Green home builder Blu Homes, Inc., today announced the launch of the first product in its mkDesigns line, the Glidehouse®. Nationally recognized for setting the standard in beautiful prefabricated architecture, Glidehouse, has previously only been available to a limited, west coast market and is now available nationwide.
“The Glidehouse is an elegant and innovative green design, and we are delighted to offer this spectacular home,” said Bill Haney, CEO of Blu Homes, Inc. “Artfully harmonizing indoor and outdoor living, the Glidehouse truly proves that sustainability can be both beautiful and cost-effective.”
Starting at $360,000, the Glidehouse is designed for clean, green, contemporary living. Using the most modern and environmentally friendly building methods and materials, the Glidehouse is now constructed entirely in Blu’s state-of-the-art 80,000 square-foot Massachusetts factory. The Glidehouse is now also built with Blu’s proprietary steel and wood hybrid framing, making it more spacious than ever before, able to handle the most challenging weather conditions and quickly and conveniently completed on site. Available with two or three bedrooms and two full baths, and with optional features including additional bedrooms, carports, garages and fireplaces, the Glidehouse brings custom-home beauty and features to prefab in this single floor home.
Glidehouse signature features are:
* Sleek storage bars to keep clutter at bay
* Breathtaking, energy-efficient glass “walls” that create panoramic views
* Extraordinarily wide, open and spacious rooms
* Clever window placement to draw in fresh air and natural light
* Exquisite cedar sunshades, and other optional extras, that allow for desired light and air flow
Healthy and efficient for green and affordable living
This high performance home is airtight, energy efficient, and built in a controlled factory environment to maintain the highest construction standards. In addition, non-VOC paints, clean and beautiful glazing like Andersen® or NanaWall® windows and doors, FSC certified wood and bamboo flooring, water-saving fixtures by Kohler®, and Paperstone countertops are a few of the high-quality, eco-friendly finishes the Glidehouse features.
The Glidehouse also uses water-saving plumbing fixtures, on-demand water heaters, and a mechanical ventilation system that is significantly more efficient than typical forced-air systems. Optional radiant hot water flooring is the standard for colder climates.
The Glidehouse meets the Energy Star® program standards for energy efficient homes and the performance standards of the American Lung Association Health House program. Blu can work with your local green rating program, as well.
Each Glidehouse home is solar ready. Other renewable energy systems such as geothermal, wind generator or hybrid systems can also be added to your Glidehouse design.
Blu Homes’ advantaged business model
Blu is a team of architects, designers, engineers, construction professionals and business folks working to build the highest quality, beautiful green homes. We design and engineer our homes ourselves, then build in our own factory and ship to you. Blu employees then come to your site to finish your home on your foundation, offering unmatched service to ensure your satisfaction. With this full range of control, Blu can offer a guaranteed price as well as free architectural consultation on customizing your Blu home.
If you are interested in owning your own Glidehouse home, please contact us at info@bluhomes.com.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
OSTON, MA – ZeroEnergy Design and co-entrant FreeGreen are regional winners in the U.S. Green Building Council's Natural Talent Design Competition. The Salvation Army’s EnviRenew Initiative joined the USGBC this year in hosting the Competition in which entrants designed a green, affordable, 800 square foot home for an elderly client in the Broadmoor, New Orleans neighborhood.
Participants competed in chapter-based competitions, and the top winner in each chapter advances to compete for a national award at USGBC’s annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo.
“The competition for us was about the impact of good design on quality of life – and who better to benefit than the homeowners of New Orleans. This was a chance to design high quality, small, affordable green homes which will make a substantial difference in people’s lives,” said Jordan Goldman of ZeroEnergy Design.
Through its EnviRenew initiative, The Salvation Army is kicking off a large-scale residential green building campaign in five neighborhoods in New Orleans, facilitating the construction of 125 new homes and the renovation of 125 existing homes over the next three years.
“This competition posed several design challenges: low energy use, low construction cost, and something that would fit into both the architectural and cultural context of the Broadmoor neighborhood. Our unique design team was able to tackle this from multiple disciplines,” said Ben Uyeda of FreeGreen.
Four designs will be selected from the regional finalists and showcased at Greenbuild 2010; these national winners will see their projects built in New Orleans’ Broadmoor neighborhood. The design team whose home performs best when measured in categories such as energy efficiency, water reuse, and indoor air quality, will be awarded the final grand prize in 2011.
About ZeroEnergy Design
ZeroEnergy Design creates innovative and environmentally sensible homes. Our multidisciplinary team of architecture, engineering and finance professionals takes a calculated, three-pronged approach to green design and sustainability. This results in high performance homes that holistically appeal to our clients’ lifestyles, aesthetic preferences, and environmental ideologies.
http://www.ZeroEnergy.com
About FreeGreen
FreeGreen.com, based in Charlestown, Massachusetts has quickly become the leading provider of green home design distributing over 40,000 house plans per year. FreeGreen operates under a unique "freemium" model in which they offer both advertising sponsored free house plans, and various levels premium memberships and other services which allow users to gain access to FreeGreen's full house plan library. All FreeGreen homes are designed to be 30% to 50% more efficient than typical building codes.
http://www.FreeGreen.com
Participants competed in chapter-based competitions, and the top winner in each chapter advances to compete for a national award at USGBC’s annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo.
