Heat, light, food, and good health-amenities that none of us can do without. Unfortunately, the meteoric rise in cost for all four over the last 10 years shows no sign of slowing anytime soon. But you can fight back. As a homeowner, you can reduce your expenditures on all four by retrofitting your home with green building products.
The gold standard for green design is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) System, organized by the U.S. Green Building Council to verify building projects as sustainable in terms of construction methods, materials, operations, and maintenance. The Southface Institute and the Florida Green Building Coalition also set standards.
Green Building Materials
Wood
“There is no building resource more sustainable than wood,” says Dennis Hickman, owner of lumber company Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring in Emlenton, PA. ” The key is cutting wood at a measured pace.” The company believes in a strict oversight of its timber output and works in partnership with the Forest Stewardship Council, which audits his company every year to make sure it is not cutting more than it is growing. “I can sell a hardwood floor that came from a well managed forest, and I can provide the documentation to verify that,” he says.
Bamboo
Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on earth, and one of the most resilient. Engineering tests show bamboo has a higher tensile strength than many alloys of steel. Because of its strength and aesthetic beauty, the plant is a highly sought after material for building decks, fences, floors, and window blinds. This is a good thing for the earth’s climate, according to bamboo flooring manufacturer firm Teragren. “Teragren has been aligned with the FSC’s sustainable forestry principles since founding our company in 1994,” says Teragren President and CEO David Knight.
Homebuilders who like floors of rare wood but want to conserve trees can get the best of both worlds with Interstate Flooring’s exotic wood-bamboo flooring, which is a thin top layer of the rare wood of your choosing- mahogany, kuku, tigerwood, merbau, kangpei maple, or white oak-and a thrice-as-thick supporting layer of bamboo. Pacific Lumber Resources, Inc. builds decks out of bamboo. For best results, a homeowner can have his or her bamboo deck coated with the company’s zero-emission wood sealer.
Wood Treatments
When buying wood products, select those made from solid wood, not pressed wood or particle boards. Then keep them looking good the healthy way with low-toxicity wood finishes, such as Timber Pro Coatings’ UV “Deck & Fence Formula” and “Log & Siding Formula,” both of which are manufactured with waterborne oils derived from plants. Their risks to humans and animals are many times less than the industrial counterparts.
You can determine the safety of any wood finish by checking its Material Safety Data Sheet. (You can also go MSDS online http://www.msdsonline.com with a free trial account.) Every store is required to keep one on file for every coating product that it sells.
The MSDS sheet lists the product’s level of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). A level at or below 250 grams per liter is safe. Zero VOC is too low, though-finishes with zero VOC take days to dry and cure, at best; some never dry at all. Timber Pro’s VOC level is a happy medium of 93 gpl.
Cork
Cork is another option for flooring. Like wood, it derives from trees. Unlike wood, humans don’t have to chop trees down to get it. Mediterranean cork orchards harvest the cork from their trees in controlled amounts and leave the trees standing to gradually regrow. Eagle Creek Natural Building in Eagle Creek, OR, is a western-U.S. leader in building with sustainable and beautiful cork flooring in a variety of shades of creamy and earthy brown tones.
Granite
For stone patios, walkways, walls, and floors, recycled granite pavers are a great building material. They come in many sizes and color blends; all can last forever if properly maintained. Vangura Surfacing Products of Irwin, PA, is a respected go-to source for pavers.
Granite packaging often comes with grades that indicate the quality of the granite. Higher grades are better material, though typically pricier. As with any building material, keep both price and value in mind when making a buying decision. “The homeowner needs to be aware that cheap granite that may not provide them the long-term satisfaction that they expect,” says Russell Bolton, sales and marketing manager of Vangura.
Cement
Cement, on the other hand, is problematic. Every ton of cement manufactured entailed the release of 900 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. With 3 billion tons of cement manufactured a year, that’s 2.75 billion annual tons.
There are ways to reduce cement’s carbon footprint. The European cement industry has cut its CO2 output by 30% since 1970, and Canada’s cement manufacturers emit 11% les CO2 than they did in 1990. One method is to substitute some of cement’s ingredients with fly ash, a waste from the coal industry that would otherwise end up in landfills. Fly ash now comprises 25%-30% of the cement manufactured at Lafarge’s plants in Vancouver and Seattle. Australian company Zeobond adds an alkal to fly ash to create E-Crete, which produces 80% less CO2 than regular cement.
Another helpful product is Hycrete, which is mixed into concrete and eliminates the need for membranes which are typically toxic and environmentally dangerous. Hycrete itself is not a membrane but a water-based chemical that renders concrete waterproof from the inside out, eliminating membranes and protecting against water damage.
Australian company TecEco makes a cement that is 50% magnesium carbonate, a natural rock that absorbs CO2 and needs much less heat energy to be molded. In California, Calera is developing a technology that siphons off CO2 from gas-fired power plants and runs it through seawater to create a coral-like carbonate that can substitute for the limestone that is cement’s key ingredient. For every ton of cement made with it, half a ton of CO2 can be sequestered into the cement.
