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The four basic elements for building a green home

Green building is more than the actual construction of your home, although it a large part of the process. It is a beginning to end process that begins with the selection of your land, designing your dream home, the materials and practices used during construction and finally, how you operate and maintain your dream home once it is completed. You can integrate as much or as little of these elements in the design of your home that you choose.

You decide how "Green" you want to be.

Consider the four basic elements of Green Building:

1. Increasing energy efficiency

2. Material chosen for the construction of your house

3. Increasing the efficiency of water use both in and outside of your home

4. Improving air quality, improving health and productivity of your family

There are many parts of each element. Let us examine each of these in a little more detail

1. Increasing energy efficiency

• Advanced Framing - Use a framing contractor who may request advanced framing technique in the construction of your home. This creates a solid structure with a better home energy efficiency and reduced material cost and labor. This technique replaces the wood with insulation material and maximizes the wall which is insulated, improving R-value of the house. On average, advanced framing uses 30% less lumber, which reduces construction costs and saves 2% to 4% the total energy consumption.
• Hot Water Heater - Water heating can account for 14% to 25% of energy consumed in your home. To increase the efficiency of your water heater, locate near the highest point of use. This is usually close the shower followed closely by the washer.
• Pipes - Insulate hot water pipes and cold within 3 feet of hot water. This reduces the loss heat mode. Your water heater is constantly heating and piping water in it, even in the absence of water is used.
• Appliances - A green building offers appliances that are as effective as possible. The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Agency of Environmental Protection have developed a program called Energy Star which labels these devices meeting strict criteria for energy effective. The average household spends $ 1,900 per year on energy bills. As you can see in the chart above, much of this energy is consumed by appliances in your home.
  • ENERGY STAR qualified appliances incorporate advanced technologies that use 10-50% less energy and water than standard models. Just look at the Energy Star label. The Federal Trade Commission requires that refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers and window air conditioners be provided with an energy label guide.
  • Label a water heater is shown here. This water heater uses 268 therms per year of energy and is compared to other similar models that use any where 238 to 273 therms per year. This model estimates the annual operating cost is $ 162.When comparing different camera brands for your new home, make sure looking at their estimated energy consumption. This will affect the cost of operating your home for years to come.

• Air resistance - The caulking is advanced, which is part of the approach drywall airtight (ADA). Most Specifically, drywall putty or seal is installed on the exterior walls at the top and bottom plates, windows and door frames, on walls interior intersections with exterior ceilings, and electrical, plumbing or mechanical penetrations in the drywall. This approach minimizes heat loss in your home. Work with your contractor drywall to see if he / she uses this method.
• Radiant Barrier - Reflect heat away from your home by installing a radiant barrier (a sheet of aluminum foil with paper) on the underside of your roof. This reduces considerably cooling costs by reducing your winnings of heat through your ceiling by 95%.
• Insulation - Add insulation your attic to keep heat in your home. There are some insulation products based ecological recycled jeans, soybeans, cotton or newspapers.
• Solar energy - If the sun shines on your home for most of the day in winter, you have the potential for solar energy to reduce your energy costs. A good solar design allows the winter sun to reach a thermal mass like a stone that retains heat and radiates it in your house for a period of time.
• Lighting - Install lighting with high efficiency lighting controls advanced. This allows you to use only light when you need it. Replace traditional incandescent light bulbs with energy efficiency compact fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs use electricity 75% less and last up 10 times. When designing your home or project renovation, introducing natural light in as many places as possible.
• Thermostat - Use a programmable thermostat to provide you and your family the comfort you want, day and night while minimizing the use of heating if you do not need.
• Ducts - Seal your ducts with putty and isolate R-11. This reduces the heat loss of your home.
• Paintings - You can mix non-toxic ceramic powder in your interior paint your walls to insulate and reduce the amount of heat from the outside. These ceramic particles to create a barrier reflects radiant heat in the room.
• Redirect the heat - If you have a ceiling fan, redirect the heat in your room by reversing the direction blade counterclockwise. This brings the heat down in your room.

2. Materials chosen to build your home

• Plastic Lumber - This product can be used for non-structural applications such as fences, benches, bridges, retaining walls, and picnic tables. The weather and insect resistant, and will not crack, splinter or chip. It does not need painting and will not release products chemicals into the soil or surface water. In doing so, you reduce the amount of wood used in your home, reduce maintenance of your course costs, and you will not harm your local habitat.

The United States is home to 4.5% of the population but is responsible for more 15% of global consumption of wood.

