Transition Oakville: A Good Thing

Last evening, I was at a great meeting for Transition Oakville (goal of which is to make the town sustainable). The concept is to create a place to share experiences from setting up a vegetable garden and what to do with the excess produce, hooking up a water barrel, or creating a permeable driveway. There are going to be monthly meetings, which are open to all. Yesterdays meeting had 11 very knowledgeable and interesting people.

If you are interested in a subject which will help us reduce our carbon foot print, that residents can apply to their own lives, make a suggestion. If you are just interested in learning something, you'll be welcomed with open arms.

For further information is: http://www.transitionoakville.ca

Tankless Hot Water Heater: Did the conversion work?

During the past year, the new installation in our home was a gas tankless hot water heater. There were a couple of reasons my wife and I decided for tankless. My wife was getting sick of us running out of hot water, especially while she was in the shower. We heard that it would save gas, since it didn't need to maintain the water temperature in a tank. Finally, it saves space which is important to us, because our home is less then a 1000 sq ft.

So I looked at the gas bill for June 09 vs June 08 to see how things were looking. On a daily average for the month we were using 4.5 cubic metres/day vs 6.1 in the previous June. I noted that the temperature for the month was the same, and we had made no other adjustments. So we were saving about 1.6 cubic metres per day or 49 cubic metres per month. This translates into $20.82 per month or $250.00 per year. This kind of return is welcome, but the cost of the rental still puts us into a negative of $14 per month. So from a financial perspective it hasn't worked out yet.

Did the change help us to accomplish our goals? It provided my wife with hot showers; it saved space; it lowered our environmental imprint. So would I suggest it? From our families perspective the answer is yes; but if you are only doing it to save money, you'll be disappointed.

Why invest in a long term roof?

Any type of home can have a long term roof installed; however, from a financial perspective, some homes will not have a significant enough return on the initial investment. So before taking the leap consider the following:

1. Is the house a home that you intend to live in for next 20 to 50 years.

2. Is your house/home of a particular era which cause it to last the test of time.

3. Is your home in an area which will warrant this type of expense.

If you are wondering about the answers to any of these questions, speak to your local realtor. They should will give you guidance. So here are the basics about long term roofing selections.

Technology Snapshot & Benefits:

Slate, clay, concrete, and composite shingles, as well as metal roofing, offer longevity advantages over common asphalt-based shingles. Properly maintained, roofs made of slate, clay or composite shingles can easily last a century. Metal roofs in traditional "standing seam" or "batten seam" applications are available in terne (a thin mixture of tin and lead coating a carbon steel core panel) and now in terne-coated-stainless ( TCS, the same mixture covering a stainless steel core panel). Well-suited to cathedrals and institutional buildings, one manufacturer estimates a useful life of TCS roofing material to be about 500 years. All non-asphalt options provide freedom from reliance upon imported petroleum products.

Estimated Cost Savings:

Installed costs are nearly always greater than short-lifetime asphalt shingles. However, over the lifetime of the lasting roofing material, costs are usually lower than short-life alternatives. Over the span of a century, building owners may expect 4 to 5 roof replacements of asphalt shingles. The attendant labor and landfill costs are often several times that of a long-lasting roofing material. Also, landfill costs are expected to increase. For the homeowner who typically moves every five years, the real value of this measure is in its ability to increase resale value.

Issues:

Existing market bias towards short-term solutions tends to limit the range of roofing options presented to building owners. This has the effect of "locking-in" dependency on 1) products that rely on imported petroleum, and 2) the need for ever-increasing landfill capacity. Some regions may lack roofers and tradesmen skilled in the art of applying slate, metal, clay or composite roofing materials. Some regions may lack long-term landfill capacity.

Turf that is Green

Did you know that Buffalo Grass uses only .8 to 1.8 inches of water per week whereas Fescue Grass uses 2.1 to 3.7. Buffalo grass is likely the only native turf. It has a high tolerance to drought and extreme heat and cold, but isn't great in the shade. So the next time you're needing to re-sod or re-seed your lawn, think about your water bill and check out if Buffalo Grass will work for you.

Bamboo Flooring: Why or Why Not

Bamboo has become the hot new flooring, so here is a little information that will help you decide if it is for you. Bamboo flooring is a cost-effective and environmentally sensitive choice among traditional hardwood flooring options. An appealing building material, it is very durable, strong and long-lasting. Bamboo, a grass product and not a wood product, is harvested every 5 years without damaging the actual bamboo plant, and does not require pesticides due to its hardiness. It comes in four different types of flooring: natural, carbonized, vertical, and horizontal graining. The LEED program recognizes bamboo flooring as a green building material and permits points for the use of this flooring. There is debate over agricultural and manufacturing issues related to the production of bamboo floors. These issues include deforestation and the use of carcinogenic chemicals.

Estimated Cost Savings:
The pricing of bamboo flooring is comparable to the pricing of hardwood flooring.

Issues:
Verify the age of the bamboo. Often bamboo that has not had adequate time to harden (up to six years), will dent more easily. Avoid denting by checking with the manufacturer on the age of the bamboo.

Installation (Getting It Done):

Bamboo flooring is installed in a similar method to hardwood floors. The flooring will need to be acclimatized to the appropriate conditions before it is installed to avoid any potential damage. The planking can be glued, nailed, or stapled. Work with experienced contractors who specialize in the use of bamboo flooring to ensure beautiful, long lasting floors.

Studio City/Silver Triangle Home for Rent

Our 1948 Bungalow in Studio City, CA is going up for rent. It has 3 Bedroom, 1.5 Bathrooms, Redwood Floors, Off Street Parking, 2 Car Garage. Main intersection is Laurel Canyon and Ventura Blvd. The primary school is Carpenter Public School. Short drive to many major studios. 

Greater Toronto Green Building Tour - Friday, May 29, 2009

Join the Canadian Green Building Council of Greater Toronto as they tour across the city to view the best examples of Green Building. This full-day "Green Coach" tour promises to give you a first hand experience with leading edge green-building technology and practices. You'll be able to share this opportunity with other like-minded sustainability and green building professionals.

The following buildings will be on the tour.

• 483 Bay Street ("Bell Trinity Square") - First in Toronto to receive Gold LEEDS certification
  
• Earth Rangers Centre - A "living lab" of leading edge green design and technology
  
• The Archetype Sustainable House located on the TRCA Living City Campus
  

Included on the tour is a fully catered lunch. Space is limited to 50 people. To register log on to: http://www.greenbuildingontario.ca