Lower electricity bills, lower emissions, and more green jobs

Here at EOS we are especially pleased to hear that the Obama administration is stepping up the economic incentives for improving home energy efficiency. A "Cash for Caulkers" stimulus package is in the works, which will make every home, apartment, commercial, and industrial building eligible for up to a $12,000 rebate for energy retrofits! The timing is perfect for us to continue with phase two of our GreenBlocks pilot program. Phase two will include implementing the suggested retrofits of the 95 homes that we audited last spring. Purchasing energy efficient appliances, adding insulation, and eliminating air leakage are all things that will be eligible for a 50% rebate on both the price of the equipment and the installation. Not only is this going to be a great program to reduce our country's overall carbon emissions, but it will also be key in the creation of much needed green jobs.

After the new year we will be moving forward with our second round of GreenBlocks. If you are interested, the first step is making the investment to have a certified energy auditor come to your home to assess it for weatherization opportunities. Contact the sustainability team at EOS to request an audit , and our certified staff will schedule the audit date and time. You may also call us at (206)762-2553. After the new year we will be moving forward with our second round of GreenBlocks. If you are interested, the first step is making the investment to have a certified energy auditor come to your home to assess it for weatherization opportunities. Contact (LINK here) the Sustainability team at EOS to request an audit , and our certified staff will schedule the audit date and time. You may also call us at (206)762-2553. ">

Habitat Restoration Monthly Work Parties!

Beginning Saturday, December 12^th EOS Alliance is hosting monthly work parties at the Maple School Natural Area! Starting in January the work parties will be the third Saturday of every month; and for those of you who think “work” and “party” don't go together, you obviously haven't worked with this AmeriCorps team yet!

Work parties may include invasive plant removal, site prep work, and plantings. Our goal is to continue our habitat restoration work in this natural area, completing the process by 2013. This project is part of the Green Seattle Partnership, an important initiative to restore parks and natural areas across Seattle. And now for a history lesson...

About 100 years ago the Seattle region was logged for timber. Conifers were cut down and removed, decimating seed banks and allowing quick-growing deciduous trees to grow in their place. Deciduous trees such as Big Leaf Maples and Red Alders are native to the Seattle area, but forests in this region should be dominated by conifers. Expanses of these deciduous trees led to forests with short lifespans and additional light in the winter months for hungry invasives. Seattle's forests have gotten to the point where within twenty years, 70% of Seattle's forests may become ecological dead zones full of invasive plants, dead or dying trees, and without appropriate wildlife habitat.

We can be part of the solution to this problem. The Green Seattle Partnership aims to restore 2,500 acres by the year 2025. EOS Alliance is a member of this partnership at the Maple School Natural Area. Please join us as we fight to save our city's forests and create a better living environment for Seattle

For more information, visit our website at eosalliance.org or come to our first work party on Saturday, December 12^th from 10am to 2pm at the Maple School Natural Area (20^th Ave S & S Lucile St at the top of the stairs).

EOS Sustainability Team tackles weatherization for the cameras

This week half of the Sustainability Team at EOS Alliance joined up with Dan Wildenhaus of Green Dog Enterprises, Doug Kennedy of Pathway Design and Construction, and John Alexander of Sunshine Construction for a hands-on workshop that was being filmed for a pilot of a PBS series on home weatherization and retrofitting. The PBS series aims to educate home owners about how they can improve the energy performance of their houses, increase their comfort, and save money on heating and electrical bills.

The team met up at a house near Golden Gardens Park ready to dive in and get their hands dirty. After a short introduction, and with the camera rolling, Dan launched into a demonstration of home air leakage using a model of a house made from a cardboard box, a smoke pen, and a light bulb.  This demo emphasized the importance of air sealing the attic of the house to prevent warm air from escaping out of holes near the top of the house and cold air from being drawn in down low.  The team then performed a quick blower door test to determine the amount of air leakage within the house, which was fairly high (approximately 2250 cubic feet per minute).  On top of this, a zone test done with the blower door running revealed the attic had many leaks into the main floor of the house, which could be addressed.  With this information and the demo fresh in their heads, the team moved up into the attic to learn air sealing techniques and to put their new found knowledge into action.

Dan started off the hands-on workshop with an explanation, and demo, of using spray foam insulation to seal gaps in floor joists and around plumbing and electrical penetrations.  "Great Stuff" brand spray foam was used for these projects and is easy to use after a bit of practice (see video below).   Just don't forget to wear gloves, as it can get sticky!  Spray foam insulating around these areas prevents air leaking through the numerous holes in ceilings and must be done before batt insulation can be installed in the attic.  While fiberglass batts act as a great insulator they still allow air to pass through, hence the need for a quality air barrier.  Dan also used the spray foam together with pieces of rigid foam board to seal off a large cold space created by a dropped ceiling.  Lastly, vent ducting in the attic was insulated using slim R-4 fiberglass batts.  This prevents condensation from forming within the ducting which could lead to issues with mold, mildew, and reduced fan performance in the long run.

To wrap up, the team performed another blower door test to see how effective the sealing they had done actually was.  This second test gave them a much lower result, 1850 cubic feet per minute, demonstrating that the couple of hours in the attic had dramatically reduced the amount of air leakage in the house.  This was roughly the equivalent of sealing up a 40 square inch hole in the side of the house.  Not a bad result, and certainly an improvement that will be felt by the homeowner!

In the coming weeks the other half of the Sustainability Team will be going out to another  work site with Dan, Doug, and John to tackle weatherization projects that can be done in a basement or crawlspace which will also be filmed as part of the PBS series.  Stay tuned to the EOS blog for an update on how this workshop goes!