Sustainable Design Update

via Jetson Green; posted by Matt Grocoff

Switch Lighting, creator of the only LED that uses liquid cooling technology, is on the cusp of a breakout year in 2012. The Switch bulb creates the same warm color of an incandescent, yet it’s made with reclaimable or recyclable materials using the Cradle to Cradle methodology. Inside the bulb is a liquid thermal cooling solution that helps cool the LEDs from all sides, producing more light from less LEDs. In fact, a Switch bulb lasts about 25 times longer and uses 80% less energy than an incandescent.

Read the full story at Jetson Green

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via Jetson Green; posted by Matt Grocoff

In the very near future, expect to be able to control devices, appliances, and lights in your home with the help of Google. That’s the information coming out of Google’s developer conference, Google I/O, where Android@Home was first announced. With the right app, an Android-powered smart device, and an intelligent LED replacement bulb from Lighting Science Group, a savvy homeowner could geek out a home without much effort.

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Gear heads at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab have created better thermionic power cells by increasing the area of material exposed to heat.  Unlike photovoltaic cells that convert light to electricity, thermoinoc cells convert heat (or more accurately a temperature difference) to electricity.  The theoretical advantage “thermo cells have is that heat doesn’t travel in a straight line.  The surface area of a thermo cell can be increased like a fractal to very high surface areas and every square inch will add to the overall power.

Schematic View - Thermionic Cell - JPL

Shown here are what look like fibers that absorb heat – even though perpendicular to the heat source.  These  fibers still absorb heat and contribute to the efficiency of the material.

We are a long way off from having really efficient thermo-cells*  but remember NASA JPL did create some of the first solar cells and look at the solar market now.  Some day we may be purchasing furnaces / engines / wood stoves that make as much electricity as they do heat.

Q:  Where do we see thermo-cells today?

A:  They are used in coolers you plug into your car.  The very simple automobile beverage chiller uses a thermo-cell backwards.  You put in electricity and get a thermo-cell that is hot on one side (hopefully on the outside of the cooler) and one cool side.  I once plugged my thermo-cell cooler in with the polarity switched and had very warm vegetables when I got to our cabin….

Stay Tuned!

Photo:  NASA JPL – NASA Tech Briefs

by Matthew Grocoff, Esq. LEED

One exciting new entrant into the LED market is the Panasonic “Filament” LED.  It’s designed to look like a traditional filament light bulb but uses only a tiny, tiny fraction of the energy.  It won the 2011 Good Design Gold Award at this year’s Good Design Award show hosted by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.

It’s a traditional screw in bulb, uses only 4.4 watts (almost 80% less than it’s incandescent counterpart), and it has a soft, warm glow (for you lighting geeks . . . that’s a 2700 kelvin light temperature).

I think I’ll soon have to write an obituary for the CFL.  As my good friend Michael Klement says “CFL’s are the 8-track tape of the lighting world.”

Read my full story at Old House Web

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by Matthew Grocoff, Esq. LEED Green Associate

In December 2011, Lowes will begin carrying a new Electron Stimulated Luminescence (ESL) R30 light bulb by Vu1 Corporation. The flood light is expected to retail for $14.98.

ESL sounds like a cool alternative to the CFL, and it’s a bit cheaper than comparable LEDs . . . but  don’t confuse price with cost.  I think the new generations of LEDs have already got this bulb beat in energy savings and life cycle cost.

Like LEDs the ESL bulb is mercury free and dimmable.

Here’s the specs: 600 lumens (same as typical indoor 60 watt flood) and 2800 Kelvin (warm color temp).  But here’s where it diverges from the new LEDs (so far Philips Ambient LEDs from Home Depot are my favorites, but Sylvania is right on their tail):

Watts:  ESL = 19.5 w vs. LED = only 12 w

Lifespan: ESL = only 11,000 hours vs LED = 25,000

So, for a bit higher purchase price the LED will use 7 watts less and last more than 10 years longer.  My money is on the LEDs to win this race.

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by Matthew Grocoff, Esq. LEED

Read the name of this blog again.  This is what Sustainable Design is all about.  Nest Labs, founded by former Apple wizards from the iPod and iPhone design team, announced today the launch of a thermostat that “learns,” making it simpler than ever to program schedules and, even better, save energy.

Nest has Auto-Away sensors.  It knows when you’re not home and adjusts the thermostat for you.  You can access and adjust the thermostat from a laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

I’m curious how this might work with a geothermal system and avoid pitfalls of using higher energy stages and auxiliary heating to bring up temps when you return.  Nevertheless, Cool School just got a new quarterback.  With a few hundred million thermostats out there, this baby is going to find a few dates to the prom.

I’ve posted a video on my Google Plus page – check it out.   Google+

http://www.nest.com/

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