Fool Around With The Eco-Cool Measuring Tool

Planet Green is full of tips for greening your home for winter and making appropriate choices in renovations, but they are not always found in one place. The Eco-Cool Remodel Tool is a cute graphic interactive tool from King County in Washington State; they say:

You'll find tips and resources ranging from selecting healthy paint products, to what you should consider when replacing your furnace, upgrading your kitchen or landscaping your yard. Green home remodelling creates healthy, comfortable spaces that can save you money, increase your home's value and help protect the environment.

Like most of these things, it is designed around a typical suburban house with two car garage, and also like most of these things, must be taken with a grain of salt. Every house is different, and the advice is not consistent nor even always correct.

In the roofing section, for instance, they give no real guidance about what roofs are better, suggest "If you have a low-slope, consider a vegetated or green roof." without noting that it adds 15 to 25 pounds per square foot and could break the roof (they do remember that when they discuss the solar panels, which are a lot lighter.

They also suggest "For a new roof, consider installing rigid insulation on top of the sheathing." which, for a ventilated roof, is completely useless.

Similarly, natural linoleum is not usually recommended for bathrooms, the jute backing can separate in the damp environment. Similarly, wood does not hold up well.

The whole thing is an interactive mixed bag; it outlines things that you should look for, but do more research. The written background to the left of the actual tool is a lot more thorough and has decent links. And after you look at the eco-tool, compare it to our Green Materials Guide and Green Your Home For Winter.