Eskom may soon pull trigger on 100-MW solar-energy project

Eco-Build Systems

The use of Ecobeams typically saves two thirds of the timber used in a classic timber frame construction.

Build anywhere...quick

• Ecobeams can be manufactured at any location with minimum facilities.

• Ecobeams are easy to handle and economical to transport.

• The Ecobeams allow for services and ventilation to be installed in walls, ceilings and under floors.

• Curves can be built into Ecobeams.

Cutting edge simplicity and aesthetics

Ecobeams have enormous industrial and commercial application.

A “box” of beams is easily shuttered from the outside by simply stapling shutter boards to the battens. Reinforced steel is easily tied to the lattice, facilitating a "post and beam" construction for larger buildings.

MERCURY AND CFL's: IS IT SAFE?

Energy experts estimate that lighting makes up approximately 14 % of the average household's electricity account. As much as 80 % of that can be saved by replacing ordinary incandescent light bulbs with energyefficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Mercury, however, is an essential, irreplaceable element in compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs); it's what allows the bulb to be such an efficient light source. This, however, raises a question about how safe and environmentally sound the use of CFLs is.

Safe for household

For the individual homeowner the mercury content in a CFL should not be a cause of concern. The amount of mercury contained in a CFL (5 milligrams) is about one-fifth of the mercury found in a watch battery (25 milligrams), and at least a 100 times less than the mercury present in standard household thermometers (500 milligrams) and the silver-colored fillings in teeth (500 milligrams).

Our Carbon Reductions

Scientists and the media alike are focussing on the consequences of global warming and the impact of CO2 emissions. 2007 brought extreme weather conditions in the form of heat waves - which serves as evidence of the gravity of this problem - commonly referred to as the "green house effect."

The burning of fossil fuels - such as coal for electricity production and gas for water heating - releases large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, thus contributing to this phenomenon and ruining the environment.

The materials common to many types of natural building are clay and sand. When mixed with water and, usually, straw or other fibre, the mixture is known as cob or adobe.  Other materials commonly used in natural building are: earth, wood, cordwood, timber frame, straw and rock. A wide variety of reused or recycled materials are common in natural building, including salvaged chunks of used concrete, tyres, discarded bottles and other recycled glass.