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Rate It Green Team
Member Since: 01/11/2006
My Activities
- 105 Discussions
- 6 Group Posts
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- 8 Articles
- 0 Ratings
- Comments
About Me
Activity
An Introduction to the BuildSMART Trailer - USGBC CA's Mobile Green Building Resource Center
USGBC California's Valentina Mejia kindly gave Rate It Green a tour of the BuildSMART trailer recently at Greenbuild. BuildSmart is truly an inspiration, hosting over 80 green building materials in a mobile educational center that serves as a community outreach resource. BuildSmart reached over 5000 Californians in just its first two years through events, shows and with the help of local community partners.&nbs...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 11/13/2025 + Show |
Dehumidification - Balancing Energy Efficiency with Durability, Comfort and Health
Why do we need dehumidification in wet or humid climates or seasons? How do we determine the right amount of dehumidification to size units? Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse Inc. introduces this informative talk by Nikki Kruger with Santa Fe Dehumidifiers by explaining the need to balance the increasing energy efficiency of modern homes with the durability, comfort and health concerns that can arise with excess moisture. ...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 09/12/2025 + Show |
The Toitu Earth-Sheltered House - Comfortable, Energy Efficient & Unique
Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc . will be working on the Toitu House, an earth-sheltered home that really could last several hundred years, as in 500. Some claim an earthen home can even last 1000 years in theory, but we will have to wait to find out. The name Toitu is a Maori word which is included in a proverb that reminds us to be good stewards of the earth, as ownership is temporary the land remains long ...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 06/24/2025 + Show |
Heat Pumps 101 - Comfort, Health, Savings, Energy Efficiency, and Lower Emissions
If you’re even thinking about energy efficiency, or if you’ve been considering HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning system) improvements or building renovations of any kind, you’ve likely heard many mentions in recent communications and news about heat pumps. What are heat pumps, and why are they suddenly everywhere? The short answer is that heat pumps can do the same work as fossil fuel powered equipment when it ...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 03/04/2025 + Show |
Windows and Energy Efficiency - Factors for Making Better Choices
Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc . and Mike Barcik, a Technical Principal at Southface, recently teamed up for a helpful conversation about windows and energy efficiency . The two review quite a few key concepts that everyone should know, and many of us likely don’t. Among other topics, Mike and Matt help bust some myths about window replacement. New, m...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 03/04/2025 + Show |
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Introduction and Update
What is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)? Signed into law on August 16, 2022, The Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, represents the largest US legislative investment in energy efficiency and clean energy, and stands as a significant climate bill in many respects, including that the IRA uses “carrots” to incentivize investment over “sticks” like fees and punishment. Though it’s not apparent ...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 02/02/2024 + Show |
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) - Tools & Resources
This list is an evolving effort to share helpful Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA-related information we have found to date. Please feel welcome to share your favorite tools, platforms, organizations, and additional federal and other energy efficiency and clean energy resources! It's an understatement to say the IRA is big and complicated. We'll learn from each other and make more progress together, so that everyo...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 01/26/2024 + Show |
The Perfect Wall, Explained - and Demonstrated
According to Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. , "The Perfect Wall” is an advanced way of insulating, air sealing, and keeping air and water vapor out of buildings in a logical manner. This efficient description supports the idea that green building is really just smart building. If we're logical and aim for best practices and conditions with great products, while minimizing material and resou...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 03/04/2025 + Show |
Welcome to the #1920sMakeoverATL Project! See the Virtual Tour Below, or Click to Visit the full-view version ! Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. and his team and Project Partners will be be gutting a charming 1920s Ansley Park Atlanta home down to the studs and then rebuilding it back with a goal to make this the most energy-efficient house in this zip code! As the ...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 03/04/2025 + Show |
Building Electrification: Why It Matters to Your Wallet, Health, Comfort, and the Environment
