http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9kVcfTMW18
Mr. Ed Wagner in Mililani, Hawaii converted his home to all electric, cool roof, cool savings and a complete nzero home.
.Tune in to KHNL Sunday, March 27th at 2:00 p.m., for another chance to see Mr. Ed. Also featuring Ted Peck, former State of Hawaii Energy Adminiatrator. Eco Effect Hawaii Produced and Presented by "Charlene on Green" Publisher, Lookin' Green Magazine, Radio Host, KGU760 Wall Street Business Radio, 4 p.m. daily.
Solar Energy: I also wanted to become net-zero in electric energy usage by taking advantage of the significant federal and Hawaii tax rebates available for Photo Voltaic ( PV ) panels. Unfortunately, rebates for other technologies used in my home are a maximum of $1,500.
Roofing: I wanted a roof that would provide the equivalent of R-25 insulation just like mainland homes in cold climates. Insulation is used to keep heat in during winter and keep heat out during summer. The eves of these older homes have only 2 vent holes every other set of roof rafters. Next came a first of its kind in Hawaii “cool roof”, an insulated and passive cross-vented pitched roof system with an aluminum thermal barrier, added ridge vents, and Energy Star compliant 50 year warranty shingles. Cross venting allows air to flow in both directions, or in my case, from East to West and North to South and vice versa. My brother has had a similar roof ( vertical venting only ) on his log home in the Philadelphia suburbs for the past 25 years so this is not new technology. Stealth rain gutters were installed to insure that the aesthetics of the roof would not be compromised, and to insure that they would not be damaged in high winds.
The flat roof of the family room, which was added by a previous owner, was also upgraded to a first of its kind in Hawaii “cool flat roof” with its passively cross-vented system connected to that of the pitched roof and topped with an energy efficient commercial/industrial cool white TPO roof membrane. Stealth rain gutters were installed to insure that the aesthetics of the flat roof would not be affected, and to insure that they would not be damaged in high winds. The flat roof has a lifetime warranty.
Fan: Remove the tremendous amount of heat in the attic space during the day as well as the heat that remains trapped in the attic at night. Peak attic temperature around 1:30 P.M. averaged 130 degrees but would climb above 140 and even 145 degrees on our hottest summer days.
Windows: The windows of my home were typical jalousie windows installed during construction. They were falling apart after 38 years, were hard to clean, were inefficient, and very insecure. I wanted more secure, energy efficient, easier to clean, and more secure windows. I also needed to replace the wooden side kitchen door that was also above 140 degrees in the sun. It too had jalousie windows.
Paint: My home was painted about 25 years ago with beige grey walls and russet brown trim. Little did I know then that those colors were contributing to the heat in my home. Homeowners could lower energy costs just by painting their homes using lighter colors. White roofs and walls would be ideal. The rule of thumb is that dark colors absorb heat while light colors reflect heat. Home owners should avoid reds, browns, dark blues, black, and even gray.The russet colored concrete window ledges were 15 degrees warmer than the beige grey CMU walls. The goal was to provide close to an R-20 equivalent insulation value for the walls by using ceramic-based energy efficient paint.
Appliances: Induction cook top and cookware needed to be upgraded because the kitchen is where a lot of heat is generated during cooking.
Flooring: The carpets were replaced once, but I was not much of a housekeeper when it came to vacuuming them on a regular basis so I wanted low-maintenance flooring that did not require the use of electricity for cleaning them and would help, even in a small way, to cool my home.
Bathrooms: The two toilets in my home were replaced about four years ago with a 1.6 GPF model, but it was time to obtain ultra-low consumption toilets.
Rain water: Rain water catchment and purification as well as water conservation were other considerations. Why let all that precious rain water go to waste? Some Big Island residents catch water out of necessity. Why shouldn’t Oahu residents do the same? Some Oahu residents are doing so. Why let all that cold water run down the drain waiting for hot water to arrive from the hot water heater to the farthest point in the house? Why waste water spraying the walls with the sprinkler system just to water the plants?