Increase Energy Savings with Heat Pumps
Inefficient heating and cooling can add up to 45% of your utility bill, according to National Geographic’s “Going Green” video. But homeowners still have many opportunities to keep their utility bills under control. Start by scanning walls and doorways for exposed air paths, and add weather stripping as needed.
Some air conditioners are more energy-efficient than others. In January 2006, the U.S. government mandated that new air conditioners and heat pumps must meet a minimum energy-efficiency Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 13. The SEER equals the BTU of cooling output throughout a season divided by the total electric energy input in watt-hours during the same period.
Western Pennsylvania Geothermal Heating and Cooling, Inc., of Saxonburg, PA, has a variety of heating and heat pump options, including a geothermal heat pump that moves heat energy to and from the earth to heat and cool your indoor environment. New heat-exchange technologies can capture and recycle waste energy from humans and lighting human systems.
An air-source heat pump will extract heat from the air and circulate it around your home through ducts or floor pipes. If your house does not have a duct system, then get a mini-split system. Either way, you’ll get a substantial payback in two to seven years. A ground-source heat pump, which fits under your lawn or driveway, works in all climates. For each unit of energy it uses, you’ll get 3-4 units back. In summer, the system works in reverse to pump unwanted heat down under the ground.
Solar Energy
To really reap some energy savings, you might invest in new solar energy generators. The Rocky Mountain Institute’s Colorado headquarters, with its greenhouse roof and advanced glazing, no longer needs any artificial heat source- even though it’s situated at 11,000 feet above sea level! Better still, the roof components cost only $1.50 per square foot.
Many solar manufacturers have residential solar systems that you can install in your home. Paul Dailey of California-based solar-energy development company Solarworld says, “Solar energy is environmentally benign, and the sun never sends a bill. Solar panels generate clean electricity without emitting anything into the atmosphere. They help the environment by displacing fossil fuel generated electricity, which emits all kinds of things into the air.” The company makes its modular panels primarily from silicon, glass and aluminum with some plastics to glue it all together.
SolarWorld’s Raju Yenamandra developed some of the very first grid-tied applications for both homes and utility sites, including a 1 MW site installed near Sacramento in 1984 that’s still in operation today,” Dailey says.
According to The Climate Challenge, by Guy Dauncey, a solar hot water system can reduce your annual carbon footprint by up to 678 kilograms. You can select either a flat-plates system or one with evacuated tubes. About 40 million households in China use the latter. Prices for the evacuated tubes system range from $5,000 to $8,000 in North America, and they will reduce your hot water bill 33% to 75%.
Zero Energy Design builds homes in accordance with a Thermal Buffer Zone system: a white “cool roof” that reflects the sun’s radiation; aluminum “radiant barriers” on the roof and walls further deflect solar rays back upwards; and large vents in the roof that you can open to release hot air. Altogether, the design ensures that on even the hottest days, a home’s residents will be much cooler indoors.
Wood Stoves
Another sustainable heating option is a blast from the past: wood stoves. Hearth & Home Furnishings in Zelienople, PA, offers stoves that burn wood sawdust pellets to produce heat with 16% lower CO2 emissions than their fossil-fuel counterparts.
SIP Insulation Panels
Increased energy savings begin with good insulation. Enercept Building Systems’ Structural Insulates Panels (SIPs) insulation maintains its integrity over time, whereas batt insulation settles and absorbs moisture. Besides energy savings, SIPs insulation acts as a sound barrier, and the naturally tight construction of a SIP shell helps prevent dust and allergens from penetrating the home.
The University of Tennesse and the U.S. Deptartment of Energy compared five different building systems for clear-wall R-value verses whole-wall R-value. The test concluded that SIPs maintain 88% of their clear-wall performance after whole-wall R-value is measured, 58% better than 2×6 stick-framing SIPs – Structural Insulated Panels. The result is 40% – 60% energy savings over the life of your home.
Patrick Sughrue, Structures NW LLC, in Vancouver, WA, says homeowners can save energy costs by substituting SIPs for traditional stick framing of walls, roofs, and floors. “Building with SIPs can help you reach energy efficiency levels that allow you to claim a $2,000 tax credit,” Sughrue says. ” There are sevaral requirements for a home to reach energy levels for the tax credit, but it looks like the wait is over, and there is a fairly clear path to do this.”
Lighting
As much as possible, incorporating green building products into your home means getting light from the sun, not from lamps. Windows and overhangs should be sized and located to allow maximum natural light. In most of North America, it helps to place overhangs on the south side, not the north (block the sun in summer but let it in during winter).
Save the artificial light for when it is dark and, ideally, when people are actually in the room. A motion-sensor light switch will automatically turn a room’s lighting on when it detects a person in the room and shut the lights off when the person leaves.
Consider replacing traditional lighting with LED lighting. For example, enLux recessed can down lighting from Hudnut LED Lighting Solutions in Portland, OR, passes the LM-79 test for Energy Star performance. LED lighting products are long lasting, use low power, and contain no mercury, says Hudnut’s president, Bruce Shaw. You can also install LED track lighting.
