The drawback to most exterior skylight shades, however, is the lack of control in regulating the sunlight — the device is either on or it’s off. By contrast, interior shades, which can be opened and closed at will, are more versatile: in your bedroom they allow you to sleep in on a bright summer morning, or in a family room they prevent daytime TV viewing from being impaired by the sun’s glare on the screen. The fabric of interior skylight shades ranges from very sheer (when the goal is simply to “soften” the light) to “room darkening.” In situations where the shade is within reach of a control rod, manual operation works fine. However for skylights installed in high places, most homeowners choose electric shades, which are opened and closed with the touch of a wall switch or remote control. Battery and solar-powered devices are now available aswell, eliminating the hassle of running wires above the ceiling.

As an alternative to shading, the principle of reflection can also be used to control heat gain from skylights. White acrylic domes are the most obvious example of this. If you have a clear or bronze-tinted skylight, changing out the plastic to white will generally cut down on heat gain by reflecting a good portion of the sun’s heat. Reflection is also at work in Low E glass. The “spectral selectivity” of this type of glazing blocks the longer wavelengths that make up the heat portion of the electromagnetic spectrum while letting in the shorter wavelengths that appear in the form of visible light. Thus, replacing energy-inefficient acrylic skylights with Low E glass units provides the best of both worlds: maximum illumination with minimal warming effect.

Some people interpret a less-than-100% return on investment as a reason not to remodel, but it’s important to consider other factors as well. If your $50,000 kitchen makeover justifies raising your selling price by $39,000 (a 78% value-to-cost ratio), effectively you’ve paid 22 cents on the dollar ($11,000) for new cabinets, countertops, appliances, etc., all of which will presumably improve your quality of life over the duration of your stay in the house. Moreover, energy-efficient upgrades in building materials result in lower utility bills. Finally, the $39,000 recouped at the time of resale is normally tax-free.

The 2007 Report shows that, generally, value-to-cost ratios have declined slightly this year. This is not surprising in light of the record appreciation in home values that occurred until recently.

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The goal of a.k.a. Green is to promote the “triple bottom line — people, planet and prosperity — by educating people on products that are healthier for them, for the planet, and selling these materials to make a living and a sustainable business.” The company offers everything from eco-friendly countertops to healthy flooring to water-saving toilets, to zero VOC paints, sealers, and coatings. A lot of research has gone into their product selection. As a result, customers can feel comfortable knowing that the items displayed at the store have already been screened and are the best available within the marketplace.

More than strictly an eco-friendly building supply center, a.k.a. Green is at the forefront of the statewide “green” movement, bringing together employee advocates, concerned customers, in-novative suppliers, cutting-edge pro-fessionals, and pro-active community members and groups dedicated to improving the way we live. They provide architectural design services and project consulting as well as monthly educational workshops that cover a variety of green building and socially responsible topics.

Skylight Windows

Here are the requirements for tax credit eligibility:

1. Qualifying products must be purchased and installed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010.
2. Products must be installed in taxpayer’s principal residence.
3. Products must comply with the new ETC-30 energy standards.
4. The lifetime cap for the credit is $1500 — you cannot take a $1200 credit for new windows and then later claim an additional $800 credit for a new air conditioner (NOTE: The 30% tax credit is not limited for certain renewable energy improvements such as solar power and water heating systems)
5. You must file a 1040 form to claim the credit (taxpayers filing a 1040EZ tax form are ineligible). Also, if your tax liability is zero for the current year, you can carry the credit amount forward to a year in which you do owe taxes, but you can never get back more in credits than the amount of your liability.

In applying for the credit, the following paperwork will be needed:

1. An invoice from your contractor breaking out the material cost portion of your project
2. A Manufacturer’s Certification Statement verifying that the product(s) installed comply with the new ETC-30 energy standards (NOTE: You will not be required to submit this with your tax return but will need it in the event you are audited)
3. IRS Form 5695 – Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit

Please understand that this is the best information available as of this writing and is subject to change. Taxpayers should check with the IRS regarding updates to the IRS interim guidance Notice 2006-26, and should consult with a professional tax advisor prior to filing their return.

How the Home & Design Center Works:

• Visitors are greeted at the reception counter. There is no charge for admission.
• They’re issued a state-of-the-art hand-held scanner
• Each company’s vignette will display a plaque with an assigned bar code number. When attendees scan the barcode, it generates and records information specific to that company. There is no sales staff in any of the booths.
• At the end of the tour, visitors return to the reception area where a staff member completes their checkout by giving them a take-home bag filled with marketing materials from each exhibit in which they expressed interest.

In addition to the more than 200 vignettes, the facility will also provide a sitting area where attendees can enjoy complimentary beverages, as well as private meeting rooms.

The Home & Design Idea Center is a subsidiary of AZ Big Media, the producer of the annual Arizona Home & Building Expo at the Phoenix Civic Plaza and the publisher of several local magazines. Similar showrooms have enjoyed great success throughout Australia and Europe and are now opening in most major markets in the United States. The owners expect the new facility to draw visitors from throughout Maricopa County, which ranks third nationally in terms of population.

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Thermal Performance :

A building loses up to 40% of its heating and cooling through its windows and doors. “Green” windows must slow the conduction of negative energy through the use of dual pane glass and a frame with good insulating properties (e.g., vinyl, fiberglass, or wood). They must also limit the radiation that passes through the glazing and heats interior objects — this is usually accomplished by employing the principle of reflection in the form of two or more Low E coatings on the glass.