• Engineered Wood - This combines the raw materials of wood veneer and fiber with adhesives to produce such as plywood veneer wood I-beams and roof and floor trusses. The process uses fast growing, small-diameter trees, allowing more than 80% of the log to be used in the final product. This produces a product that is very stable and consistent while reducing the impact on a natural resource.
• Fiber cement siding - This is a composite of cement and wood fibers from scrap wood processing or small-diameter, fast growing trees. It produces a siding which is durable and requires little maintenance. Many composite materials, fiber cement offer a guarantee of 50 years, which increases the value of your home and reduces maintenance costs.
• Brick-The process of extraction of clay for bricks results in waste of limited raw materials. Brick has an unlimited life and can be recycled or recovered after the demolition.
• Recycling - Efficient use of materials during construction Green comes in two forms. Firstly, the recycling of construction waste and use of building materials recovered during the construction, if any. Once your home is completed, the practice responsible recycling of materials you use every day.
• Design - When you work with your architect or designer, the use of standard dimensions, engineered wood and stacked floor plans to reduce the overall volume of wood used and the volume of waste.

3. Increasing the efficiency of use water inside and outside your home

• Porous Paving Schemes - watertight, or "impervious" surfaces such as paved walkways, patios and sidewalks do not allow stormwater runoff to infiltrate into the ground water systems. Use uncompressed gravel, crushed stone and open or porous paving for driveways and other light traffic areas minimizes the number of impervious surfaces on your property, allowing the flow of stormwater.
• Collection Rainwater - rainwater collected from your roof is a free source of water landscape irrigation. The collection system consists of a proper roof and gutter system, a storage unit and a simple filtration.
• Low Impact Development (LID) - This innovative approach mimics your original method of land runoff of water instead disposal and treatment of storm water in large, expensive, at the end of downstream facilities. This may take the form of spaces open, green roofs, the reduced width of the street and curbs, permeable parking lots and sidewalks, medians and other buffers using more vegetation.
• Plumbing - Design your home to use recycled water for toilet flushing. Use ultra low-flush toilets and low flow showerheads.

Some older toilets use 3-7 liters per flush while a very low flow toilet consumes less than 1.6 liters per flush.

A family of four, showering for 5 minutes daily use 700 liters of water per week - a power three years for a person drinking in the United States. Help for a showerhead uses high-performance 1 to 1.5 liters of water per minute - up to 60% less than a conventional shower head.

• In your garden - Mulch exposed soils in flowerbeds and improve the soil with compost to a depth of 8-13 cm to increase the capacity to retain water. Choose plants that have low water and pesticide needs. Planting trees not only beautifies your garden, but will also increase the value of your home while reducing your impact on the environment. A single tree can provide mature around $ 300 in energy and resource in terms of cooling, erosion and the fight against pollution. The more they reduce your carbon footprint.

Put plants full right place and the development of quality, healthy soil means less watering in summer, need less chemicals and less waste worry.

• Chemicals - avoid chemicals in outdoor and fix oil leaks and other fluids to prevent contamination of runoff water.

The office of Attorney General State of New York, 95% of pesticides used on household lawns are considered possible carcinogens by the EPA.

• The hot water - Use recirculating systems for distribution centralized hot water or use "on demand" systems vs. traditional hot water tanks.

4. Improving quality air, which improves health and productivity of your family

The EPA ranks indoor air pollution among the top 5 of the Environment risks. unhealthy air is found in 30% of new and renovated buildings. The electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single house is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of 2 cars on average.

• Carpets - Using a short-haired or less allergen attracting carpet and pad greatly improves air quality. carpet wool or PET (soda bottles containing recycled) are good choices. In addition, during installation, have the carpet turned down, not glued, to reduce pollutants. Many Green Built drawings to minimize the use of carpet surfaces, replace them with hard surfaces that do not have these pollutants and are easier to remove dust and mold.
• Paints - Use low content of VOCs (volatile organic compounds such as formaldehyde) paintings.
• Ventilation - If you want to seal your home to avoid losses heat, which creates a need for mechanical ventilation. Ventilation can be provided by quiet fans with automatic controls or by recovery ventilators heat. Talk to your HVAC contractor for the best system for the design of your home.
• Building Materials - To prevent contamination microbial, select materials that are resistant to bacteria growth.
• Drainage - to ensure effective drainage of the roof and surrounding landscape, and allow proper drainage of air conditioning coils.
• Window treatments - Avoid synthetic window coverings or those which can be cleaned easily.

Although there is much to reflect on the use of green building techniques and principles, it is manageable and achievable. We here at UBuildIt can help you work with your architect or designer, subcontractors and suppliers to help you to build or renovate your dream home while minimizing your impact on the environment. Take time to plan and build or renovate your home dream of using UBuildIt and Green Building will have a positive impact that you and the generations to come.

About the Author

Chuck Warrender, an experienced custom builder, opened UBuildIt in 1988 to show people how to become Owner-builders and save money or gain equity on their own custom home building and remodel projects. Chuck designed the UBuildIt System for Owner-builders who want to build more home for their money by directing their own construction projects. UBuildIt's Construction Consultants guide Owner-builders every step of the way and provide a proven system, professional advice and trusted resources. UBuildIt now has over 100 franchises across the US. Learn more about Chuck and how to build or remodel your own custom home at UBuildIt.com