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Smart Building Equals Green Building
The Basics
Green building is applied common sense, the convergence of three fundamental objectives:
- Energy Efficiency
- Natural Resource Conservation
- Improved Indoor Air Quality
All three of these objectives involve choices that are smarter, more durable and healthier for the consumer and for the environment. Below you will find a brief discussion of the issues and some examples of the many smart choices facing architects, designers, builders and property owners.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency directly affects consumer’s pocketbook. Conserving energy, efficiently transmitting energy, and utilizing renewable sources of energy save money and benefits our environment. The United States comprises 5% of the total world’s population but consumes 25% of the world’s energy resources. And with the emergence of new industrial giants like China and world population growth, depleted resources are in even greater demand. Energy costs, both real dollars and negative impacts on our environment, will continue to rise, making energy efficiency the keystone of green building.
Manual Method - Simply turn your thermostat down and the lights off. Consciously choose to personally use less energy.
Advanced sealing and caulking to reduce drafts - One of the most important common sense green building practices involves sealing your home against unnecessary drafts by using effective insulation, foaming around windows and other perforations, and caulking any joint against air infiltration.
Effective Insulation - Regular fiberglass batt insulation performs very poorly in reducing gaps/leaks and contributes to poor air quality, a better choice being recycled-content blown-in cellulose insulation or foam sprays like icynene. Also, don’t forget to insulate heating ducts and water pipes.
Fluorescent light bulbs - Regular fluorescents/Compact fluorescents save the consumer in energy bills and last up to eight times as long.
Low-E windows - Low emissivity reduces heat loss, saving energy and helping to increase comfort.
High Efficiency Heating System - Install Energy Star high efficient furnaces, keep ductwork within conditioned space, and seal all ducts against leaks with mastic instead of tape.
Radiant Barrier - Light colored roofing plus a radiant barrier will dramatically reduce solar heat conduction. Foil-backed OSB makes installation easy or retrofit with strip barriers stapled in the ceiling bays.
Smart framing - Incorporate such things as energy heels on trusses, insulated headers, insulation-friendly corners, 2X6 wall framing for increased insulation or consider using Structurally Insulated Panel (SIPs).
Passive Solar Design - Common sense design utilizing the sun’s natural heat, incorporating south facing window where feasible and thermal mass to hold heat.
Active Solar Power - Photovoltaic panels make sense for the earth and for the consumer’s budget, especially with rebate programs available in many states.
Solar Water - Water heating consumes an enormous amount of energy. Active systems utilizing pumps and regular water heaters are available plus roof-mounted gravity flow tanks and solar collectors.
Tankless Water Heaters - On-demand water heaters only heat water as it is needed, typically cutting heating costs up to 50%.
Natural Resource conservation
Home construction utilizes enormous resources. Smart building conserves valuable resources, reduces pressure on landfills, and protects water sources. Being smart in our choices, however, does not mean less appealing or less durable. Classic architectural designs mean less remodeling, recycled wood means older growth and more character, certified lumber and engineered lumber mean stronger and better; all helping to maintain healthier ecosystems. In the same way, green building equals smart building, conservation no longer compromises quality.
Reduce, reuse, recycle - Be conscious of space needs; bigger is not always better. Reuse building materials, recycle jobsite waste and household waste and consider composting.
Smart framing - Advanced framing incorporates Optimal Value Engineering (OVE), a method of providing quality plus resource efficiency. For example, (1) using 2X6 wall framing on 24” centers provides for better insulation and saves lumber and time, (2) sizing headers accurately, insulating them when possible, and eliminating them on non-load bearing wall, (3) using single studs at window opening, header clips instead of trimmers, and no cripples under the window except on layout, (4) using connector plates to make the joint between interior wall and exterior walls allows insulation space.
Engineered lumber - Oriented Strand Board (OSB), strawboard, wheatboard, wood fiber laminates, wood I joists, finger-jointed studs utilize wood fiber more efficiently and are typically straighter, stronger and lighter.
Sustainable Forestry products - The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies forestry products by auditing logging practices and maintaining a tight line of custody through production, distribution and sales. Buying FSC certified products helps maintain viable ecosystems and biodiversity.
Recycled-content cellulose insulation - Blown-in insulation fills voids around wires and pipes, which prevents leaks and saves energy.
Water-conserving plumbing fixtures - Low flow faucets and toilets saves water. On-demand circulation pumps delivers hot water without wasting energy or water.
Interior trim - Recycled fir and other species from old buildings are often tighter and better than new, younger-growth trees.
Recycled content decking - Composite type decking is often made from waste wood and recycled plastic. It never needs sealing, doesn’t splinter and is looking better all the time.
Wood Flooring - Consider using recycled flooring or FSC certified hardwood. Bamboo and cork are also rapidly renewable, durable, and beautiful.
Concrete - Fly ash is a by-product of burning coal and can be used to supplement and partially replace portland cement, which has extremely adverse effects on the environment during production. Fly ash concrete is better than regular concrete in many ways.
Indoor Air Quality
Statistics indicate a dramatic increase in respiratory disease among children, as high as 40% will develop some sort of allergy. No one knows exactly the cause of the increase, but surely environmental issues are linked to the problem. And since we spend approximately 90% of our time indoors, building healthier homes logically must become a higher priority. Prudent avoidance of unhealthy building components is growing in consumer priorities. Less chemicals (VOCs) in building materials, fresher air, and safe heating and cooling will help to improve indoor air quality.
Eliminate, ventilate, filtrate - Builders and designers first need to specify healthier building materials, then provide for adequate fresh air ventilation, and lastly use filtration methods to reduce particulates in the air.
Paint - Most eco-friendly paints work equally as well if not better than more toxic equivalents. The products have improved dramatically over the years, especially if you buy from the major manufacturers.
Carpet - Carpet itself acts like a sponge for everything from dirt to offgassing chemicals plus utilizes potentially hazadous glues during manufacturing. Make sure the carpet is an untreated natural fiber like wool or sea grass and does not contain adhesives with VOCs.
Formaldehyde - Great for preserving biological specimens in a laboratory but not for building materials, especially urea formaldehyde that is used abundantly as an adhesive for plywood, particleboard, MDF, vinyl flooring, wall fabric and fiberglass insulation. Alternatives are becoming more and more available.
Flooring choices - Less toxic flooring choices include ceramic tiles, natural linoleum, bamboo, cork, and concrete.
Ventilation - Houses are not too tight; they are under-ventilated. Controlled ventilation is better than leaks. Either open the windows or consider mechanical ventilation with air intake and exhaust.
Sealed Combustion Furnaces and hot water heaters - Old furnaces can emit high levels of combustion gases that are unhealthy. Consider Sealed Combustion units which take the gases out of the flue.
Whole House Fans - Inexpensive cooling options that ventilate well. Not advised with old furnaces because of back drafting.
Attached Garages - Garages contain all kinds of harmful chemicals and paints, not to mention exhaust from parking cars, such that when your house loses pressure, it will literally suck air from the garage. Detached garages are better or make sure you seal an attached garage very well.
Filters - High efficiency filters, MERV rated for particulate matter, are available but take more maintenance and restrict airflow. Clients and HVAC contractors should be consulted.
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