Energy

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    Living Learning Center

    What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?  That’s the fundamental question posed by the International Living Building Institute, which created a new building standard that seeks to promote true sustainability in the world’s built environment. When the leaders of Washington University’s Tyson Research Center in Eureka started…

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    Lighting Your Home Naturally

    I remember as a child the commercial about a popular glass-cleaner encouraging the viewer to “bring all the sun in.”  There is an energizing feeling to have bright, natural daylight pouring into a room.  While dark, quiet spaces may have their place, a well-lit room is an inviting space to work and play. Studies in…

  • Warming your Water with Sunshine

    The feeling of fresh, warm water on your face in the morning shower is soothing, refreshing and invigorating.  The feeling of sunshine on your shoulders is equally therapeutic – in modest doses of course.  Imagine combining these two to naturally warm water with sunshine, and you have a match made in heaven. We’ve actually been…

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    Solar Water Heating in Your Home

    Sarah Heyman and her family have always been conservative when it comes to consumption.  They are far from the ordinary family: Sarah rides her bike to work, and since they live near bus and MetroLink stops, they often use mass transit to get around.  As a result, they have made a critical choice to live…

  • Tightening Up Your Home

    Did you know that in the average home, about half of the energy consumed is wasted?  There are a number of contributors to this phenomenon, including inefficient lighting & appliances and bad habits, but the main culprit is the shell of your home.  Your biggest energy expense it heating and cooling your home, so the…

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    Brighten Up Your Home with Natural Daylight

    When Gary Pawelko and his partner Diana Figueroa built their home in Wentzville, they carefully considered the many options available, doing their best to imagine this new space and how things would fit together.  Unfortunately, they didn’t realize until the home was finished that the kitchen, where they spent a large portion of their time,…