What is Building Electrification? Building electrification might sound complicated, but the concept is actually both simple and critically important. Electrification means using electricity to power buildings instead of fossil fuels, which are primarily used in structures to power heating, cooling, water heating, and cooking. Electric vehicle charging capacity has also become a part of building electrification consideration...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 02/28/2023 + Show |
Are you interested in learning more about the mechanics of how we're going to measure and take key steps towards improving our indoor air quality (IAQ?). Brett Little of GreenHome Institute and Scott Farbman, Senior Policy & Ratings Manager at Energy Solutions (also an Architect and Passive House Consultant) invite us into...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 12/05/2025 + Show |
Introduction to Energy Management Systems, a Free On Demand 3-Part Course, Hosted by PG&E
On Demand Course Title: Introduction to Energy Management Systems Host: Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Available Through: February 28, 2027 This 3-part on-demand introductory class for facility operators and energy management professionals describes 50001 Ready, the US Department of Energy's framework for...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 12/05/2025 + Show |
Schneider’s Home Energy Management System (HEMS) - One App Can Do It All
Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. continues to be impressed with Schneider’s systems to make home energy management integrated and seamless to operate. In this video, Matt interviews Will Pfleger, a Residential Microgrid Development & Strategy Manager at Schneider. What becomes clear is that Schneider’s...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 08/13/2025 + Show |
Keep Cooking During Power Outages | Impulse Labs Induction Cooktop
The demand for induction cooktops continues to rise as more people discover the health, precision, and safety benefits of cooking with energy efficient induction cooktops over fossil fuels and less efficient electric equipment. A recent breakthrough by Impulse Labs is poised to elevate this technology even further...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 04/16/2025 + Show |
Aquor's House Hydrant - A Modern, Durable and Sleek Outdoor Faucet
Chances are, you might not think of your hose bibb, or outdoor faucet, too often. But they’re very useful, and some hose bibs are more durable - and good looking - than others. Green Builder Matt Hoots recently talked to Brennan Blevins about Aquor’s frost-proof hose bibbs, known as House Hydrants. According to...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 03/27/2025 + Show |
Clear Drop - Plastic Recycling for Bags and Other Hard to Recycle Items
Pretty soon, there’s going to be an easy way to everyone to recycle or really “pre-recycle” those loose fluffy or crinkly plastic items you never really quite knew how to recycle, or what to do with. Clear Drop has created a Soft Plastic Compactor that looks like the average trash can but transforms pesty and...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 03/04/2025 + Show |
If you’re looking to attend a green building webinar or online training, or you would like to know about in-person green building or related events, there are a handful of leading US organizations that stand out more and consistently offer educational content, a good deal of which is free. We’re pleased to give a loud shout out...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 02/11/2025 + Show |
I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and point people to the great work being done by USGBC California (USGBCCA) regarding wildfires, both in support of the long road to recovery for those affected by these and other fires and to help prevent future crises in California and elsewhere. USGBC California recently hosted a...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 02/10/2025 + Show |
DIY Solar Power Fan Installation - Reduce Shed Heat and Stagnant Air
A solar powered fan is a great and simple idea to remove excess heat from a shed. And this is a Scout project in addition, where (with supervision), the kids can get involved and learn as well. Apparently this Scout shed sometimes reached 160 degrees F in the summer! Green Builder Matt Hoots explains the steps and shows us how it's...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 03/25/2024 + Show |
Smart Exhaust Controls - Sensors Improve Garage and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
"There are good garages and bad garages…” according to Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. And in the good ones, we breathe better air! Matt reviews the benefits and and healthy air risks with attached and detached garages. The good news is that a ventilation fan can help remove the fumes we...
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By Rate It Green Team Last updated: 03/25/2024 + Show |
A place to discuss local green building issues and events with your colleagues from Massachusetts. … A place to discuss local green building issues and events with your colleagues from Massachusetts. Feel free to post your news, events, questions, and comments.
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