2GIG Technologies Recalls Modules Used In Go!Control Panels for Home Security Systems Due to Fire and Burn Hazard

GSM radio modules used inside Go!Control Panels for home security systems can overheat and combust, resulting in a fire or burn hazard to consumers.

Pro Armor Recalls Latches for Utility Vehicle Doors Due to Ejection and Laceration Hazards

The latch pin can disengage from the latch allowing the door to open while the vehicle is moving. This can pose a risk of ejection of an unrestrained rider and impact or laceration hazards.

Shimano Recalls PRO Atherton Mountain Bike Handlebar Stems Due to Fall Hazard

The bolts holding the front plate of the stem to the stem body can be pulled out of the threads while the bike is being ridden, causing the rider to lose control of the bike and fall.

American Honda Recalls ATVs due to Crash Hazard

A weld on the ATV's front right upper suspension arm can separate, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle, posing a crash hazard.

Fuji Recalls Women's Cruiser Bicycles Due to Fall Hazard

The bicycle's frame can break in the center of the downtube during use, causing the rider to lose control and fall.

Tumblekins Toys Recalled by International Playthings Due to Choking and Laceration Hazards

The toys can break into small pieces with sharp points, posing choking and lacerations hazards to children.

Ganz Recalls Dancing Teapots Due to Burn Hazard

The teapot's handle can get extremely hot when there is hot water in the teapot, posing a burn hazard to consumers.

Children's Slides Recalled by Landscape Structures due to Fall Hazard

The Slalom Glider is a playground slide that lacks a transition platform on the top and sides of the chute. Children can fall when moving from the ladder to the slide and when descending the chute.

Confusion & Complexity – Can Green Building Programs Be Simplified?

If you've ever had to dive into the details of the green building and energy efficiency programs for homes, you've experienced the operational definition of the word 'complexity,' along with a bit of 'confusion,' too, I'm sure. I know I have. Unfortunately, the programs all just keep going further and further down that path.

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Oversized AC, Screwed-up Manual J, ENERGY STAR HVAC Tirade!

I was checking some REM/Rate files for our HERS raters yesterday, mostly submitted forENERGY STAR homes. I've come to expectManual J heating and cooling load calculations submitted along with the files to be less than perfect. Mostly, I accept them because they're close enough. Yesterday, though, I received a Manual J to go along with a file for an ENERGY STAR home that was beyond the pale. It was egregiously horrific. It was spectacularly sordid. It did come close to meeting the ENERGY STAR Version 2 requirements for Manual J (tight or semi-tight infiltration and correct design temperatures), but whoever put this one together was singularly devious in his efforts to justify the oversized air conditioning systems he wanted to install.

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Energy efficiency absorbs water

Efforts have been underway for decades to conserve both energy and water, but never in concert. This is unfortunate because energy uses a lot of water and water uses a lot of energy. Two leading conservation organizations have set out to bring the efforts together. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Alliance for Water Efficiency this week published a white paper that describes the co-dependence of water and energy resources, and outlines strategies to use both more efficiently.

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3 Reasons Your Crawl Space Has High Humidity & Grows Stuff

Do you have floor joists in your crawl space that look like the one to the left? In case you can't tell how bad it really is, just click on it to see a bigger version. When you do, you'll notice the 'furries,' as one of my friend called the microbial infestation growing on that wood. What's going on here? Why is stuff growing on the wood down in the crawl space?

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Energy Efficiency and the Annoying Guy Next Door

The Environmental Protection Agency calls big-backyard neighborhoods like mine “automobile dependent locations” and contrasts them with “transit-oriented” neighborhoods, places where you can hop a bus or easily walk to regular destinations. The agency recently looked at which kind of neighborhood uses the most British Thermal Units (BTUs), taking into account size and type of house, its energy efficiency, and vehicle use of its occupants. This is known asLocation Efficiency.

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