Green Building Overview

Green Buildings are really resource efficient buildings and are very energy efficient, utilize construction materials wisely -- including recycled, renewable, and reused resources to the maximum extent practical -- are designed, constructed and commissioned to ensure they are healthy for their occupants, are typically more comfortable and easier to live with due to lower operating and owning costs, and are good for the planet. The overall environmental impact of new building and community development and the choices made when we either reuse or demolish existing structures is very important.

Why Buy a Green Home?

There are many questions consumers have about environmental products. Do they really work as promised? Why bother to look for and purchase an environmental product? Can my shopping decisions really make a difference and help the planet? The answer -- especially for our homes and the products they entail -- is a resounding yes.

U. S. consumers utilize greater resources per capita than any other people World-wide. We consume about 20,000 pounds (10 tons) per person per year of "active" materials. These include virgin forest products, fuels, steel, glass, cement and plastics. An astounding 90 percent of these of materials becomes "waste" in less than one year according to a 1992 study by the US Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). Residential construction processes are still fairly inefficient compared to other industries according to these OTA reports to Congress.

Home building needs to undergo a process of technological substitution and rethinking to become more environmentally sensitive and sustainable. In a green housing project, many inefficiencies are addressed and overcome, so your home becomes part of the solution. The building industry is acting to incorporate the growing knowledge of green buildings into housing products and services, but consumer demand plays an important role in getting these better products to market.

As a Nation we consume over 2 billion tons of non-durable resources each year. Add to this quantity: non-hazardous industrial waste equaling 11 billion tons per year (OTA said 6.5 billion tons could be reduced by design decisions and enhanced recycling), 1.9 billion tons per year of pollution from automobiles and light trucks, 700 million tons of hazardous waste, about 600 million tons of building related air-pollution, and 180 million tons of municipal solid waste (sewerage sludge, etc.). From the graphic below on annual environmental pollution from major sources in the US, you begin to get the picture. Our productive economy produces these by-products of our affluent life-style, which are threatening our environment.

Luckily, our homes can become a powerful tool that empowers us to help protect the environment. When we live in a green home we encourage reducing waste, implementing recycling, using renewable materials and energy sources, and implementing a better way of producing housing. These are the Four-R's: Reduce, Recycle, Renewable and Rethinking. When our homes are built or remodeled with these important tools in mind, each one becomes an "engine" pulling to help the environment.

Green Homes are Very Energy Efficient

New homes today are about 35% more energy efficient than those built prior to 1976. However, they need to be more so to deliver the best economics for buyers. Why? Simple really -- your home is the biggest purchase of your life and it should not have the biggest impact on your pocketbook from utility bills, on the environment from energy waste.

An existing homes should be provided with an energy "audit" available at low cost from many utility firms, their "energy services" subsidiaries, or Home Energy Rating Providers. In a quality energy audit or home energy rating, specific measures are identified for maximum savings, unless there has been an energy audit or "home energy rating" performed on the property within the last 5 years [a detailed uniform audit will often be accepted by lenders and utility programs for special financing or incentive programs that make energy efficiency more affordable]. Obtaining an up to date Energy Rating can help you learn the priority of things to do (is attic insulation a better deal than new windows, for example).

New homes should exceed by at least 30% overall (heating, A/C and hot-water demand), the efficiency levels specified in the International Energy Efficiency Code-2003, published by ICBO, Whittier,, CA-USA. or Standard 90.2-1993 "Energy Efficient Design of New Low-Rise Residential Buildings," by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers ( ASHRAE ). Both ICBO/IECC and ASHRAE work closely with housing industry and the US Department of Energy to make sure the energy standards for building codes are up to date, but not overly costly for the average consumer. Remember, the energy standards in building codes are just a starting point. 

Other items of Interest to Home Sellers/Buyers:

A Green Home has Good Indoor Environmental Quality  Indoor environmental quality is a mixture of the air your breathe, the lighting from indoors and outside, noise levels, and even the electromagnetic fields produced by electric power-consuming devices. All these factors contribute to our health, comfort and a sense of well being at home. Bad smells, excessive noise, humming from lights or appliances, and pollutants (particles, spores, volatile gases or unburned fuel) all can lead to irritation, poorer health, reduced productivity and in extreme cases, injury or death.

