All Garden Homes are certifiable Green, usually at the Silver level at no extra cost.
Today’s home buyers want to lower their energy bills and live in healthier homes. Garden Homes is certified by the NAHB (National Home Builders Association) National Green Building Program, which has a flexible green rating system to fit their budgets. For green home building that’s workable, authentic and affordable, go to www.nahbgreen.org.
It’s hard to go for 24 hours these days without hearing something about green—green lifestyles, green products, and green buildings. So what does it mean to build a green house? To homeowners, green means a water-conserving, more durable, healthier, and more energy-efficient home. To planet Earth, green buildings mean much more. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), buildings are responsible for:
39 percent of total energy use
12 percent of total water consumption
68 percent of total electricity consumption
38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions
By adopting green building strategies to reduce these numbers, we can maximize both economic and environmental performance. Here are a few of the main elements that come into play.
1-Orientation and Design: Designing an energy-and resource-efficient home requires more planning than a conventionally designed home. When choosing features for an efficient home, designers need to consider the building site, available resources, the cost versus added value of efficiency upgrades, and aesthetics. By combining proper home orientation with a functional design, energy can be saved.
2-Sealing the Building Envelope: We’re not talking insulation here; that comes later. This step refers to a frequently overlooked detail in new-home construction: reducing air leakage into and out of the home. Insulation cannot overcome air leakage from unsealed areas. To reduce the high cost of air infiltration, detailed caulking and sealing are needed. Air-sealing techniques include sealing at the sill plate and top plate, around the rim joist, window and door openings, and at all penetrations thru exterior walls or between conditioned and unconditioned spaces including gaps surrounding plumbing, electrical boxes, exhaust fan housings, recessed lighting, the dryer vent, and wiring. This element of green construction reduces the amount of energy you’ll use to heat and cool your home. Mechanical ventilation may be in order to replace stale air with fresh outside air to eliminate concerns about IAQ.
3-Proper and Thorough Insulation: Wall-spray cellulose insulation combines a high R-value per inch with resistance to air infiltration. It is made from post-consumer recycled newspaper. Cellulose insulation is treated with a fire retardant, which also functions as an insecticide. Wall-spray suppresses air movement by completely filling wall cavities thus cutting down on drafts near electrical outlets on outside walls. Basement or crawlspace insulation is another area that is not overlooked when it comes to proper green home construction.
4-Efficient HVAC Equipment: With a home that is correctly sealed and insulated, an efficient HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system can do its job well. “Right-sizing” a homes heating and cooling system contributes to the performance and efficiency of the equipment. The use of manual J (for sizing equipment) is a requirement. Oversized equipment operates less efficiently and can cause humidity problems that can adversely impact indoor environmental quality, along with affecting occupant comfort.
Sealed-combustion furnaces, water heaters, and gas fireplaces, rely on a power vent to bring in outside air directly to the burner. Sealed-combustion units operate more efficiently and pose less risk of introducing dangerous gases into the home. Sealed combustion units also have a longer expected life span. There are many types of HVAC units to be considered while designing an energy efficient home; these items are a part of designing the right home value for you.
5-Energy-Saving Appliances: Next on the green-home building list are appliances. Energy Star® qualified appliances. The initial cost usually exceeds that of conventional appliances but the lifetime cost is lower by incorporating advanced technologies that use 10 to 50 percent less energy and water than standard models.
Not only are Energy Star® appliances more energy-efficient, they’re also quieter. And let’s address the water usage issue. For example, Energy Star® qualified dishwashers not only use at least 41 percent less energy than the federal minimum standard for energy consumption, they also use about one-third less water than non-qualified models.
6-Upgraded Windows: Windows have a significant effect on the energy efficiency of a home. A finished exterior wall can have an R-Value ranging from R-15 to R- 21 depending upon the products used to create it. (R-Value denotes the ability of a product to resist heat transfer, so the higher the R-Value, the better.) Single-pane glass, on the other hand, has an R-Value of just 1. The good news is that technology is helping to improve this number. For example, insulated, double-pane windows with low-E (low-emittance) glass can have an R Value of 3 to 4. Low-E glass is coated with microscopic, virtually invisible particles of metal or metallic oxide, which reduces heat transfer. The use of an inert gas in the air space between the window panes, improving the insulating ability of the frame and sash, and low –E glass can mean a 40% better performance rating. The air infiltration which enters through cracks and gaps around the window assembly can compromise the window systems efficiency.
Window size, placement, quantity, and specifications are considered in conjunction with home orientation and design, are a major component of green building.
7-Water: Water conservation is another integral part of green construction. Only 3 percent of all water on earth is fresh, and 2 percent of that is frozen in icecaps and glaciers. Selecting low-flow fixtures, contribute to preserving one of the earth’s most precious resources.
Low-flow fixtures, defined as those that supply less than the standard 2.2 (for a sink faucet) or 2.5 (for a showerhead) gallons per minute. Low flow fixtures also save on the amount of hot water used, thus saving energy.
