Colburn Electric

Thanks goes out to Darrin Van Riper (918-521-9016) for all of his patience and help getting the project up and running from the electrical perspective. Colburn Electric has offered to work with Tulsa Technology Center's students to provide them with real-world exeperience a part of their education. That's giving back to Tulsa!

Through 30 years, Colburn has earned a solid reputation for quality -- in terms of the people who work for them and in terms of the service they provide clients. They approach every assignment, large or small, with the same integrity of performance. Darrin is a great ambassador.

Now I just need to get started on my electrical schematic! It's always something...aaaargh!

Wait, this is fun right?

cb

Air Solutions - Heating & Cooling Inc.

Had a chance to meet with Keith S. Hilligoss, President of Air Solutions (918-241-2362) this week. Super helpful and knowledgable about the Carrier product lines. We took a stroll through the house and to his credit, he sees what we see - a diamond in the rough.

Our home has never had central heat and air, so we'll be looking at a a variety of elements important to the new system. For example:

The first place to look to minimize the impact of a mechanical system isn’t the equipment; it’s the building design and construction. LEED-H and NAHB building standards ensure a tight building envelope, which can help reduce distribution requirements.

Air Conditioning Equipment – The two most important issues with compressor-based cooling systems are energy efficiency and potential ozone depletion from refrigerants. Seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) ratings compare cooling capacity (in Btu to energy inputs (in watts) and are helpful in evaluating central air-conditioner performance.

Air Filtration Systems – Air filtration is an important part of the HVAC design. Quality products should have high filtration efficiency over a range of particle sizes, be energy efficient, and durable. ASHRAE measures filtration standards based on: arrestance efficiency, dust-spot efficiency, and Minimum Reporting Value (MERV) ratings. High efficiency air (HEPA) filters are designed to capture extremely fine particles.

Heat Pumps – Heat pumps are similar to air conditioners – but in addition to removing heat, they can reverse their cycle to pump heat into a building when needed. Air-source heat pump heating efficiency is measured as the Heating seasonal Performance factor (HSPF), which is the ratio of thermal energy output (in Btu) to electrical energy input (in watt-hours).

Indoor Air Quality

Energy Star rated

More to follow! We feel like we're in great hands - from manufacturer to local service provider. Carrier can do it all for Tulsans. Thank you Carrier and Air Solutions!

Chad

4/21 - As Seen on TV!

Hello!

Wanted to post a couple of media hits we've had over the past few weeks. We're extremely thankful for Channel 6 (CBS) and Tulsa World for the wonderful coverage:

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10118556

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=32&articleid=20090408_32_A2_Caudnn392310&archive=yes

We also look forward to coverage by OETA, the PBS affiliate as well as Channel 2, the NBC affiliate.

GO GREEN!

Chad

update...!!!

Sorry, it's been a hectic few days. Tulsa Technology Center came out and conducted more demolition today. They're great. Mike Covington heads it up and they have 6-8 hard working young men on the team that really get it done. Were so happy to have partnered up with TTC. Thank you, Lorrie Hoefling, our LEED AP, for finding them and getting us in touch.

As soon as we get some more time, we'll give everyone a more thorough update. Here's a hint: Jay Rambo Company, Carrier HVAC, and a green insulation spray foam product and service provider!

Our recycled glass counter top from EnviroGLAS arrived in Tulsa today. I can't wait to go see it in person. Many thanks to EnviroGLASS for donating such a wonderful product to this project. Located in Plano, TX this recycled glass counter top manufacturer should be your first stop when looking for a quality "local" provider. Tim and MaryKay are responsive an easy to work with.

An additional shout-out is in order for Linda McGrew at Tulsa Granite for offering to keep our counter top while we get 'our house in order.' Besides granite and stone, Tulsa Granite also offers recycled glass counter top solutions for green-minded individuals. She can custom fabricate it to fit any need too. Linda has been excited as we are about the press coverage we've been receiving. She calls me every time to let me know she saw us on TV or in the paper. Linda is a genuinely nice person. I called to leave a message around 6pm the other day and she picked up. I could tell she was swamped but, as always, she always makes me feel important and took a few extra minutes to focus on me.

I love it! This place is going to rock. More to follow. Chad

Let's talk Roofs

When I think of Gratitude rarely does my roof come to mind, but it should, oh how it should! You can't have a solid house without a solid roof. Have you ever had a leaky roof? Or been in a home with a leaky roof? It's amazing how fast it goes from a small problem to a BIG problem. Last week as I watched a spring snowstorm dump a lot of snow on us, gratitude and roof were definitely in the same sentence. But the project house roof, well let's just say Tamko Building Products and Metal Seams & Tile are making gratitude and roof go together perfectly. Right now the roof is blowing off with every strong wind, but all of that is about to change.
So let's talk roofing and green. First we want a cool roof, not just 1985 Top Gun cool, but cool according to the Cool Roof Rating Council. What makes a roof a cool roof? Thermal emittance, the ability to release heat so it doesn't store it. And solar reflectivity, how much sun light it reflects away from the roof. Solar reflectivity has to do mostly with the color of the roof. Who's impressed besides me that I know that? Well ok I did read the diagram, and Chad told me what to look for, but still...Next we looked at all of the products on the market. We looked at durability, how long will it last and of course we looked at ..... wait for it... wait... here it is.... the embodied energy of the product. Which of course means, among other things, where is it manufactured, how much recycled content is used in making the material, and can it be recycled once it needs to be replaced. There are several different kinds of products on the market and after a lot of research we chose one of the BEST, Tamko Metalworks.


Tamko Metalworks meets the Cool Roof Council guidelines for cool roofs. It is Energy Star rated, uses 50% recycled content, is extremely durable and has a 50 year warranty. Plus it doesn't have any material run-off, like asphalt roofs, that collect in your gutters, plant beds or if you use rain water harvesting bins because you're so cool. And don't you just love the red? Shamless plug, Tamko Metalworks also has excellent customer service, they are very responsive from the national, regional to the local level. They have a knowlegable staff who are very easy to work with. Needless to say we are very excited to be able to use a superior product with a superior staff!

Port-A-Potty

Let's all have a moment of silence for the neighbors................

Nice isn't it? Wouldn't you just love to wake up every morning look out your window and see this?

All in the name of Green. We're supposedly helping the neighborhood, do you remember what the house looked like before?

But come on, a port-a-potty on the lawn. Chad says it's better than a pickle bucket. The bathroom in the house is totally out of commission and we have students here from Tulsa Technology Center helping us take down the walls. They asked for restroom facilities, we delivered.

Is it leaning to the right? And we are having strong winds around here lately. No thanks.
Is there a prettier option, a greener option, I'm a at loss. A composting toilet, anyone?

But to the neighbors-- we sincerely apologize for any unsightly veiwing, we do promise to make this street prettier by making this home beautiful once again.