The basic design, building materials used, and operating efficiency of your green home can help greatly reduce the threat to you and your family of indoor environmental problems. A green home is designed, constructed, and can be easily maintained to be free of unhealthy levels of indoor air pollutants -- such as Radon gas, excess moisture, mold and mildew, formaldehyde, passive tobacco smoke, particles and dust-mite allergen (feces) -- that can impact occupant health. Once you move in, use the information provided by your green builder or remodelor to properly maintain healthy indoor environments.

In existing homes, owners should check for lead-based paint and have drinking water tested in case lead solder was used to fit the plumbing. Inexpensive kits are widely available for home testing of Radon, lead levels, VOC, and drinking water. Also, requesting the seller or remodelor certify that no Asbestos was used in the home or in any projects done at your home carries value into the future in terms of health and resale value. In general, states have been gradually moving toward greater disclosure of indoor pollution sources -- like Radon, Lead and Asbestos -- over the last several years. Your Realtor will be able to advise you on local regulations, and can help you obtain information on these matters from sellers or your new home builder.

Once major sources of air pollution indoors are addressed, it is still a good idea to ventilate homes to ensure good comfort and health. American homes have largely been "accidentally" ventilated by leaks through which air flows due to wind pressures and temperature differences. This sometimes results in stuffy or unhealthy conditions. Today, better energy efficiency reduces the leaks and hence "accidental" ventilation may not be enough for comfort. Low cost ventilation techniques include a wide range of fresh-air systems that boost indoor air quality while not adding very much to energy bills. In very cold or hot/humid areas air-to-air heat recovery ventilators ("heat-exchangers") provide ventilation at reduced overall energy cost since they reclaim heat or cooling from stale indoor air being exhausted outside. Builders trained on energy efficient construction have been informed how to ventilate homes better with these systems, which can be "tuned" to your climate for least cost and best performance.

If there are allergy sufferers in the household, installing a higher efficiency air-filter element, or an "electrostatic" air filter device, can reduce their discomfort. But one of the biggest advantages of energy efficient construction for allergy sufferers is the lower air leakage, and hence fewer spores, pollen grains and less duct that gets in from outdoors. According to EPA and the CPSC such filters may not be necessary in most homes, once the sources of indoor pollutants -- especially particles, smoke, and dust-mite allergen -- are reduced. Air filters do little to protect against radon gas, pesticides, formaldehyde or other chemical agents. 

There are other measures of energy efficiency that provide superior performance, but at somewhat higher initial cost. One such measure is the EEBA Criteria © for Resource Efficient Building developed by the Energy and Environmental Building Association (EEBA) [currently available on line]. Always check with your builder or remodelor to see what sources of information and training they have had on energy efficient construction. Other groups like the Rocky Mountain Institute, Alliance to Save Energy, Union of Concerned Scientists, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, and Natural Resources Defense Council all support much more efficient home energy standards than just meeting code.

Very basic materials, building techniques, and designs distinguish an energy efficient home. Sealing up air-leaks like construction cracks and holes is very important. Increased attic, wall and foundation insulation, and installing high-performance windows and better doors completes the building "shell." Using efficient electric lighting and plug-in appliances, and upgrading to high efficiency furnaces, heat-pumps and boilers further reduces energy waste. A floor plan and building orientation designed to admit winter solar heat, ample day lighting, and avoid summer-time sun further reduces energy waste. Such a "package" may save up to 65% in your green home versus a typical homes' utility bills. As with many quality oriented projects, energy efficiency upgrades perform best when installed as a package by professionals. However, some projects like insulating your attic, putting on weather-stripping, and installing a digital clock-thermostat are simple and low-cost do-it-yourself measures.

