Callen Construction, Inc.

Green Wave Insight

Indoor Air Pollution

In working with you to create the perfect kitchen, bath or other home space we consider important aspects such as filtering and venting the air that you and your family breathes. A family spends 90 percent of its time indoors. Yet without adequate ventilation the air in our homes can be the most polluted air we breath, with 10 to 100 times the pollutants of outside air, according to the Environmental Protection Administration.

So you need guidance when creating a new kitchen in choosing a range hood to get rid of cooking fumes. That walleye smells great tonight, but you don’t want those fish odors greeting you at breakfast tomorrow. More important, you need to remove greasy smoke and steamy cooking gases from the air your family breaths.

During a bath or shower, the humidity level in a bathroom can be like that in a tropical rain forest, creating a breeding ground for mold. Excess moisture promotes the growth of mildew and bacteria. Exhaust fans, vented to the outside, can prevent mold and moisture problems.

Click to learn more about indoor air pollution.

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidest.html

Energy-Saving Appliances

When it comes to home energy use, the refrigerator is second only to your heating and cooling equipment. Did you know that replacing an older, less efficient refrigerator with an Energy Star model can save enough energy to light the average house for four months? Continuing to run old, inefficient appliances is just like burning your lights needlessly for months on end.

Appliances approved by the EPA’s Energy Star program use up to 50 percent less energy than standard models. When you buy a car, you care about the mileage it gets. With appliances, you also need to consider the total cost over time – what you pay at first plus the energy cost year after year.

You can also save energy when you remodel or build a new kitchen by taking care to position your refrigerator away from a heat source such as an oven, a dishwasher, or direct sunlight.

Learn more about saving energy, money and the environment at www.energystar.gov.

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Water-Saving Devices

Unlike earlier models, new low-flow showerheads are now engineered to provide a satisfying, immersive spray while substantially reducing the amount of water used, in some cases by up to 50 percent. That is great for the environment and also for your wallet.

Consider that a low-flow showerhead can save $75 a year or more on your water and sewer bill, and another $20 to $50 each year on the energy used to heat the water.

Yes, saving water also saves energy. Letting your faucet run needlessly for five minutes uses as much energy as letting a 60- watt light bulb burn for 14 hours, the EPA cautions.

You can also save water and money by installing new low-flow toilets. Replacing a toilet installed before 1994 can save more than $1,000 in water and sewer charges over the next 10 years.

Learn about valuable rebate offers and more ways to save water and energy at the EPA’s new WaterSense website.

http://www.epa.gov/watersense/tips/cons.htm

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Clearing the air About Granite Countertops

Allegations that granite countertops may emit elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that can cause cancer, have been raised periodically over the years – sometimes by makers of competing countertop materials.

But top government scientists don’t see granite countertops as a significant radon concern. The EPA says that while natural rocks such as granite may emit low levels of radon, the main radon risk for a home is the naturally occurring gas that may seep up through the soil under your home.

The EPA recommends that all homeowners get a test kit, which typically costs about $25, and test their air. If your home has a high radon level, a level of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of air or more, there are ways to reduce the radon level.

To learn more about radon, and get test kit coupons, visit the EPA website.

www.epa.gov/radon/radontest.html

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What’s a VOC?

The building materials, cabinetry, glues, paints and other finishes that make up the modern home can contain VOCs – volatile organic compounds – that emit noxious chemicals. VOCs have been linked to “sick building syndrome,” which describes situations in which occupants experience acute health and comfort issues.

Exposure to these indoor air pollutants can cause multiple symptoms including eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, nausea and allergic skin reactions. Long-term exposure can cause cancer and damage the liver, kidney and central nervous system.

A major benefit of using “green” materials in the home is that you can reduce or eliminate VOC exposure. For more information, and steps to reduce your VOC exposure, visit www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html.

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Healthy Levels of Kitchen Lighting

The right mix of natural and efficient lighting can not only save energy, but also add comfort, style and create a space more conducive to working and entertaining.

If you’re designing or remodeling a kitchen, leave room for windows or skylights so natural light can reach your work surfaces, without introducing glare or excess heat.

Then add layers of efficient task and ambient lighting. Many standard light fixtures are compatible with compact fluorescents (CFLs), which can save 75 percent of the electricity used by standard incandescent bulbs and last eight times as long. Newer CFLs offer cool and warm light.

Light-Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs provide bright lighting with long life and extremely efficient operation. Cost is dropping on LEDs, but they can still be more of an investment.

Learn much more about how natural and efficient lighting can make your home more inviting by reading this guide from the U.S. Department of Energy.



http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic=11970

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Take Water in a Reuseable Bottle

Experts estimate that the energy needed to make a plastic water bottle, process and fill the bottle, transport it to the store and deal with the waste is equal to filling a quarter of every bottle with oil. That’s enough energy to power 100,000 cars each year.

Instead consider taking along tap water, which many studies show can be as pure as bottled water. Or get a home filtration system and take your water in a reusable bottle.

Visit our showroom and pick up Callen’s reusable water bottle, so that you too can help save waste. It is made of green, safe materials, tapered and easy to hold, and it’s great looking. The bottles are filled with fresh clean water from our Everpure water filter system.

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