Landscape: Excess concrete on the south side of the house was removed ( 47 feet X 5 3/4 feet X 4 to 5 inches ) to eliminate the large thermal mass conducting heat into the house slab and bottom side of CMU block walls. All that remains is a three foot sidewalk. The entire side of the house was then planted with mature Teddy Bear and Sealing Wax palm trees. My goals for doing this transformation from concrete to greenery were the following. Lawn and shrubbery have been designed over the years to provide a low maintenance yard. A water sprinkler system is utilized. However, it is being upgraded from the typical spray head nozzles that waste water to a much more water efficient drip irrigation system for shrubbery
Drinking Water: I had my kitchen sink faucet water tested for PH, hardness, iron, lead, copper, and silica with the following results.
1. PH -7.4
2. Hardness - 44 mg/L ( slightly hard )
3. Iron - 0.0103 mg/L ( 0.3 mg/L EPA limit )
4. Lead - 4.17 ug/L ( EPA limit = .015 mg/L )
5. Copper - 116 ug/L
6. Silica - 78 mg/L
Some of these results are comparable to the Board of Water Supply ( BWS ) testing at the Mililani wells. Why did I test the water if the BWS values were similar? The philosophy used is one of trust but verify independently, especially when installing a whole house water purification/softening system.
On 12/27/2010, the electrical parameters of the Aquamaker AM-10 were measured after a total running time of 13':25" of dehumidification.
1) Maximum wattage - 513W ( more than 200W more than my Pioneer Plasma TV )
2) Dehumidifying wattage - 380W ( still higher than my Plasma TV )
3) Total power used - 5.89 Kwh
4) 3.97A to 4.68A
5) Cost to run @ $0.25/kWh - $1.47
6) While circulating water - 0.13A to 0.14A or about 14 W
7) With no activity - 0.08A to 0.09A or about 9 W to 10 W
8) While cooling water - 3.53A to 3.89A and 396 W to 433 W and about $0.25 to cool the water twice to 48 degrees.
There does not appear to be any way to restart the dehumidification process other than powering off the unit and back on again. Removing a gallon or so of water does not trigger the dehumidifier to turn on again. Maybe several gallons must be removed. There also does not appear to be any way to shut off the dehumidifier during low humidity days and just recirculate the water. At least, nothing is mentioned in the owner’s manual. The noise level in decibels while dehumidifying was measured with a Radio-Shack digital sound level meter at 65db ( Fast C response ) in front and 100db in back so it is somewhat noisy compared to a good window AC.
Temperature of the air from the back of the unit was between 100 to 125 degrees as measured with an alcohol thermometer ( 100 degrees ) and IR thermometer ( 115 to 125 degrees ). Since I installed an energy-efficient cool roof, windows, and paint, I can easily notice that the room in which the AM-10 is located becomes uncomfortably warm. This is an unacceptable side affect of dehumidifying the room and purifying the water. These units are basically the same as a standalone AC unit that cools and dehumidifies the air while producing hot air that must be exhausted to the outside. The air may be purified air, but it is hot air nonetheless, and must be vented to the outside like any AC system.
Electronics
Many of my electronic components are protected from electrical spikes and surges with a true surge suppressor, not the inexpensive surge redirectors recommended by Hawaiian Electric ( HECO ). Such devices provide a false sense of security and are designed to fail. They can and have caused devastating fires, and simply redirect surge energy to the ground or neutral wire where they can cause damage to other connected devices. Security: The 12+ year old security system was upgraded to a new internet accessible touch screen control.