Performance Verification -- Designers and builders are advised to obtain a "uniform home energy rating" - HERS - from an accredited provider (see National RESNET ) in order to document a properties' energy efficiency for consumers, lenders and code-officials. An important part of HERS rating is ensuring the home and it distribution systems are sealed and insulated effectively, and that actual construction meets design intentions.

Financing programs -- called Energy Efficiency Mortgages (EEM's) -- linked to home energy ratings (or enhanced audits) are coming to market backed by US DOE and US EPA technical and marketing programs. Integrating energy improvements into a mortgage quickly helps you pay for these measures. The concept is simple: improve the home to meet an energy rating, and the cost of the most economical improvements can be included in the mortgage (or refinancing) as long as the average monthly energy savings are greater than the added monthly mortgage costs.

Residential Green Building Guidelines

This guideline contains an overview of what makes a Green Building work with the environment, and in favor of consumer health, comfort and economy. This listing is only to be used as a general guide since there are numerous specific technical considerations, that are used by building industry professionals to meet such criteria, that could not be included here for brevity.

1. Emphasize the four "R's"
via sound design, construction and building commissioning without compromising structural durability, indoor pollutant levels, ventilation, building code requirements, or marketability, including:

·         Reduce -- lower quantities of building materials, resources, and embodied energy are used

·         Reuse -- construction materials are reused where practical and structurally sound

·         Recycle -- recycled materials are used, and home is designed for recycle-ability

·         Renewable -- energy from natural sources and renewable building materials are emphasized.

2. Use Energy, Water and Resource Efficient design, specification and construction methods:

·         Building thermal envelope thermal and air leakage levels are superior by at least 20% to levels cited in the International Energy Conservation Code - 2003 (managed by ICBO) or ASHRAE Std. 90.2-1993. (A minimum 30% improvement in energy used for heating, A/C and Hot-water, is recommended by EPA/DOE "EnergyStar" Homes.)

·         Mechanical home ventilation is provided, designed to be occupant controllable

·         Ducts and pipes are of minimal length, well sealed, and located inside the home

·         High efficiency heating and air-conditioning equipment ("right" sizing, high unitary efficiency, effective controls, system gets commissioned)

·         Efficient service water heating, including consideration of solar water heating

·         Major appliances selected with DOE "Energy-guide" labeled usage in most efficient quintile (best 20%) of appliance "family" annual comparison. Another important gauge of appliance efficiency is whether it obtained an "Energy Star" designation; ask for it!

·         Minimize potable water use of both hot and cold supplies, and outdoor uses for landscaping

·         Install energy efficient electrical lighting, and design floorplan to maximize interior daylighting;

·         Respect site conditions to considers passive solar and natural cooling

·         An operating manual is supplied so owner/occupant knows how to maintain good performance

3. Healthy indoor air quality (IAQ) (meets or exceeds US EPA voluntary criteria)

·         Radon/soil-gas entry is prevented through good design and construction

·         Low-VOC emitting construction, adhesives, finishes are employed

·         Low Formaldehyde emitting manufactured wood products are installed

·         Use carpeting that is tested and labeled for low emissions is installed along with low emission padding

·         Steps are taken in design and construction preventing excess moisture to avoid rot, mold and mildew

 

4. "Affordable" Community building location has connectivity with:

·         mass transit, bus, light rail;

·         community infrastructure that reduces vehicle miles traveled;

·         local health and social services;

·         walk-able options for recreation and light shopping needs;

·         accessible bike paths, etc.

 

5. Development creates a sense of well being in its neighborhood structure providing a sense of community.

6. Building remains reasonably affordable and cost effective while accomplishing criteria one through five;

·         overall added mortgage cost per month is generally offset by savings on building operating energy, commuting costs, avoided health claims from indoor air pollution, and better mental health due to sense of community and fewer hours spent commuting); and

·         over the useful life of the structure (50 year useful life for life-cycle analysis purposes) the building produces no net economic loss to owner(s) when evaluated against traditional competing free market investments (bonds, stocks, etc.) for the funds employed to upgrade the building to meet these criteria.