A Blog by WARM Training Center
renewable energy
Internships Available at WARM Training Center
Sep 20th
WARM Training Center has three unpaid internship positions available (click on for descriptions):
Besides working in an awesome work environment and getting great experience, these internships will be no fun at all. But seriously, if you are authentically interested in advancing sustainability, climate protection, equitably distributed water resources, and energy efficiency in Detroit and the region…these internships are for you. Apply today… the application period closes on September 30th! Thanks.
Detroit Incinerator Seeks $4.2 million in Tax Credits
Mar 15th
The Detroit Incinerator, which burns the vast majority of trash collected in the city of Detroit, as well as from several surrounding communities, is applying for a brownfield tax credit of $4.195 million.
The City of Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority will host public hearings Thursday on the Brownfield Tax Credit for the Detroit incinerator.
An informational session will be held at 5:30 p.m. The hearing on Detroit Thermal, which would purchase steam from the incinerator, begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed at 6:30 p.m. by a hearing on the incinerator, to be owned by Detroit Renewable Energy.
The meetings will be held at the College for Creative Studies in the Walter B. Ford Classroom Building Auditorium on Frederick Douglass Street, between Brush and St. Antoine.
Source: http://www.freep.com/article/20110314/NEWS05/103140325/Incinerator-hearings-held
Replace my furnace with geothermal?
Jan 17th
Hi Jacob, we just found out that we need a new furnace in our house IMMEDIATELY. And rather than make a rash decision, I wanted to at least consider if geothermal is an option in a 2300 sq foot house built in 1941 in Huntington Woods. An energy efficient furnace would cost about $7,000 and I wonder if geothermal is much more than that and how long it takes to get installed? Or if you can suggest who I should call?
– Jodee, Huntington Woods
Yes geothermal is an option for a house like yours. Just to be clear, this is technically called a ground source heat pump (as opposed to geothermal sources like the hot water geysers in the west), but most of us call it geothermal. It will be more expensive than the furnace, especially because you have little yard space in that town (so big vertical drills instead of just scooping out 6 feet of earth running 200 feet across your yard). And I don’t know about how quickly they can do it, but will send you contacts for some local folks so you can call and find out. Note that the geothermal system would also replace your AC (if you have any, and if not, then you would following this install) and so if you’re considering replacing the AC anytime soon, then the cost of the geothermal should really be compared to the replacement cost for both the furnace and the AC. And the time that you have to replace a furnace is certainly the right time to do this (as opposed to replacing a functional furnace) because you’ll already be spending a bunch of money on it. Continue reading “Replace my furnace with geothermal?” »
Appearing around the net…
Jan 6th
Here are a few videos and articles that I showed up in recently. I promise – a real blog post will come soon — but for now, I figured this might be fun to share. 
1. I had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with someone who was a big early influencer of my thoughts on urban sustainable development this past Summer. Richard Register (who literally, in both senses of the word, wrote the book on eco-cities) was in Detroit, and he writes an article about his experience here.
2. A good series (videos and an article) from the Powering the Nation folks (for whom I did a blog post earlier) about the growth of Green Jobs in Detroit. It’s a nice set of stories, though the last video makes us all look a bit like idiots — but not unreasonably so! Their central point is solid: when it comes to green jobs, clear meaningful definitions are few and far between. Still, I’ll post the video where we all look like idiots here, because who doesn’t love that…
What is a green job? from Powering a Nation on Vimeo.
Bringing these two topics together, I’ll note that Richard Register’s take on the green jobs movement was basically this (in paraphrase):
People are working on all the wrong concepts. A barista at the local coffee shop has a green job if she can live nearby in a multi-unit apartment building and walk to work. The infrastructure that emerges out of truly dense and vertical urban development makes any job more significantly green that what most people are talking about now.
Solar Hot Water Update
Aug 17th
I have been doing some research lately into Solar Hot Water heating systems and I wanted to post some of the information that have learned. Two people who I spoke with who were extremely helpful were Christina Snyder at the Clean Energy Coalition (888.818.0987 x707) and Tony at Renewable Energy Solutions (734-649-1777). (they are not responsible for any inaccuracies) Here is some of the stuff I found out:
Types of Collectors
1. Flat Plate:
- cheaper but careful of ones with thin film plastic glazing
- takes more sun to heat up (greater water volume)
- collectors may not last as long
2. Evacuated Tube (coaxial)
- more expensive
- lower mass system so heats up quicker…better for MI winters
- double wall system recommended (vs. single wall)
- better longevity as a system
- maintenance easy (like changing out a light bulb)
Maintenance Costs (estimated):
- Check 6 months after install ( for leaks and such)
- Yearly checks on closed loop pressure and pressure differentials (Building Manager can do this)
- Change of Heat Transfer Fluid every 3 -5 years (Should be done by Professional )
- Replace Pump – 10 years
- Tank: 30 years (or longer) – less wear and tear than a directly heated tank.
Certification
The Solar Rating Certification Council certifies different type of solar heaters.
- OG 100 – Collector Certification
- OG 300 Complete System Certification
Certified Michigan Based Manufacturers of Solar Hot Water Systems
BTF Solar is one MI based manufacturer that comes recommended
Financial Incentives
Michigan – Residential Energy-Efficient Appliance Rebate Program (Heating and Water Heating)
Solar Calculators