What’s New!
Energy Updates & Ideas
If your looking for what’s hot and what’s not you’ve come to the right place. Let GEE help you sort through the hype to find what really works and what’s overrated.
Maybe you’re a Renovator interested in the real hierarchy of energy efficiency. Maybe you’re an Investor looking financing for energy wise residential remodeling. Maybe you’re a Buyer hoping to purchase a beautiful home and be part of the Green American Dream.
Whatever your interest, GEE’s got the information you need. From Articles and Blogs, Webinars and Videos, to Field Trips and Consultation we’ll help you get and stay informed.
Additional What’s New Information
Click a link below to view post
Dave Robinson Wins Award
Dave Robinson Wins Award 2012 BPI Tony Woods Award Winner Dave Robinson of GreenEarthEquities Receives BPI's 2012 Tony Woods Award for Excellence in Advancing the Home Performance Industry. The award recognizes the individual who has most advanced the home performance industry over the past year. Baltimore, Maryland, March 29, 2012 -The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI), the nation's premier standards development and contractor credentialing organization for residential energy efficiency retrofit work, yesterday honored Dave Robinson of GreenEarthEquities by naming him the 2012 recipient of the Tony Woods Award for Excellence in Advancing the Home Performance Industry in the Opening Plenary ceremony of the...Continue Reading!
Shaky Econoomy… Now What? 110809
Investment Strategies Turning Crises to Opportunity OK. We've had a volatile couple of weeks on the national economic scene. It's sent shock waves thru the public so there's been a lot of profit taking and looking for safe havens for investment. Our realtor Jennifer says some of her home buying clients are deciding to wait and rent.... But what does it mean for us, the Energy Wise Real Estate Investors? Are the formulas that we used last year still valid? Is this still a workable business model? Is it a good idea? A great idea? Or a good way to waste money? How...Continue Reading!
Home Performance Career 110111
Green Job Market Wow, on my drive back to Virginia on Route 66, it's 4 below zero here in Weatherford Oklahoma. They really need Home Performance here! As you know, our site is all about Home Performance from the Energy Wise Investor's point of view and not specifically designed for HERS Rating or any other ancillary career. One of my main suggestions has been, "Dont quit your day job, Start this stream of income on the side, And let it build. As your experience and confidence and income build, you might want to make a change." But several have said, "I dont...Continue Reading!
Forum on Dry Climate Home Performance 110308
Expo Notes Dave sends his greetings from Redding California's Forum on Dry Climate Home Performance. This years expo features some of the best minds in the business hoping to develop a strategy on practicing and teaching the "house as a system concept." Experts in "building science" are expecting to find common ground in implementing energy wise concepts through continued education, offering technical solutions and fostering a teamwork mentality. Recognizing the right approach to high performance must deliver true measured results, these industry leaders are looking for the what really works in the marketplace. As the first of several March seminars and speaking engagements...Continue Reading!
Manual J Calculation Training 110322
Manual J Envelope Variables A look at a project that is being renovated right now. Andrew, Fred, Roxy and Victor are working away on a triplex in York, Nebraska, so we'll have photos and stories of Planet Saving Adventures from the heartland. Most importantly, we'll run a Manual J calculation to see if the project can be heated and cooled by the 25 SEER Fujitsu Mini Split Heat Pump. It's the most efficient model readily available... the only problem is that the largest the most efficient model comes in is 12,000 btu. We'll be tweaking all the envelope variables that are still available...Continue Reading!
ACI Wrap Up and Reflections 110406
Interviews with ACI Attenders The ACI, Affordable Comfort Conference was the best ever. It was nice that it was in San Francisco, the first time west of the Rockies. The selection of Home Performance Learning was amazing. Tonight, I'll be summarizing a few points that stood out to me and (if there's time) review the presentation that I made at the conference. Others who attended: Please consider the following questions: 1. What was your biggest take away from the conference? 2. What will you be doing differently as a result of having attended the conference? As always, the value of a conference like this is not...Continue Reading!
110524 Cost Breakdown of Energy Wise House Flipping
Adjusting the 20-20-20-20-20 Spread This Tuesday we will finish going over the cost breakdown line by line on an actual project that we are working on. We'll also look at another actual project near San Luis Obispo where the investor-renovator is having difficulty with the 20-20-20-20-20 Cliff Notes breakdown. Those are only guidelines and sometimes it costs a little more or a little less ... It depends. We'll discuss that "It depends" -- what it depends on and how to make changes that save money without losing the Wow! or Energy packages that we are depending on to make the model work. BTW...Continue Reading!
DOE (IBACOS) and GEE Project 110606
GEE-Department of Energy Project As you may recall, GEE has teamed up with the Department of Energy through IBACOS as part of 2-3 year Northern CA Test House project. Since 1991 IBACOS (Integrated Building and Construction Solutions) has been a pioneering source of Services and Research for the U.S. homebuilding industry. In the past their testing was primarily on new production housing but given the flooding of the market with previously owned and foreclosed homes, the DOE has substancially altered their focus. GEE's 440 N. Homsy Fresno, CA property will be their first energy efficient remodeled test house. We'll show an overview of the project...Continue Reading!
110615 Wall, Shell Seal Insulation and Blower Door Testing
Update 1810 Norris Drive E. Fresno, CA Flying from Russia to Fresno, Dave will be unavailable again tonight. He will however be speaking in the morning at the Energy Upgrade California - Contractor Participation Workshop on June 24 at the Fresno Convention Center located at 700 M Street, Fresno CA 93721. Click here for more information or click here to register. Tonight we'll be updating the progress at 1810 Norris Drive East, Fresno CA. Rogelio, our project manager will join us to discuss wall and shell seal insulation, literally from the ground up. Will show dozens of pictures taken from video (one of many soon...Continue Reading!
Retrofit Wall Insulation – Multiple Choice 110628
Best Retrofit Wall Insulation It has long been known that fiberglass batts (the insulation used in 97% of existing walls) performs at a much lower R factor than what is stamped on the batt. And allows lots of infiltration as well. So what's a PlanetSaver to do? Our new construction colleagues can just specify and do it right in the first place (although most still dont.) In the retrofit market we would rather have an un-insulated wall, because then we could dense pack it with cellulose insulation... a pretty good solution. In our targeted age range of home (30-50 years) most...Continue Reading!
By Dave Robinson
By Jack Frost
By Andrew Martinez
By Debra Little