Midcoast Sustainable Energy Expo

As a follow-up to all of you who attended the Midcoast Sustainable Energy Expo, we wanted to say thank you for stopping by our booth and sharing your comments. We had wonderful conversations with so many of you and were pleased with all of the energy and excitement for the green home design concepts. These green homes are truly 'on the drawing board' and so it is very helpful to receive comments and suggestions at such an early stage so that the final product will be even better! We are hoping the design phase can continue to be interactive and we will send out periodic updates as we make progress or gain new information. Please feel free to post comments to this blog or email me directly if you have any questions at: dbetts@knickerbockergroup.com.

Thanks again for your interest and support!

Photographs from the Midcoast Sustainable Energy Expo at the Damariscotta YMCA, April 18 and 19, 2008:

b.green talk, April 8: Geothermal Energy

People are sometimes surprised to learn that geothermal or “ground heat” energy is available in Maine as a low cost energy source for heating and cooling. In fact, Maine’s subsurface rock structure is uniquely suited for very low cost heating from geothermal sources.

In Maine, the most convenient form of ground coupling uses a well, which may also be the well providing domestic water to the residence. This dual use of the same well significantly reduces the installation cost of the geothermal system. With existing domestic wells, both new construction and geothermal retrofits may have already paid for half of their heating systems, right there in their own back yards.

Geothermal systems also have much lower operating costs (as low as 1/4 to 1/8 the cost of traditional oil and propane heating sources, respectively), giving a quick payback on the investment. As the cost of fossil fuel will undoubtedly continue to rise, this payback time will decrease even further.

Please join us at the April 8th b.green talk to learn why new geothermal system deployment in Maine has been growing at a rate of over 30% per year. Dr. John Logan, Regional Director for Water Energy Distributors, Inc., will discuss the costs-benefits of a geothermal system as an environmentally-friendly energy recycling heat source for today’s homes.

Knickerbocker Group would like to invite homeowners, builders, architects, designers, mechanical contractors, and all others interested in learning more about geothermal energy systems. The event is free to the community and light snacks will be provided. The presentation will be held on Tuesday April 8th in the bar room at the Opera House, from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. followed by a social hour from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Please contact Danielle Betts at the Knickerbocker Group for more information: 633-6563 or dbetts@knickerbockergroup.com.

b.green talk, March 11: Emerging Trends in Green Building Products

Sifting through the latest green building products is not an easy task! The last few years have seen a tremendous rise in the availability, diversity and affordability of environmentally friendly products and materials. The challenge is narrowing that search to find sustainable products that have both excellent performance and reasonable, competitive prices.

Join us at the March b.green talk to learn about some of today’s most innovative and cost-effective building materials from one of Maine’s top green building suppliers. Don Skeffington, of Maine Green Building Supply, will present an overview of new products, from UltraTouch recycled cotton textile insulation, Paperstone (a recycled paper countertop material), to Apricus Solar Hot Water Systems and Hallowell Acadia All Climate heating and cooling systems. This will be a hands-on meeting with several products and mock-ups available for review and discussion. Don will also highlight the State and Federal Tax Incentive programs and provide a guide for easily accessing and applying for these incentives. This will be an open forum, with ample opportunity for questions and discussion.

Knickerbocker Group would like to invite homeowners, builders, architects, designers, mechanical contractors, and all others interested in learning more about sustainable building. The event is free to the community and light snacks will be provided. The presentation will be held on Tuesday March 11th in the bar room at the Opera House, from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. followed by a social hour from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Please contact Danielle Betts at the Knickerbocker Group for more information: 633-6563 or dbetts@knickerbockergroup.com

b.green talk series continues on February 12th at the Opera House

Knickerbocker Group is proud to present this month’s b.green talk “PUSHING THE BUILDING ENVELOPE: Best Practices for Energy Efficient, High Performance Buildings”. Improving energy efficiency of buildings has never been more crucial with the dramatic increases in oil prices, wider acceptance of the problem of peak oil, and concern over global warming. While there is great interest and glamour in alternate sources of energy like solar or bio-heat, a building’s outer shell, or “building envelope”, is the determiner of how much energy is required to keep the interior comfortable for its occupants. Maximizing the performance of the building envelope can dramatically reduce the demand for energy, whatever the source.

Richard Riegel Burbank, founder of Evergreen Home Performance LLC, will introduce the concept of the building envelope and how it is a crucial detail for achieving energy efficiency in any new construction or renovation project. He will focus on the state of the art practices that integrate a well insulated, air tight building envelope with ventilation for good indoor air quality.

Richard will also demonstrate how high-tech diagnostic tools, including the infrared camera and the blower door, can help assess the performance of a building envelope. During the event, these tools will be demonstrated on the Boothbay Harbor Opera House to show lack of insulation in the walls and air leakage through the building. Some recent projects in new construction and retrofit will be presented including a new super efficient dormitory project at College of the Atlantic, a local home energy and building performance renovation project, and an elementary school air leakage reduction project.

Knickerbocker Group would like to invite homeowners, builders, architects, designers, mechanical contractors, and all others interested in learning more about sustainable building. The event is free to the community and light snacks will be provided. The presentation will be held on Tuesday February 12th in the bar room at the Opera House, from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. followed by a social hour from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Please contact Danielle Betts at the Knickerbocker Group for more information: 633-6563 or dbetts@knickerbockergroup.com