systems on the market today including natural nitrification of the wastewater reducing the ammonia levels to less than 5mg/l. ”

 In short, Keaney asserted, Puraflo is a state of the art green building solution that lowers the installation, energy, and maintenance costs for installers and homeowners.  With increasing environmental pollution standards, concerns on the robustness of on-site systems and the desire to save energy, it’s what the industry needs.

 The most common Puralfo system applications include individual residential sites, community cluster systems, light commercial, schools, and subdivision developments. The system is particularly suited for intermittent flow applications such as vacation homes, churches, parks, and truck stops as it retains the beneficial bacteria in the media. In addition the modular design allows phasing of the construction and very cost effective solutions for one & two bedroom cottages. The Puraflo treatment system is also an excellent solution for repairs.

 Green by Nature; Simple by Design:

Puraflo’s greatest benefits are derived from the reliability and simplicity of how it works, with no blowers or re-circulating pumps required. Following a septic tank containing an effluent filter the wastewater is either time dosed or where no power is available or a zero energy solution is required is siphon dosed into the Puraflo modules. Flow equalization is an important aspect of the design that protects the drain field and ensures consistently high treatment performance. Puraflo provides some of the highest treatment standards in the industry as proven by many third party tests undertaken throughout the US.

 Customers interested in seeing the Puraflo system in operation at the Bord na Mona Innovation Center can call 1-800-787-2356 to arrange an appointment.  To learn more about the entire range of Bord na Mona treatment solutions, please visit www.bnm-us.com or email info@bnm-us.com.

Headquartered in Dublin Ireland, Bord na Móna is a multi-national $550-million full line provider of products and services in the environmental, energy, fuels, and horticulture markets.  The company’s state-of-the-art, environmentally

responsible wastewater, water reuse and air pollution treatment solutions deliver significant environmental benefits for homeowners, communities, and

 municipalities.  The company is dedicated to forging a new contract with nature through the development of innovative solutions focused on water conservation,

re-use, material recycling, and energy and chemical reduction.  Bord na Móna Environmental Products U.S. Inc. (www.bnm-us.com) is headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina.  

Ecobuild Conference: Fiscal Incentives for Solar Use

Originally Appeared in Green Building News

If threats of global warming and dangerous greenhouse gases aren't enough reason to seek alternative sources for energy, federal business and residential solar tax incentives can encourage homeowners and corporations to purchase solar energy systems.
(12/19/2007)
By Michelle M. Murphy
If threats of global warming and dangerous greenhouse gases aren't enough reason to seek alternative sources for energy, federal business and residential solar tax incentives can encourage homeowners and corporations to purchase solar energy systems.
A tax credit can provide significant savings because it reduces the amount of income tax a person has to pay. Unlike a deduction, which reduces the amount of income subjected to tax, a tax credit reduces the tax itself. Credits similar to the consumer credits are also available to businesses that install qualifying solar equipment.
Solar business energy tax credits for commercial and industrial purchasers are applicable to the following technologies: solar water heat, solar space heat, solar thermal electric, solar thermal process heat, photovoltaic, geothermal electric, fuel cells, solar hybrid lighting with fiber optics, direct-use geothermal and microturbines.
The federal business tax credit amount for solar, solar hybrid lighting and fuel cell systems is 30 percent of the cost, and 10 percent of the cost for microturbines and geothermal systems. There are no maximum specified incentives for most technologies, but there is a cap of $500 per 0.5 kW for fuel cells and $200 per kW for microturbines.
Corporate depreciation is applicable to commercial and industrial purchases of solar energy. Under the Modified Accelerated Cost-Recovery System, businesses can recover investments in certain property through depreciation deductions. The MACRS establishes a set of class lives for various types of property, ranging from three to 50 years, over which the property may be depreciated.
For solar, wind and geothermal systems installed after 1986, the MACRS is five years. With the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, fuel cells, microturbines and solar hybrid lighting technologies are in the five-year class as well.
For federal residential solar and fuel cell tax credit, eligible sources include solar water heat, photovoltaic systems, fuel cells and other solar electric technologies, which are credited up to 30 percent of the cost. Maximum incentives are $2,000 for solar electric and solar water heating and $500 per 0.5 kW for fuel cells. Excess credit may be used the succeeding tax year.
Installation and equipment requirements specify that solar water heating systems must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation or by a comparable entity endorsed by the state. At least half of the energy used to heat the residence's water must be solar in order for the solar water heating property expenditures to be eligible.

LED bulbs: Outperforming CFLs

Building Green Group Member Michael Allen Howard sent me the following write up on LED bulbs manufactured by Green Torch, I figured it may be an interesting read for the group.

"If every American home replaced their 5 most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR (such as LED bulbs), we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs, and together we would prevent the greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars. The energy used in the average home can be responsible for more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of the average car. When you use less energy at home, you reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and help protect our environment from the risks of global climate change."

Source - http://www.energystar.gov/

There are many companies selling LED bulbs and not all LED bulbs are of the same quality. Some will only last 2/3 or 3/4 as long as Green Torch LED bulbs. Our bulbs are fully dimmable. Other companies may or may not offer bulbs that are fully dimmable. All of our bulbs are UL-924 listed and are LEED compliant.


Here are the top 5 benefits of purchasing LED bulbs from Green Torch:

1. Lasts 50,000 hours - Green Torch LED bulbs will last for over 10 years at 12 hours of usage per day. An LED bulb lasts nearly 50x longer than an incandescent bulb and 12x longer than a halogen bulb. Using LED bulbs will result in a significant reduction of bulbs dumped in landfills in addition to less pollution associated with manufacturing, purchasing and disposing of bulbs.

