The first signs of Spring are beginning to show in Colrain; ladybugs at the windows and smoke from the sugar houses. And with dreams of Spring it seems like a good time to post some pictures of the new kiosk at the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls which ADI alum Grey Marchese and Bill completed last Spring. The project was a collaboration of many local artists, craftspeople and the freshmen/sopomore carpentry class at Franklin County Technical School, all pitching in to make the kiosk a reality. Bob Compton of Rising Sun Forge created the "rails" of the canopy meant to echo the trolley tracks which once ran down the bridge. Jay Heilman and Josh Hoffman of Heilman Building put in some work along with Rob Mitchell Excavating, Dawn Kazokas, Graves Concrete and Erna C. Herzig all pitched in as well.
Check out the article in Design New England which featured the project here.
Soon enough we'll be sitting by the Bridge enjoying some warm weather and all the flowers.
Clean Energy Connections, hosted at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA on Tuesday, November 10th, was well-attended and optimistic in nature, with over five hundred clean energy organizations, business owners, and job seekers listening attentively to keynote addresses and plenary sessions. More than 60 universities, colleges, businesses, and organizations exhibited at the conference, providing ample opportunities to exchange ideas and information, to learn about the ever-evolving renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, and to prospect for jobs and new employees.
According to keynote speakers, Dr. Robert Pollin and Mr. Truman Semans, approximately $120 billion in government spending will boost the U.S. “green” economy over the span of several years. Seventy percent will fund energy efficiency projects with 30% funding renewable energy technology. Additionally, Massachusetts’ total share of the funds is $2.3 billion, which will result in roughly 42,530 “green” jobs with renewable energy “poised to become” the tenth largest job cluster in the state. Though success in the green economy is predicted to skyrocket and greatly contribute to the nation’s financial recovery , it alone will not revive the U.S. economy. Moreover, it will take persistent policy overhauls to improve the flow of money from government to private organizations.
Anne Perkins of Rural Development Inc. (RDI) and Bill Austin and Jacqui McCreanor of Austin Design Inc. (ADi) manned our integrated display. As folks stopped at our table to chat, we shared with them RDI’s affordable housing enterprises and our ecological designs for single family homes, communities, and remodels. And in turn, we learned about an increasing interest, on the parts of both individuals and private organizations, in retrofitting existing buildings, adding renewable energy technology to new and existing buildings, and investing in strong local community centers dedicated to the health and robustness of its citizens and economies.
Great contacts were made and a good time was had by all. On the whole, it was a great and educational day.
Our energy audit was fun and a great success. Beth Paulson, an Energy Analyst/Technician and 13-year veteran of the Center for Ecological Technology, came to our office fully equipped to dig right in and determine:
1) How our building uses and consumes energy
2) How airtight or leaky our building is
3) The efficiency and safety of the electrical and mechanical systems and the structure itself
To begin, Beth surveyed the attic and the basement. On the attic floor, we discovered a foot of cellulose insulation along with an absence of a proper air barrier. In making office upgrades, holes created for utility wires have produced air leakage sites allowing warm air to escape into the unconditioned space in the attic and then to the outside.
After documenting these findings, Beth moved on to explore the two full basements (divided by a crawl space). Beth’s Delmhorst J-LITE wood moisture reader, which she tested on structural beams and wood products stored in the cellar, showed high wood moisture content. Ductwork from the furnace and plumbing pipes appeared to be uninsulated and more holes for utility wires were discovered.
Otto, our friendly standard poodle, looked on as Beth set up the blower door test. With the blower door running, one could feel outdoor air coming into interior rooms through electrical receptacles, wainscoting, around doorways, and vents.
Additional testing included individual pressure pan tests on the return and supply registers to determine the leakiness of the duct system, as well as an infrared imaging camera to determine insulation settling, heat loss, and possible rodent tenants.
We are very excited to see Beth’s report and data analysis. From those baseline numbers, residential energy modeling software will allow us to run several different scenarios to determine and prioritize the most cost-effective and energy-conserving retrofit measures.
We are passionate about energy efficiency and renewable energy. We recommend energy efficiency measures to our clients and design zero net energy homes and communities. Now our own office is currently undergoing a deep energy retrofit and we are excited to discuss with clients the steps we are taking to reduce our carbon emissions and to save energy, operating costs, our health, and the environment.
Today, an electrical audit marked the beginning of our journey. Kevin Harrington of Connecticut-based firm Paquette Electric visited our office in Colrain, MA to assess our electrical loads and energy consumption, and to identify energy conservation measures. The free electrical audit is sponsored by WMECO’s Small Business Energy Advantage Program and pays up to 35% of the costs for retrofit lighting measures and up to 50% of other energy-efficient installations.
On average, The Grange (the long-standing nickname for the old school building and former local grange that is now the office for Austin Design Inc.) consumes 1,200 kW of electricity per month.
Below are several pictures of Kevin gauging our retrofit lighting needs. We look forward to keeping our readers abreast of the electrical analysis report and the additional retrofit developments as they unfold at The Grange.
Austin Design Inc provides architectural design services to residential, commercial and institutional clients. Every building project, especially a home, should be an exciting and positive experience. We advocate a team approach among client, builder and ourselves that allows us to share expertise, knowledge and a passion for good design. Our buildings enhance the quality of our clients’ lives, contribute to the community and respect the environment.
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