Toilets are a major user of household water second only to irrigation. Low-flush commodes use approximately 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) as opposed to the standard 1.6 gpf. Low-flush toilets save water without a trade off in flushing power. This reduction equates to an estimated savings of 3200 gallons with a family of four. Dual-flush versions use 0.8 or 0.9 gpf for liquids and 1.6 gpf for solids. Since we flush liquids much more often than solids, an average family of four can save approximately 7,000 gallons of water per year.
8-Indoor Air Quality (IAQ): According to the EPA, indoor air pollution is America’s most serious environmental health problem. The agency says that indoor air quality is three to five times worse than outdoor air quality.
A Green home can include a number of procedures and products to improve these statistics. Here are a few examples.
A central vacuum system will improve the air quality of the home by providing effective removal of dust, dirt, and pollen. Unlike traditional vacuums where a portion of dust and pollen is tossed back into the air, 100% of what is vacuumed with a central vacuum system is picked up and deposited in the canister (usually located in the garage.)
Sealing the HVAC ductwork connections with a tape or mastic product, and all supply and return connections are sealed. Leaking air from ductwork leads to unbalanced conditions and suboptimal operation of the HVAC system. This technique also helps keep attic dust and other contaminants out of the ventilation system. No un-insulated ductwork placed in un-conditioned spaces. Also tight ductwork ensures the designed amount of conditioned air arrives at its intended location. These procedures contribute to improved IAQ (Indoor Environmental Quality).
9-Durability: Products offering increased durability will be used to construct the exterior walls and roof. Special attention is given to the wind rating for the roofing material. Optimum Value Engineering (OVE) techniques are used to reduce lumber requirements while maintaining structural integrity. Energy trusses lift the roof several inches to provide ample space above the top plate for installation of a thick layer of insulation.
Termite-resistant products and procedures are used in the construction of your home.
To protect your home from the three physical forces that adversely effect the durability of building materials, air, heat and moisture. Water intrusion through the roof, a peel-’n-stick roofing underlayment, such as Ice and Water Shield, is installed two feet over the heated area stops ice damming. The walls, have a continuous barrier (whole house wrap) that blocks excess water, is breathable allowing moisture vapor to pass thru, and stops air movement thru the building envelope. A flashing tape that is a self-adhered flashing that helps protect the heads and jambs of rectangular windows and doors from water intrusion providing a durable seal at the window-wall interface.
10-Low- or no-VOC paints: VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are chemicals released into the air as gasses. About half the volume of a can of paint may be made up of the chemicals (VOCs) that keep it liquid. The odor from traditional paint is caused primarily by VOCs; over the days it takes the paint to fully dry and cure; you're inhaling those VOCs into your lungs. Low- or zero-VOC paints emit very little or no odor. Low VOC paints are also much better for the environment.
11-Green Certification: Now that we’ve gone over the basics of green construction, you might be wondering if all green homes include these features. As stated earlier NAHB has a flexible rating system. There are four levels of Green certification; they all require a whole-house approach to green construction. Because the builder must select points from all categories within a certification program, all areas of the home are addressed. These categories generally consist of lot/site, energy-conservation, water conservation, health, and materials. Selections differ, so homes certified as green will have variations in green attributes. When evaluating green homes, ask to see the green certification checklist and discuss the various green options with us. You can pick and choose which items are important to you realizing there is always a budget to be concerned with.
All Garden Homes are certifiable Green, usually at the Silver level at no extra cost, although to be certified, the cost of the third party certifier would be a change order for approximately, one thousand dollars.
A Green certified home, means that it was inspected multiple times during the construction process by a third party green certifying agent. Also as required for certification Garden Homes has Tim Schrock as it’s staff Certified Green Professional. Garden Homes uses Energy Diagnostics www.energydiagnosticsinc.com to confirm that the selected green products and procedures were implemented or installed using a series of tests and onsite visits of the structure itself. A few of the procedures measure whole-house air leakage (the blower door test) and ductwork leakage. Proper insulation installation is also reviewed through the thermal bypass inspection.
Energy Diagnostics must provide documentation to, NAHB National Green Building Program that proves compliance with all selected points. When the third party is satisfied that the home meets all the requirements, it will award a Green certification.
Well this is the long and the short of Green Building. Really it’s much more the short of it. If you have read this far you must be interested in Green building, to learn more about what you can do to help save the planet one home at a time. Please call us to discuss how we can both do our part without having to break the bank.
Builder Challenge: EnergySmart Home ScaleSM
The E-Scale is an easy-to-understand tool that helps homebuyers and homeowners make smart energy decisions when purchasing, renting, or updating a home. It is designed to provide clear, objective answers to basic questions:
Will this home help me save money on energy bills?
How many "miles per gallon" does this home get?
How does it compare to a typical new home?
How close is it to the "ultimate" – a Net-Zero Energy Home?