Casting
Charlene Brown, (Charlene on Green)
Theodore Peck (Ted Peck)
Edward Wagner (Mr. Ed)
Bruce Guard
Ivan Whitworth
Belinda Ealy
Chris DeBone
Associate Producers
Myrtle Hunt
Lisa Harmon
Andrea DeCosta
Film Editor
Barry Tevis, Island Video Productions
808-778-0831
Research Editor
Edward Wagner
Film Crew
Chaz Haynes
Ron Darby
Justin Salzar
Nathan Carl
Steven Legate
Keoni Maemori
Production Studios:
KHNL, Honolulu
KHON2, Honolulu
Group 70 Sustainable Marketplace
Green Energy Outlet, Honolulu
Chaz's House, Kahala
Ed Wagner's Home, Mililani
Ed's Home Eco Suppliers:
Belinda Ealy, Aquamaker Hawaii, 808-385-3121
Bill Brooks, Energy Specialists Hawaii, Inc., 808-938-2136
Chris DeBone, Kumu Kit, 808-52-GREEN
Chris Loustalot, Diamon-Fusion Oahu, Inc.
Hanne Kinoshita, Ferguson Enterprises, Inc.
Ivan Whitworth, Island Cooling, 808.672.2300
Kelly Davis, GreenBuilder's Depot, 808-839-9700
Michael Reeves, GreenBuilder's Depot, 808-839-9700
Michael Yomes, Beachside Roofing, 808-841-0714
Pella Windows, 808-841-3200
Bruce Guard, ISI Hawaii Water Solutions, 808-454-1255
Appearances:
Bruce Guard, ISI Hawaii
Cindy Paliracio, Hawaii Goes Fishing
Darren Kimura, Sopogy
Denise
George Atta, Group 70
Jeff Mikulina, Blue Planet Foundation
Maria Tome, DBEDT
Mark Piscioneri, Wheego
Maxine Burkett, UH Law Professor
Nathalie McKinney, Kokua
Ray Starling, Hawaii Energy
Richard Ha, Hamakua Springs
Shanah Trevenna, UH
Thanks To:
Andrea Sikkink, Bamboo Flooring Hawaii, LLC
Brent & Kamuela Potter, Organized Hawaii
Carol Riley, Honwanji School
Damon Hudson, Tropical Roofing and Raingutters Inc.
Doug Pierce, Mokulua Woodworking
Doug, Servco Home & Appliance Showroom
Dricka Brown, Group 70
Emy Pham, New York Life
Eric Carlbon, Western Overhead Door
Francis Otta, Group 70
Fred Lau, Mari's Gardens - ( Palm Trees )
Guy Toyama, Friends of NELHA
Hermann Nillos, Servco Home & Appliance Distribution
Ivan & Al Whitworth, IslandCooling Concepts
Jocelyn McMahon, Group 70
John Pound, RainHarvest Systems
John Veneri, KHON2
Katy Gilmore, Sherwin-Williams
Kawika Akana, Beachside Roofing
Kawika, Beachside Roofing
Kekoa York, Beachside Roofing
Kendrick Simmons
Kiso Store
Kumu Hula Iwalani Tseu, Honouliuli Healing Garden
Leona Higuchi, Pella Windows & Doors
Linda Miki, Group 70
Lisa DeHoff
Lois Hamaguchi, DBEDT
Louis Akana Jr., Beachside Roofing
Mark Takizawa, UH Intern
Mark, Solar Services Hawaii
Mary Doeffinger, Volunteer
Michael Fairall, Mokulua Woodworking
Michael Wong, KHON2
Mitchell Johnson, Pacific SBS
Mutual Plumbing Supply
Peter Stone, Pacific SBS
Ron Aguinaldo, MidCity Restaurant Equipment
Sebastian Tejeda, Sunetric
Sheryl Seaman, Group 70
Thomas Elstroem, UH Intern
Music
Recording Artist, Ma'acho, Maacho.com
Somebody Move Me - intro :18:01
Hail Up
Don't Mess
Ja Love I Coming
Who Do You Love
Rain
Pure Pleasure
Rydim
Hold On
Stammering