“The competition for us was about the impact of good design on quality of life – and who better to benefit than the homeowners of New Orleans. This was a chance to design high quality, small, affordable green homes which will make a substantial difference in people’s lives,” said Jordan Goldman of ZeroEnergy Design.
Through its EnviRenew initiative, The Salvation Army is kicking off a large-scale residential green building campaign in five neighborhoods in New Orleans, facilitating the construction of 125 new homes and the renovation of 125 existing homes over the next three years.
“This competition posed several design challenges: low energy use, low construction cost, and something that would fit into both the architectural and cultural context of the Broadmoor neighborhood. Our unique design team was able to tackle this from multiple disciplines,” said Ben Uyeda of FreeGreen.
Four designs will be selected from the regional finalists and showcased at Greenbuild 2010; these national winners will see their projects built in New Orleans’ Broadmoor neighborhood. The design team whose home performs best when measured in categories such as energy efficiency, water reuse, and indoor air quality, will be awarded the final grand prize in 2011.
About ZeroEnergy Design
ZeroEnergy Design creates innovative and environmentally sensible homes. Our multidisciplinary team of architecture, engineering and finance professionals takes a calculated, three-pronged approach to green design and sustainability. This results in high performance homes that holistically appeal to our clients’ lifestyles, aesthetic preferences, and environmental ideologies.
http://www.ZeroEnergy.com
About FreeGreen
FreeGreen.com, based in Charlestown, Massachusetts has quickly become the leading provider of green home design distributing over 40,000 house plans per year. FreeGreen operates under a unique "freemium" model in which they offer both advertising sponsored free house plans, and various levels premium memberships and other services which allow users to gain access to FreeGreen's full house plan library. All FreeGreen homes are designed to be 30% to 50% more efficient than typical building codes.
http://www.FreeGreen.com
Monday, June 28, 2010
New Homes May Include Solar Power
A national home builder is now including solar and super energy efficiency as standard equipment in new homes at a reasonable price. That’s fantastic. It’s about time. Green homes for the masses. That’s innovation one.
Innovation two is the solar energy technology installed in those homes: electricity and thermal energy from the same system.
Meritage Homes, one of America’s top ten home builders, is now constructing more than 200 homes near Phoenix, Arizona that will be up to 80 percent more energy efficient than typical existing homes of the same size.
Green construction, standard in each home in the new Lyon’s Gate community, will begin with a high performance outside wall system that is 9 inches thick and filled with sprayed-in foam insulation. The company says its outside walls are 3.5 times more energy efficient than in most homes now built.
Keeping tabs on the home’s frugal energy consumption will be an electronic energy management system that will allow homeowners to monitor and control the home’s electrical system through an Internet connected computer or smart phone from anywhere in the world. Forget to turn down the air conditioning before you left on vacation? Log in and adjust the thermostat from that beach in Hawaii.
Since the houses are built in an arid climate, water use is an issue. The homes also come standard with a weather sensing irrigation system.
The standard equipment solar energy system on the homes is the major player in cutting energy costs. The Echo (tm) system provided by California-based PVT Solar generates both electrical and thermal energy.
The photovoltaic solar panels of the Echo system will supply electricity to run appliances as any PV system would. Additionally, however to bring overall efficiency up and cut utility bills, outside air is channeled beneath the rooftop solar array to draw heat from the underside of the panels helping to cool them while warming the air. The flowing solar heated air is then ducted into the attic space through the roof where it is sent to a unit the company calls an Energy Transfer Module. In that unit some of the heated air passes through a heat exchanger to make domestic hot water, and the rest is filtered to be distributed throughout the house for heating in colder months. In warm months nighttime cool fresh air flows through the system easing the load on the air conditioner.
Putting the waste thermal energy of the panels to work, providing heat and hot water, combined with the electricity generating capacity of the PV panels, bring the overall energy efficiency of the system to 50 percent. Without the thermal energy utilization the solar panels would be about 15 percent efficient.
Being able to sell the solar/energy efficient homes for well under $200,000 could be a game changer for the home building industry. The average sale price of a new home in the U.S. is now about $260,000. These homes, green stuff included, and ranging in size from 1600 to 3000 square feet, start at under $180,000. That price, combined with low utility bills and low environmental impact, should certainly bring in buyers even in a tough real estate climate. Low price and low energy costs should make a winner. Other builders will likely be watching.
There are eight floor plans available in single and two-story options. Construction is now underway and the model homes should be open by the time you read this. Lyon's Gate is located at Higley and Ray Roads in Gilbert, Arizona.
