Eagle Quest Properties

Snowmass, Colo.

A quarter-century ago, in the wake of America’s first energy crisis, a young scientist named Amory Lovins came to the Rocky Mountains and built himself a radical house based on a radical idea. The country could save both energy and money, he believed, by combining common sense and unconventional technology.

Mr. Lovins did achieve substantial energy savings, and many of his innovations, from better insulation to multiple-pane windows to more-efficient refrigerators, eventually became familiar fixtures in American homes.

But on the second part of Mr. Lovins’s ambition — saving money — the calculus has been more complicated. The advances that allowed him to create a roomy home with a tiny carbon footprint came with a hefty upfront cost.

via Homely Costs of Energy Conservation – WSJ.com.

These days, it seems like skyscrapers are in a race to be the greenest, as well as the tallest. New York City’s Hearst Tower is largely made from recycled steel and uses rainwater for 50 percent of its needs. China’s 71 story Pearl River Tower (pictured below) will soon use wind, sun and geothermal energy to power itself, and even the Empire State Building, one of the world’s oldest skyscrapers, is currently undergoing an energy retrofit facelift to stay in the race.

To be the greenest skyscraper on the block, designers are incorporating cutting edge energy and water saving technologies like helical wind turbine technology, thousands of solar panels, sunlight-sensing LED lights, rainwater catchment systems and even seawater-powered air conditioning. One building awaiting construction is the Burj al Taqa “Energy Tower” (interior pictured below). With a 197-foot roof turbine and 161,459 square feet of solar panels, this 68 story skyscraper, if built, would create all its own power on site.

via Worldchanging: Bright Green: What Makes a Skyscraper Green?.

If there’s such a huge difference in policy rates for residential properties, I’m curious what the difference is for commercial properties.  I can definitely think of at least one project where solar panels would definitely help.

If you’re thinking about adding solar panels to your home, you should know how home solar panels can affect your homeowners insurance rate. If you are already aware, and are looking for a more affordable rate, start searching for homeowners insurance quotes.

In these modern times, environmental awareness is a quickly growing concern. Many people are trying, even in small ways, to reduce their carbon footprint and live an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. For homeowners, customizing the home to be more “green” is also growing. One of the most popular ways to do this is by adding home solar panels.

Here are the answers to five of the most frequently asked questions about home solar panels and your homeowners insurance:

via Home Solar Panels: How Do They Affect Homeowners Insurance?.

What is believed to be the first green — in every sense of the word — roof in Lebanon County was planted last week at the home of a North Cornwall family that embraces alternative energy.

Rick and Cindy Scott use a geothermal heat-exchange system and have two solar panels on the roof of their Walden Road home that power their hot-water heater. They plan to install additional solar panels.

The Scotts hope their new roof will encourage others to follow.

via County home sprouts “green” roof – July 19, 2009 Sunday – Professional Remodeler.

This seems like an excellent solution to all the discarded shipping containers and used tires.  It even has an added bonus of using solar power for 40% of its power needs.  Very innovative.

Although it doesn’t have any big guns or transform into a tank, if you mistook this cherry-red maritime shipping crate in Montreal’s Old Port for a futuristic robot you wouldn’t be far off.

Powered by two rooftop solar panels, in only 90 seconds every morning this slickly decorated steel box unfolds its walls and two shady awnings to create a 28-seat terrace. Then it’s up and running: a largely self-sustaining, portable gourmet seafood restaurant.

It’s called Müvbox, and since launching in early June it’s rocketed around the globe via design blogs and websites. The response has bowled over its creator, Daniel Noiseux, founder of Montreal’s Pizzaiolle restaurant chain.

“I’m trying hard to keep my head,” he says. “Venture capitalists from Geneva called three times this week, and we’ve had interest from Greece, Asia, and one e-mail from Russia simply said, ‘I want 100 units, how much?’”

via Building in a box – The Globe and Mail.

As controversies over green-power projects erupt across Ontario, Ottawa is quietly leading a revolution in solar farming that will soon make the nation’s capital home to one of the largest solar-energy plants of its kind in North America.

An 80-hectare farm in West Carleton, just west of Ottawa, is about to undergo a $100-million investment that will see 300,000 silvery solar panels installed there.

Once this solar farm becomes operational at the end of the year, it’s expected to generate about 20 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 7,000 homes during peak hours. It will be Canada’s largest photovoltaic plant, one that converts sunlight directly into electricity.

via Solar farm near Ottawa gets residents’ thumbs-up.