January 24, 2012

Ultra-sustainable zHome becomes the first community of WaterSense labeled new homes in the Nation

January 24, 2012 No Comments

(Seattle – Jan. 25, 2012) zHome – the ultra-sustainable, 10-unit townhome development in Issaquah, WA that is redefining the future of housing – is also the first community in the Nation in which every home has earned the WaterSense label for new homes.
EPA’s WaterSense program is modeled after its highly successful Energy Star program. The goal of WaterSense is to significantly reduce water use nationwide to save water resources for future generations.
A home that is certified to earn the WaterSense label will use at least 20 percent less water than a standard, newly-constructed home and the high-efficiency WaterSense labeled fixtures perform as well or better than their traditional counterparts.

Exposing the Lies: Unmasking PHEV Misinformation

January 24, 2012 No Comments

By: Felix Kramer, Calcars.org
January brings good news about the resolution of issues about Volt safety, announcements of many new PHEVs to come, many new sources of anti-plug-in criticism and misinformation — and finally, a response mechanism — and lots of other resources for CalCars-News readers who haven’t had a chance to keep up with the latest developments.
(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html — there you can add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)
* NEW PLUG-IN HYBRIDS COMING INTO VIEW: the wave of announcements
continues, with production PHEVs now expected including the Opel Ampera, Ford Fusion Energi, Honda Accord, Mercedes B-Class E-Cell, Volvo XC60, Audi A1 e-tron, Mitsubishi PX-iMIEV, possibly a Lincoln version of the Fusion and a Cadillac version of the Volt, and others at the concept stage, plus, of course, many pure EVs.