Innovation two is the solar energy technology installed in those homes: electricity and thermal energy from the same system.
Meritage Homes, one of America’s top ten home builders, is now constructing more than 200 homes near Phoenix, Arizona that will be up to 80 percent more energy efficient than typical existing homes of the same size.
Green construction, standard in each home in the new Lyon’s Gate community, will begin with a high performance outside wall system that is 9 inches thick and filled with sprayed-in foam insulation. The company says its outside walls are 3.5 times more energy efficient than in most homes now built.
Keeping tabs on the home’s frugal energy consumption will be an electronic energy management system that will allow homeowners to monitor and control the home’s electrical system through an Internet connected computer or smart phone from anywhere in the world. Forget to turn down the air conditioning before you left on vacation? Log in and adjust the thermostat from that beach in Hawaii.
Since the houses are built in an arid climate, water use is an issue. The homes also come standard with a weather sensing irrigation system.
The standard equipment solar energy system on the homes is the major player in cutting energy costs. The Echo (tm) system provided by California-based PVT Solar generates both electrical and thermal energy.
The photovoltaic solar panels of the Echo system will supply electricity to run appliances as any PV system would. Additionally, however to bring overall efficiency up and cut utility bills, outside air is channeled beneath the rooftop solar array to draw heat from the underside of the panels helping to cool them while warming the air. The flowing solar heated air is then ducted into the attic space through the roof where it is sent to a unit the company calls an Energy Transfer Module. In that unit some of the heated air passes through a heat exchanger to make domestic hot water, and the rest is filtered to be distributed throughout the house for heating in colder months. In warm months nighttime cool fresh air flows through the system easing the load on the air conditioner.
Putting the waste thermal energy of the panels to work, providing heat and hot water, combined with the electricity generating capacity of the PV panels, bring the overall energy efficiency of the system to 50 percent. Without the thermal energy utilization the solar panels would be about 15 percent efficient.
Being able to sell the solar/energy efficient homes for well under $200,000 could be a game changer for the home building industry. The average sale price of a new home in the U.S. is now about $260,000. These homes, green stuff included, and ranging in size from 1600 to 3000 square feet, start at under $180,000. That price, combined with low utility bills and low environmental impact, should certainly bring in buyers even in a tough real estate climate. Low price and low energy costs should make a winner. Other builders will likely be watching.
There are eight floor plans available in single and two-story options. Construction is now underway and the model homes should be open by the time you read this. Lyon's Gate is located at Higley and Ray Roads in Gilbert, Arizona.
New Website for Eco Friendly Green Garage Doors
Atlanta, Georgia June 28, 2010–Eden Coast LLC today announces the launch of the marketing campaign Garage Door New England. Eden Coast LLC. is an Atlanta, GA based manufacturer of high quality green environmentally friendly Garage Doors made from composite materials that are resistant to rotting, warping, mold and termite damages. Eden Coast Garage Doors are well-suited for homes in New England because they will resist the negative impacts of New England winters and coastal damp conditions. Homeowners in New England are discovering that garage doors make a strong architectural impact and increase the value of their homes. A new composite garage door from Eden Coast will not need the constant maintenance that wooden doors require.
A garage door is the largest moving part on a home and plays an important role in the energy efficiency and sustainability of your home. In today's designs, architects, builders and consumers are beginning to realize how important garage doors are to the curbside appeal of homes. Selecting a durable Eden Coast garage door is both a wise investment and a smart way to reduce our environmental impact. Eden Coast LLC manufactures garage doors with materials and processes to reduce homeowner’s impact on the environment. Their energy efficiency comes from attention to the insulating materials Eden Coast uses in their custom garage doors. The garage doors are insulated up to an R Value of 10.5 and upgraded garage doors to an R Value of 16.5.
The Garage Door New England website will include information on the design and manufacturing details of the Eden Coast LLC Garage Doors. These details include design options for door style, window options, hardware options and stain colors available. Each Eden Coast garage door is custom made and color matching to existing colors is part of their service.
A garage door is the largest moving part on a home and plays an important role in the energy efficiency and sustainability of your home. In today's designs, architects, builders and consumers are beginning to realize how important garage doors are to the curbside appeal of homes. Selecting a durable Eden Coast garage door is both a wise investment and a smart way to reduce our environmental impact. Eden Coast LLC manufactures garage doors with materials and processes to reduce homeowner’s impact on the environment. Their energy efficiency comes from attention to the insulating materials Eden Coast uses in their custom garage doors. The garage doors are insulated up to an R Value of 10.5 and upgraded garage doors to an R Value of 16.5.
The Garage Door New England website will include information on the design and manufacturing details of the Eden Coast LLC Garage Doors. These details include design options for door style, window options, hardware options and stain colors available. Each Eden Coast garage door is custom made and color matching to existing colors is part of their service.
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