Proximity of Supply and Service Facilities :

It’s important to know where your window is manufactured. If the answer is “far away,” the negative environmental effect of the fuel burned to transport it to its final destination has to be taken into account. Here, as with most products, it’s best to “buy local.”

Manufacturing Facilities/Procedures :

The factory that produces your window should, itself, reflect green building practices. Likewise, measures should be taken in manufacturing and operations to maximize efficiency and minimize waste — e.g., through recycling of materials, use of hybrid vehicles, etc.

Product Quality/Durability :

What good is a window that wears out in five years and ends up in a landfill? Sturdy, long-lasting pro ducts reduce the environmental im pact of a building over its lifetime. Look for a minimum 20-year warranty.

Raw Materials :

Truly “green” windows are comprised of sustainable resources. Fiberglass comes from sand, a plentiful, non-polluting, inert material. Less energy is required to produce fiberglass than PVC (vinyl) or aluminum and, unlike wood, it doesn’t contribute to deforestation. Finally, fiberglass scores favorably in terms of its effect on indoor air quality: because of its high STC rating, noise infiltration is minimized; it doesn’t emit toxic fumes (even in the event of a fire); and it’s moisture-resistant, reducing the potential for mold growth.

Together we can encourage friends and family to reduce, reuse, and recycle at home, school, work, and play. Turn old things into new things; buy responsibly; and help the environment by preserving natural resources.

Funded by a grant from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the mobile display features reclaimed, eco-friendly building materials such as “Nike Grind,” a rubberized floor surface made almost entirely of recycled products. FREELITE, in partnership with VELUX,donated the three “Sun Tunnel” tubular skylights which provide most of the interior lighting.

Visitors to ERIC will discover the importance and benefits of recycling through the following exhibits:

• What’s in Your Garbage
• What Goes into Your Blue Barrel
• Tempe’s Recycling Resources
• The Recycle-Cycle

A primary focus of this project is to explain the many useful products created from “waste” that’s diverted from landfills.

Starting in the fall, the traveling museum will be transported to schools and various events throughout the Valley to increase awareness of and participation in recycling programs and to promote environmental stewardship. To learn more about ERIC or to reserve an appearance.

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1. Resist the urge to live in a refrigerator. 78 degrees is plenty cool in the house. Turn down the AC and get a programmable thermostat so you’re only cooling the house when you really need to.
2. Air-dry your dishes and clothes. The dryer and dishwasher use a lot of energy – and the air does the job just as well.
3. Take shorter showers and do not take baths. Hot water heating is one of the major uses of energy in any home. Showers are the way to go – and keep them short. Bbaths use much more water and heat than do (quick) showers.
4. Make sure you have energy-efficient lighting throughout your home. Everyone has heard about compact fluorescent lights by now – but are you up to date on LED (Light-emitting diodes)? These devices have come a long way and are often 10 times more efficient than compact fluorescents.
5. Ditch the beer fridge. It’s amazing how many homes have two refrigerators, a real energy drain. And if your refrigerator is older than 5 years, consider a newer Energy Star model.
6. Use ceiling fans. They use 98% less energy than central air conditioning and allow you to adjust your thermostat upwards a few degrees.
7. Get solar screens for your windows. If new, energy-efficient windows aren’t in your budget, solar screens, which cut up to 75% of the heat coming through your glass, are a less expensive way to go.
8. Plant trees! Placing deciduous trees in your yard is a great way to block summer heat, while allowing the sun to shine on your home in the winter when they lose their leaves. Remember that this time of year the sun rises in the northeast and sets in the northwest.
9. Spend one night each week in candlelight. It’s romantic, fun and inspires new conversation. If you’ve got kids, how about turning off the TV one night and playing a board game by candlelight?
10. Use a solar oven for some cooking. They really work! You don’t want that hot oven on in your house anyway. See the website below for links to information on both buying and building your own solar oven.

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Notwithstanding these facts, the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies reports that the home improvement industry stands to be less adversely affected by the current economic downturn than home building. Growth markets will result from three developments:

• A rise in the number of immi-grant households
• Greater demand for rental housing (combined with an aging, long neglected stock of facilities)
• Emerging interest in sustainable living

According to the Harvard study, while the recent rise in oil prices has understandably spurred increased interest in energy-efficiency, Americans are motivated by broader environmental concerns and now have three additional, equally important, “green goals”:

• Quality and durability
• Environmental performance
• Safety and disaster mitigation

Consumers purchasing a product for their homes want to know not only only how much money it will save on utility bills but also how also how durable it is and what type of environmental impact results impact from its manufacturing.

The study concludes that “Interest in green remodeling is widespread and increasing… (and) with younger age groups expres-sing particular interest in green projects, this market holds promise for growth for many years to come.”

skylight installation

Many people wanting to replace their old acrylic skylights with VELUX state-of-the-art Low E glass units choose this additional feature for the ultimate in heat and light control. The fabric has an aluminum coating on the exterior side that acts as a heat barrier, increasing the energy efficiency up to 20%.

This innovative new product has all the benefits of an electric blind without the added costs of wiring.

The solar battery Lightblock shade is operated by remote control and charges automatically using only the sun. A single charge operates the shade over 500 times.

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