Industry News

Robots are useful for "dirty, dangerous and dull" jobs, any roboticist will tell you. And that's shown once again by the Q-Bot: a robot designed for the tiniest spaces of your home—the crawl spaces where really you don't want to crawl. Developed in London, the Q-Bot goes under the floorboards, where it scans the area and then delivers an insulating foam. The process is both easier and cheaper than pulling up the floorboards, and has an energy-saving benefit.

The evolution of 3D-printing technology is continually finding new ways to impact not only how we live, but also what we live in. Attendees at the 2016 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas this January will get to experience what life would be like living in a 3D-printed home, which comes complete with a 3D-printed vehicle.

>>How We Solve Climate Change

Source: Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz

World leaders gathered in Paris recently for the 21st United Nations climate conference, known as COP 21. Our mission: Secure an ambitious global agreement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and minimize climate change. The global momentum to tackle climate change has never been stronger. At the same time, the costs of today’s clean energy technologies have never been lower. That is no coincidence.

>>Reports Say Dow Chemical and DuPont Near Merger

Source: plasticsnews.com

Dow Chemical Co. and DuPont Co., two global chemical companies with major plastics businesses, may be near an agreement to merge, according to published reports.

>>Connecticut Prepping for "Significant Changes" Involving Insulation

As area home builders and remodelers wrap up a successful 2015 construction season, already looming large for the 2016 season are coming revisions to Connecticut’s building codes that will have homeowners and contractors hitting the books on new requirements. Builders say they expect the most significant changes will involve insulation and other aspects of energy efficiency.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a new white paper highlighting how residential energy efficiency programs can help make homes’ energy efficiency visible to appraisers, real estate agents, mortgage lenders, homebuyers, and sellers. Prepared by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the white paper provides examples of programs around the United States that are successfully engaging the real estate community and overcoming barriers to valuing energy efficiency in the home resale process.

Stopping air leaks by thoroughly air sealing the building envelope is an important step in limiting damage from water vapor. Water vapor can also be carried through building components by diffusion, driven by pressure and temperature differences. Vapor diffusion can be impeded by use of a vapor diffusion retarder.

EESI Chairman Jared Blum, who was involved in the U.N. climate change conference in Paris, COP 21, shares his insight about the decisions made there: "The arrival of over 150 heads of state to participate in the opening of the COP 21 climate change talks gave the city a feeling of excitement that has translated to the climate conference itself," said Blum about his initial take on the atmosphere there. "The positive support of China, U.S. implementation of a comprehensive carbon reduction plan, and the fact that over 150 nations have submitted their climate action plans (or INDCs, Intended Nationally Determined Contributions in U.N. jargon) have been critical changes in the climate scene since the disappointment in Copenhagen in 2009. However, in the numerous years in which I have been attending these meetings and following the issue, perhaps nothing has made more of a difference than the shift in business community attitudes towards this effort."