'Thermal Mass Construction INC' has developed a set of building materials and procedures that allow us to build residential or commercial structures 100% off the grid. With our “Thermal Mass Green Building System” we have a set of options for the level of efficiency a home buyer/owner can afford to achieve according to their budget including the amount of government subsidies and tax credits are available at the time. A client may have certain restrictions on the size and scope of a new build, or the amount of retrofitting they can do at a time.  Yet we are able to offer sustainable energy efficiency in varying degrees to our clients that can be built one phase at a time according to their needs and budget.

Using the materials and procedures developed by Thermal Mass Construction INC new construction for a client is priced at approximately $100 a square foot for the panels and assembly of the structure itself in terms of new construction, which leaves considerable room for profit by the local contractors. Our “Thermal Mass Green Building System” incorporates the heating & cooling system into the mass of the structure itself by way of thermal mass insulated concrete panels that have radiant loops embedded in them.  The system can gather heat from a solar array that is connected to a heating manifold, heating the water in the radiant system to 100+ degrees, or can work in concert with a geo thermal deep well recovery component.

Companies and institutions all over the world are aggressively pursuing energy efficiency measures. It seems like every day you hear or read about a new project being undertaken to reduce electrical demand. As we enter into 2010, this undertaking will become more popular in terms of its adoption and more important in terms of its impact.

The federal government has made its stance known with a focus on home weatherization. If we are to move towards a reduced carbon state we need to start with existing building stock, with homes representing a decent percentage of that. I myself have been taking inventory of things like appliances and windows in my apartment to see what measures I can take. While there’s not a whole lot I can do as I live in a rented apartment in a small student community, it is still important to change what I can. This revolves mostly around lighting and living habits. Swapping any incandescent bulbs out for CFLs, taking shorter showers, and putting on extra layers of clothing instead of using the heater. That’s all good and well to a point, but I also live with three other people who all have different ideas of comfort. That's something a little harder to work with.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act makes available over $787 billion federal dollars nationwide for investments in new projects, development to be used for green building, retrofitting, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, including those in federal facilities, states, localities, tribal areas, schools and housing. So, I am curious how us greenies can make the most of the opportunities available from the allocation of over $55 million in green job grants?

This funding is great to get green initiatives rolling, and hopefully we will soon see solid results in increased job placements and the promotion of economic growth.  But, according to the LA Times, California's unemployment rate increased in October from September's rate of 12.2%, giving the Golden State the fourth-highest spot in the country. Still, the state gained 25,700 jobs last month.  So, while the pace of unemployment has slowed, it doesn’t look like green jobs have arrived in force or maybe they are just not easy to find. Either way, things look promising on the horizon. Additionally, a new national program has been unveiled to re-train the workforce for green jobs starting with the renovation of public housing to become more efficient by exceeding basic LEED standards. Not only can with this reduce energy costs for the tenants and the government, it can help offset many layoffs. Hopefully this type of program can expand to other business sectors as well.