In The News
7-Eleven Goes 'Green' in Fla.
As it plans 44 Orlando-area stores, retailer opens first built to LEED standards.
Mar 1, 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/cf1mSq
Going "green" saves money, energy
Traverse City Michigan homeowner doing his part to reduce consumption. Greenblock ICFs play a major role.
BY BILL O'BRIEN
bobrien@record-eagle.com
Apr 24, 2009
TRAVERSE CITY -- Bill Councell lives in a "freak house." That's what his daughter calls it, anyway.
Councell's home overlooking Cedar Valley near the Grand Traverse-Benzie county border isn't spooky or scary, but it is unusual. The house features several inexpensive, hand-made contraptions he's devised to reduce energy consumption, measures that save him hundreds of dollars a year on his utility bills.
He's among a growing number of consumers seeking out various "green" initiatives to cut energy use and save money. Professionals in the renewable energy field said going green is more mainstream than ever, and more people are reducing their greenhouse gas output in an effort to lessen their impact on the planet.
"There's huge, huge public interest in renewable energy sources," said Steve Smiley, of Bay Energy Services Inc. in Suttons Bay. "Every time you go into one of these meetings, there's a hundred people in the room."
Councell said interest in saving energy is two-fold. He's an avid recycler who enjoys tinkering to uncover efficiencies, a trait he attributes to being the son of a blacksmith.
"He really inspired my brothers and I to work with our hands and think about stuff," he said.
Councell also likes saving money.
"A lot of it is just common sense when you think about it," he said.
The retired builder from the Flint area constructed his house using "Greenblock" insulated concrete forms (ICFs) to improve energy efficiency. ICFs are stay-in-place polystyrene foam forms which are stacked in the exterior shape of the home and then filled with concrete and reinforcing steel bars creating an airtight, high R-value building envelope. (Homes and buildings constructed with ICFs are not only highly energy efficient, but also resistant to tornados. And the combination of foam and concrete creates a very quiet interior living environment). He's been "fiddling around" ever since, a constant quest to come up with more ways to save energy.
First, the basics: turning off lights when they're not needed; switching to carbon fluorescent light bulbs; installing a programmable thermostat. Councell replaced older appliances with Energy Star-certified units, and installed higher-efficiency LED lighting for some indoor and outdoor use.
Then his creative side took over. He built an outdoors passive solar water heater that heats groundwater before it enters the home. He installed a clothesline inside the lower level to reduce dryer use.
And last fall he decided to take on the family's biggest energy expenses: home heating bills. He constructed what he calls a pair of "solar space heaters" out of wood, screening and black paint; contraptions that helped him slash heating bills by 20 percent over the winter.
"It's really quite effective, and it's really low-tech," he said.
On a sunny winter day, the temperature atop the unit can reach more than 120 degrees, Councell said. Its design creates what he calls a "thermal siphon," in which cool air is pulled in through a one-inch gap at the bottom, warmed in the flat black interior of the box, then is spilled into the home through a one-inch gap at the top.
Councell spent about $60 in materials to build one box for a door and another for a southern window. The devices helped cut his winter propane bill by $240, a savings he considered impressive, given the extended winter season.
"I figure I got my money back 400 percent this year," he said.
Local renewable energy consultants and contractors said consumer demand for energy-saving measures is running hotter than ever.
John Heiss, owner of Northwoods Energy Alternatives in Lake Leelanau, has been in the business for more than 25 years and remembers a time when he scoured the state for work. These days, he's got more jobs than he can handle.
"There's a different group of people now that think about it," Heiss said.
Years ago his typical clients were "poor hippies" who might spend a couple thousand dollars to get power to a house off the beaten path. These days, customers might spend $25,000 or more for energy improvements around their homes.
"Now, your entry level is suburbia," he said. "Everybody gets it."
Smiley, who's worked in the renewable energy field since 1979, said while consumer interest is growing, public policymakers aren't doing enough to foster more growth in the renewable energy field. He wants to see more tax credits and other financial incentives to put such technology within the economic grasp of more people.
"There's still a lot of frustration in the ability to accomplish things," Smiley said. "The policies aren't keeping up."
But technology continues to improve, as items like wind turbines and solar panels become less expensive and more efficient.
"I think we'll see a huge leap in the next five years," Heiss said.
A First for Grand Bahama: RE Properties Builds Green Luxury Homes to LEED Standards
Nov 28, 2008
Built to Last
Insulated concrete forms provide strong building structures to withstand unpredictable weather.
Aug 15, 2008
Greenblock's Rafiki Foundation project was featured in the July issue of Modern Contractor Solutions.File: MCS0708_PP_BuiltToLast.pdf
Link: http://www.moderncontractorsolutions.com/articlesdetail.php?id_articles=278&id...
Greenblock's ICF Project: Rafiki Village written up in Concrete Homes Magazine
Aug 5, 2008
Link: http://www.concretehomesmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id...
Christian Academy to go green
New school in sahuarita is being built with recycled, energy-efficient materials
Jun 19, 2008
"It's like a recycled school," he said. Despite the environmentally savvy approach, green schools are not cheaper to build. It would cost about $5 million ...Greenblock Featured in Concrete Monthly Magazine
Jun 19, 2008
Greenblock featured in Concrete Homes Magazine
Nov 6, 2007
Link: http://www.concretehomesmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_a...
Raffle to benefit United for Families
Nov 4, 2007
HomeCrete Homes, in coordination with Green Block Worldwide and Insulated Concrete Walls, recently built a 64-square-foot playhouse that will be raffled off to benefit people served by United for Families.
Link: http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2007/nov/04/raffle-benefit-united-families/
Home builders sold on 'green'
Jul 13, 2007
Link: http://www1.tcpalm.com/tcp/business/article/0,2541,TCP_998_5626980,00.html
Home builders look on green side at trade show
Jul 12, 2007
Link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/growth/orl-builders1307jul13,0,5375...
Greenblock to Exhibit at World of Concrete 2007 in Las Vegas
January 23-26 2007. Visit us at Booth # N1765 in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center
Sep 25, 2006
Link: http://www.worldofconcrete.com/WOC2007/public/booth.aspx?BoothID=281591&EventI...
Greenblock to Exhibit at IBS 2007 in Orlando
February 7-10 2007. Come visit us at the Orlando Convention Center West Hall, Booth # W5479
Sep 25, 2006
Building 'green' reaches a new level
USA Today article predicts 2/3 of builders will be "building green" within next year
Jul 26, 2006
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-07-26-green-construction_x.htm?POE=cl...
Greenblock Article in Walls & Ceilings Magazine
Mar 17, 2006
Click the link below:http://www.wconline.com/CDA/Articles/Industry_News
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