Author Topic: Building Green  (Read 7123 times)

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wdyasq

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Building Green
« on: August 22, 2010, 09:59:14 AM »
The Wall Street Journal had and article on building green:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704868604575433620189923744.html

Interesting read and some good thoughts and information for one having a "Green" home built.

Ron
"I like the Honey, but kill the bees"

TomW

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Re: Building Green
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2010, 10:10:33 AM »
Ron;

I gotta say that was interesting and sadly truthful.

Tom

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Re: Building Green
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2010, 11:02:01 AM »
"I do love the Earth... . ...if my only contribution to its well-being is joining the early adopters (OK, idiots) so that those who follow have better information and lower costs for green building, I'm OK with that." (Scott Adams)

Amen.

DamonHD

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Re: Building Green
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2010, 11:06:50 AM »
Yes Tom: and I think that (especially in the UK with some thermally-terrible housing stock) we have to spend the next 50 years training up homeowners and planners and architects and not least *builders* to do this stuff right.

I'd like to double or quadruple the cost of all forms of energy *now* to focus peoples' minds on the issue, while putting away the money to pay off debt and/or help out those who are already careful and penniless.

Rgds

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wdyasq

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Re: Building Green
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2010, 09:44:56 PM »
Yes Tom: and I think that (especially in the UK with some thermally-terrible housing stock) we have to spend the next 50 years training up homeowners and planners and architects and not least *builders* to do this stuff right.

I'd like to double or quadruple the cost of all forms of energy *now* to focus peoples' minds on the issue, while putting away the money to pay off debt and/or help out those who are already careful and penniless.

Rgds

Damon

I'm sure glad you are in England and not over here.

As far as getting *builders* to do this stuff right, it is as simple as having a good set of specifications and an inspector or owner smart enough to read them. I want that inspector paid for by the owner, not subject to the political whims of a government organization. Builders are at tail end of the 'do it this way' rules. If one is required to pay a builder for substandard work, it is the fault of the person who wrote the contract or signed the check, not the fault of the *craftsman* (possibly a poor use of that term).

Ignorance is a choice. Stupid is a condition.

"Government" has given us the licensing of architects and planners appointed and not subject to the realities of their *subjects*. Read that as they are in the employ of the *people* but the people have no control of the planners. 

I don't know how it is where you live, because I am not there physically, but I do read a lot. I can guess many of the problems in your area are not solved by government but caused by them. I DO know it is that way here.

Tax credits/rebates/rates/conditional rates/exemptions are a method of social engineering. I don't personally think governments help folks. Most of the time they tend to help keep folks in poverty rather than help them out. The 'welfare laws' here keep one from taking a job if they are 'on the dole' due to the massive amount of aid given. This aid ALWAYS has conditions attached and seldom results in an improvement of the subjects dire conditions.

In the US we have recently had a massive shift in the power and control of government. Many of the appointees are taking positions detrimental to the better welfare of business. This is detrimental to those employed by such businesses. Many times it will result in fewer employees and less expansion. And, in case some folks are a bit dense, business do not pay taxes. They pass taxes to the consumer or fail (and leave folks unemployed).

So please, if you care to soak some other group or business do it "Over There". I hope it stays "Over There". Although most US goobernment idiots follow the foolish leads of the fools in Europe and that funky little island nation north of France.

If governments care to wreck what is left of the fragile economy, all they need to do is raise energy costs to your proposed rate. They could then find a new stream of revenue to try and support (and purchase votes by implementing new laws) the massive new group of unemployed subjects they created.

Of course, this is just my opinion. But, my opinion is formed by looking at reams of historical data and guessing it will be repetitive.

Ron
"I like the Honey, but kill the bees"

DamonHD

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Re: Building Green
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2010, 04:17:30 AM »
OK, I seem to have touched several nerves here.

But let me be clear about one point: I wasn't taking a dig at builders.  I have some really good ones in at the moment and it's clear to me that (a) they'll do what I ask them to and do it well and (b) that's a problem because I am not a expert nor do I have the practical experience that you accumulate from doing this stuff well all day every day.

The UK building industry as a whole needs to gain that experience, was my point.

Rgds

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bob g

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Re: Building Green
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2010, 07:40:45 AM »
the most obvious problem with doubling of quadrupling the cost of energy as i see it
here in the good old USA, is

it would be seen by those that run our country as only another cash cow, the procedes of which they
would use to expand their programs and reach, and not be used to retired anything remotely looking like debt.

time and time again, they have proven this fact,
just take a look back on social security funds, those were to be left for retiree's, but
sadly time after time they have "borrowed" from the fund and put in an IOU, which conveniently never
gets repaid.

i personally don't want them to get another bloody dime till they quit spending, expanding, and actually start
making some cuts like the rest of us have too.

bob g
research and development of a S195 changfa based trigenerator, modified
large frame automotive alternators for high output/high efficiency project X alternator for 24, 48 and higher voltages, and related cogen components.
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joestue

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Re: Building Green
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2010, 08:24:48 AM »
I'd like to double or quadruple the cost of all forms of energy *now* to focus peoples' minds on the issue, while putting away the money to pay off debt and/or help out those who are already careful and penniless.
Rgds
Damon

that's what the carbon cap and trade is suppose to do. what it won't do is make my living standard go up. if anyone is serious about saving the earth, they should focus on raising the living standard of those developing countries so the population doesn't hit 9 billion by the time they are halfway to where we are now, or making sure it never gets there through other means.........
there's plenty of energy. they just need to get off their a$$ and let us build new high tension electric lines and breeder reactors.

everything the government touches turns to crap.
That's what happens in the USA anyway.
I've seen the inside of the us gov, and there isn't much conspiracy. Just complete incompetence.
My wife says I'm not just a different colored rubik's cube, i am a rubik's knot in a cage.