Be PVC-Free
Watch for products that contain PVC, which the Center for Health, Environment and Justice calls “the most toxic plastic for our health and the environment.” Its use puts children at high risks of obesity, asthma, and reproductive problems. In fact, the Bush administration banned PVC use in toys, but the substance is still commonly found in:
- Cavity closure insulation
- Door frames
- Door gaskets
- Fencing
- Flooring
- Gutters
- Molding
- Pipes
- Shutters
- Siding
- Tiles
- Wall coverings
- Window frames
- Wire/cable insulation
Polypropylene, Polyactic Acid, and Polyethylene Terephtalata (PET) are safer. Visit the Center’s Web site to view a list of manufacturers whose products are PVC-laced. You will also find a running list of companies and products that are free of PVC and other hazardous materials at Healthy Building Network.
Don’t Be “Greenwashed”
There are a lot of false advertisers of green building products in the marketplace. Shari Steber, owner of Timber Pro Coatings, has seen multiple examples of companies engaging in “greenwashing,” or using potentially misleading words to imply to consumers that a product is green when it actually is not. She cites the example of a wood coating whose packaging stated “environmentally safe and responsible” even though the product’s MSDS indicated a very high percentage of hazardous ingredients.
When she asked the company to explain the environmental safety claim, a representative told her that it was due to the product using an oil that came from the nut of a rainforest tree that didn’t require cutting down to obtain the nut’s oil-as if that one oil compensated for the many other toxins alongside it.
“Those of us in the industry who are educated can read between the lines, but how are homeowners supposed to determine what’s truly green? There is no legislation yet about using the vocabulary correctly,” says Steber. Homeowners will be safer if they consult experts before making green home improvements. Make sure the contractors you hire are certified or experienced in green building.
As a general rule, steer clear of brand-new product releases. There is no telling how a new product fresh out of the lab will hold up against real-life pollen, pollution, and day-to-day wear and tear. “Every single deck sealer that we have seen that had a ‘two- or three-year guarantee’ has disappeared off the market once they had to pay off on all the claims,” says Steber.
Genuine Green Building Companies
If you do the research on a company, you can find out for yourself whether the company’s products or services are “green.” Generally speaking, products are green if they:
- Were produced within a 500-mile radius of where you purchase them, thus minimizing their transportation costs
- Are salvaged, recycled, or recyclable
- Are certified by an independent agency as renewable
- Are durable, requiring no reconstruction or replacement until the distant future
- Are produced with minimal energy
- Do not contain hazardous chemicals, ozone-depleting CFCs, or halon gas
Blue Ox Timber Frames is one company that has earned the title of “green.” It helps conserve North America’s trees by choosing only salvaged wood and wood from rapid-growth forests for its wood structures.
Vangura’s Stellar Series of counter tops deserves credit for relying on recycled mirror and glass in the fabrication process. Additionally, at the Vangura’s stone fabrication plant, a water-filtration system recycles the water used in the manufacturing process.
Castle Distributors’ recycled glass-tile products are 30%-70% composed of glass from discarded bottles or other pre-consumer or post-consumer glass products that would otherwise go to landfills. Castle Distributors also recycles old terracotta and brick into impressive ceramics, bathroom fixtures, and brick walls.
Every type of window, door, interior finish, water heater, lighting, air handler and appliance comes with ratings to measure their energy efficiency. The Greenguard Environmental Institute conducts certifications of all types of building projects and household products. The site’s interactive “Find Products” feature will allow you to scroll through hundreds of brands of flooring, insulation, wall finishes, surfacing materials, and other products to find whether or not each is Greenguard-certified.
It is also encouraging if a green building products company has signed on to Energy Star, a joint Energy Department and Environmental Protection Agency labeling and recognition program. An Energy Star-certified brand is one that the agencies have certified as energy-efficient and low-pollutant. The site’s interactive database lets you search for any product by type, brand, model, and retail outlet that sells it.
Reputable green building contractors take codes seriously. Just ask Robin Wiebe, vice president of custom-staircase designer Builders Stair Supply, Inc., St. Louis, MO, who declines any request to perform a job not in accordance with local ordnances. “More accidents happen on stairs than in any other place in the home. So when someone builds a stair out of code, they are taking on a huge liability which we are unwilling to take,” she says.
Energy Tax Credits From Uncle Sam
Retrofitting your home to be more sustainable will cost you. Fortunately, the government wants to help. Energy-efficiency home improvements qualifies you for tax credits and rebates. The Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency department is a good source of information on this as is the nonprofit Tax Incentives Assistance Project.
The Carbon Neutral Conclusion
“What a difference a few years makes,” wrote Guy Dauncey in The Climate Challenge. “In 2000 carbon-neutral housing was just an idea. In 2010 architects all over the world are designing zero-carbon buildings.” He notes that even Dongtan, China and Masdar, Abu Dhabi are becoming zero-carbon cities. In Britain, all new homes must have zero net carbon emissions from energy use by 2016. By 2011, all new Chinese buildings will have to have cut their energy use in half.
With all the new green building product advancements, let’s hope that when the U.S. housing market resumes, homeowners and building contractors, too, will show more shades of green. It is possible to go easier on the earth and on our pocketbooks, as well, if we make more green home choices.
Originally posted 2009-12-14 09:00:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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