2. Uses 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. Green Torch MR-16 LED bulbs use only 3W compared to a 50W incandescent bulb.

3. No Mercury - Unlike CFL's that contain mercury (a neuro-toxin) and require a complicated clean-up process (http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/), LED bulbs are mercury free.

4. Totally Cool - LED bulbs are safe to touch and they also reduce your air conditioning costs. For every Watt of energy you save in electricity by using LED lighting, you also reduce your A/C costs by 0.2W. E.g. In other words, saving 100kWh in lighting lets you reduce your A/C usage by an additional 20kWh since your space gets less hot with LED bulbs than with incandescent bulbs.

5. LEED Compliant - All of our LED bulbs are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) compliant and will help you to achieve LEED certification for your building.
If you'd like to determine how much money you will save by purchasing Green Torch LED EXIT signs for your building, go to http://www.energystar.gov/ and simply plug in the number of EXIT signs that need to be replaced and your savings will be automatically calculated for you.

For more information, a free catalog or to purchase LED bulbs or EXIT signs, please contact:

Michael Allen Howard
Account Executive
Green Torch, Inc.
michael.howard@greentorch.com
877-305-0898 ext 815

Profiting From Going Green: The Complete Handbook for Every Business

In light of new revelations about the extent of global warming, consumersare putting new pressure on companies to provide environmentally friendlyproducts and services. And while the shift to becoming a "green" businessis time-consuming and potentially costly, there are many advantages to reap.
This free 30 page handbook details how and why your companyshould go green. Articles include:
The ROI of Going Green: A CEO’s Rationale for Adopting Sustainability
How to Green Your Business
You're Green. Now Market It.
Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategyto Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage

Click here to visit Vistage.

Liberty Mutual Unearths 'Green' Commercial Property Coverages

With green building construction starts expected to increase 400 percent in the next two years according to construction experts, Liberty Mutual Property, part of Liberty Mutual Group, has introduced a collection of "green" commercial property coverages. Green Select is a property policy endorsement that gives customers the coverage flexibility necessary to best protect their green investments.

In the event of a covered loss to a LEED or Green Globe certified building, Green Select provides insurance for building recommissioning and/or recertification fees, vegetative roofing systems, debris recycling and the use of green-certified products. The endorsement also covers the costs to recertify a building one level higher than its previous certification in the LEED Certification Program or Green Globe Certification Program. Green Select's flexibility extends to non-green properties by giving owners the extra money necessary to upgrade certain aspects of their property to green.

According to Tim Rose, president of Liberty Mutual Property, Green Select addresses issues such as the longer restoration times required for green-certified buildings and allows customers to decide how best to allocate their resources if they choose to upgrade to green building materials.

Clients have access to LEED-certified engineering, an account stewardship process and coverage for mandatory fees for temporary HVAC systems used during reconstruction; lost business income from alternative energy production; extra expenditures necessary to get a business open sooner; service interruption of phone, electricity, gas, and water; and foundations and underground property up to 1,000 feet from a covered location.

Source: Liberty Mutual Property
http://www.libertymutual.com/
This article was forwarded to me by Tim Hutton, a member of the Building Green Group, and Vice President of Sales at USI DC Metro. It originally appeared in http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2008/04/23/89363.htm

Free 2 Hour Green Building Consultation

In order to do our part to help promote Green Design and Construction, we are offering for a limited time, a free 2 hour consult. If you or anyone you know is planning on Renovating an existing or building a new home, office, or apartment complex. Please get in contact with me for your free consult. We will show you what you can do to save some green by going green! EMAIL for an appointment.

Eco Block as an energy efficient substitute

Gainesville Regional Utilities in Florida paid the owners of an ECO-Block energy-efficient home for helping cut greenhouse gas emissions, which could provide a preview of future efforts to address global warming.

The home in the Madera subdivision includes energy-saving features such as highly insulated ECO-Block walls, heat-blocking windows and ultra-efficient appliances. Energy experts studying the home found it used about 50% less energy in 2007 as a home constructed to meet the minimum building code of the area. Univ. of Florida researcher Nicholas Taylor researcher studied other area homes built around the same time and determined their average energy use in 2007. The study found the Madera home used half as much energy and its occupants saved $900 on utility bills. The Gainesville-based International Carbon Bank and Exchange calculated the amount of carbon emissions saved by the Madera home. A credit for reducing one metric ton of emissions typically fetches $10 on the global market. A metric ton is equivalent to about 2,200 pounds. GRU paid the homeowners $86 for 8.6 tons of credits. While the payment was a voluntary demonstration, a GRU utility analyst said regulators might in the future require reductions and lead utilities to seek such credits. According to Jim Dorr, VP of National Accounts for ECO-Block, “To our knowledge this is the first Eco-Block Insulating Concrete Form home to receive carbon credits directly from their utility.”


ECO-Block LLC is one of the world’s most innovative and experienced providers of insulating concrete form (ICF) systems. The Texas-based company has developed the strongest, most versatile and technologically advanced ICF systems available for both commercial and residential construction. With manufacturing strategically located throughout North America and overseas locations, ECO-Block has a true coast-to-coast presence. ECO-Block offers unparalleled support in training, code compliance and technical assistance. ICFs offer a cost-effective building solution that is mold-free, durable and fire-resistant. These buildings have withstood tornadoes, fires and natural disasters. Use of ECO-Block’s ICF technology creates super-insulated, monolithic concrete walls that save energy, keep noise out and improve air quality. For the contractor, ECO-Block’s unique panel system offers ease of construction and design adaptability. With all these benefits, it’s easy to see why ICF technology is rapidly integrating into mainstream commercial and residential developments. Visit our website to learn more.

ECO-Block: Simpler, Faster, Better, Greener

http://www.eco-block.com/