Green in Medusa

New Solar Energy Technology in Upstate New York

Thanks to one of our favorite blogs Catskill House Blog we found Prism Solar Technologies. They manufacture a new type of photovoltaic module that uses transparent holographic optical elements in its design. This new holographic technology, collects and spectrally selects useful wavelengths from the sun and focuses them onto the cell to create electricity. At least that's what they wrote on their site. This is super exciting for us, they not only look cool but they are local (within 60 miles). We are hoping that they are going to be available to us when the time comes to purchase them. Not only do they look spectacular but they use fewer PV cells per watt of power which at some point means hopefully they'll be cheaper. At the very least they'll use less resources. A roof full of these panels would look stunning! While you're peeping make sure to check out Catskill House Blog they're great! Paul is not only in the know but he also has a unique point of view and the hands on experience as an engineer to speak with some authority. He has just started up Sun Volt a solar equipment seller and installer in the Hudson Valley area. So look him up if you're in the area.

The Pallet Chair - Modern and Green!

We saw this super cool design that designer Nina Tolstrup - Studiomama came up with. Its a simple and elegant and sustainable design for chairs made out of wood pallets. She won Best Contribution to 100% Design for the most creative impact at 100% Design. I went to her site paid 10 Quid (approx $20) and was emailed plans by Nina for the chair. In short all you need is a wood pallet and a handful of screws and nuts. Walking the streets of New York I see discarded pallets all the time and I always think its such a waste. We've often imagined whole neighborhoods built out of the discarded waste from construction projects. Well now to the dismay of my wife I can start bringing home wood pallets! I can't wait to build some of these. They are reminiscent of Adirondack Chairs which are ubiquitous upstate. Will post some pics when I get around to making a few.

Bids, Appraisal & Financing for Green Homes? We've been busy...

So we haven't blogged in awhile, Sorry. Lots of reasons but no good ones. We were waiting for our bids to come in so we can secure our financing. Its a process and a half. We recieved our final bids its took over four months but we finally got them. Since it is a new construction loan we have to show exactly or as close to it how much everything will cost, what we've spent so far and how much we want to borrow. We have put down quite a bit between the cost of the land, the well, engineering fees, architect fees and septic design and we will be spending additional cash out of pocket to pay for other things like certain fixtures and appliances. The bank has to make sure that we are borrowing less than 80% of the value of the completed property, this is called the "Loan to Value Ratio" (LVT). We should also mention that its a bit nerve racking.