How To Build Green Without Breaking the Bank

Building Green Doesn't Have to Cost an Arm and a Leg. In Fact, it Might Save You Money!

            Today it seems as though you can’t turn on the TV without hearing something about global warming and our changing climate.  Throughout North and South Carolina, “green building” is being recognized as a critical way to preserve and protect the area’s vast natural resources.  By using green building practices, we can do an incredible amount to decrease the impact our home has on the environment.  In this article, we’ll describe ways to build green from the ground up, and ways to incorporate green building practices into your existing home.  If you like this article, you may want to read my other article, “The Carolinas Go Green” which can be found at www.PlacesofValue.com.

            According to Fine Homebuilding (a great resource for all your homebuilding concerns) magazine’s February/March issue, “By the end of 2007, the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) expects more than half of its members will be calling themselves green builders.”  However, the problem with this is that there are no standard criteria for what constitutes a green builder.  The onus falls on consumers to educate themselves in order to evaluate builders and materials, so they may pick the “greenest” of the bunch.  With a lack of federal regulations, consumers should also be wary of builders claiming to be green, when in actuality all they do is charge you more, for little or no actual benefit.

            Fine Homebuilding offers some general guidelines for what standards green builders should adhere to.  Their point appears bold, in the quotes, with our advice following.

• “Site work that minimizes the environmental impact of the house during and after construction.”  Achieve this by building only as large as you need in order to disturb the least amount of your site.  Before you select a location for your home, look at the site and determine where the most native plants are located, check to see if you’ll be disturbing a wetland or other sensitive area.  If there are many trees on the site, figure out if you can transplant them, rather than simply cutting them down.  This may cost more up front, but it has been proven that mature trees on a property increase a home’s value.  If you do transplant trees, it would be wise to place them on the western side of the home in order to provide shade from the summer sun, which would decrease your cooling costs.
• “Energy efficiency.”  Proper orientation of the home is the first step.  Orient most of the windows and living areas to the south so you can catch the low, winter sun, and avoid the high, summer sun.  Make sure to put awnings over windows.  You’ll want to install low-e windows to reflect infrared rays, and save 25% of energy.  If you’re putting in a new furnace, make sure it is a 95% efficient unit.  The same holds true for your refrigerator, which is one of the largest energy hogs in the house.  Sunfrost is an excellent company with a full range of energy efficient products.  All over the world, countries are waking up, and outlawing traditional incandescent bulbs.  The U.S. hasn’t caught on yet, but you can be ahead of the game.  Save money and energy by switching to CFL’s and LED’s for your lighting.  Using CFL’s, you’ll save 8 to 12 times the price of the incandescent, and both lights burn much cooler, reducing fire risks.  Another thing you can do to increase energy efficiency is to make sure your ductwork is as air-tight as possible, as well as insulated.  Installing a solar water heater is another easy thing to save energy and money.  A family of four can show savings of $300 per year by using a solar water heater.
• “Water efficiency.”  First, make sure you don’t have any leaky faucets in your home.  A dripping faucet can waste over 40 gallons of water per week.  Next, you’ll want to install low-flow shower heads in all your bathrooms, as well as aerators on the sinks, to ensure proper water flow.  If you’re in the market for a new toilet, consider purchasing a dual flush toilet, which features two flush levels, depending on your needs.  Using one of these toilets can halve your toilet’s water usage.  Go to www.caromausa.com.  It’s a great source for these toilets in the U.S.  If you’re into a bit more work, for equal gain, install a grey water system in your home.  This system will collect, clean and recycle the water you use in your sinks and showers, for use in the toilets and gardening applications.  For more information on grey water systems, visit www.greywater.com.  You can also install a simple rainwater collection system.  With either of these systems, you can water your lawn all summer without the slightest twinge of guilt.  If you’re interested in collecting your rain water, visit www.abundantearth.com.  Look under the “Lawn and Garden” section, they have a good bit of information, and the system is surprisingly cheap.  Other great websites devoted to water include, www.waterwiser.org, and www.h2ouse.org.  A last note for those who like to wash their cars at home.  Washing your car at home can use up to 100 gallons of water and pollutes nearby water sources, as your water washes into the storm grates.  Solve this problem by washing your car at professional car washes or at self-service car washes.  These facilities use far less water, and have proper drainage systems which filter the water into treatment plants.
• “Use of recycled materials and materials whose production can be sustained without harming people or the environment.”  This is greatly important.  Every home built creates hundreds to thousands of pounds of waste.  Using recycled products, and products which are created using sustainable methods can drastically reduce the impact of your home on the earth.  A caveat to this point is the distance from which your products are shipped.  It doesn’t do much good to floor your home with bamboo if it is shipped thousands of miles, and if the forests where the bamboo was grown where created by destroying rain forest.  Companies which are truly environmentally conscious will let you know where and how they make their products.  If you love the look of hardwood floors, but can’t stand the thought of cutting old growth forests, you can still have it both ways.  Visit www.agedwoods.com to learn about a company that is salvaging wood from old barns and other sources to build beautiful floors.  Some really great new products include roof tiles, made from recycled glass, and countertops, floors, and vanities made from either recycled glass or porcelain culled from recycled tubs, toilets, and sinks.  Visit, www.enviroglassproducts.com, www.fritztile.com, and www.santaregina.com for more information.
• “Healthful indoor air quality.”  One of the greatest concerns with energy efficiency is to create a “tight envelope,” or a super insulated home.  This is great for reducing your electric bill, but what about your family’s health?  Creating such a tight seal on your home can keep bad air in, and good fresh air out.  Many of your building materials will emit gasses after they’ve been installed.  The first step you’ll want to take to limit the build up of such gases is to purchases products that are free of VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions.  The major producers of VOC’s are paint and carpet, but almost everything you buy, including bedding, cabinets, and finishes for your kitchens and bathrooms can emit VOC’s.  Take note of product labels, and try to buy organic products to limit VOC’s.  A new method of making carpets out of recycled plastics has gained popularity, and emits no VOC’s.  Visit www.mohawk-flooring.com for one company making plastic carpets.  The next steps would be making sure there is plenty of ventilation in the house and take advantage of crosswinds provided by your southerly oriented home.  In your heating system, especially if you have duct work, make sure the ducts are clean, and install a whole house HEPA air filter.

All of the above tips are great ways to build green, save money, and reduce your home’s impact on the earth.  Most of the tips are easy and inexpensive to carry-out even after the home is completed, but you’ll be better off to think green from the get go.  There are plenty of other ways to green your home, which are more involved, but have equal benefit based on the amount of effort you’ll put in, for you and the planet.

Building a green roof will increase your energy efficiency by 10% and help the environment immensely.  Depending on what it is planted with, the roof can extract carbon from the air, retain and filter rain water, ease pressure on storm sewers, provide a habitat for animals you’ve displaced with your home, and will double your roof’s lifespan.  It isn’t as cost prohibitive as you may think, and maintenance isn’t that tricky either.  Start at www.greenroofs.com, www.agreenroof.com, and www.greenroofblocks.com for more information.  Any time you’re buying for the home, buy products with the energy star label.  You can even buy new homes with the energy star label on them, to illustrate that energy saving measures, building practices, and appliances, were used throughout the construction.

All of the above tips are great ways to reduce the amount of energy and resources your home uses.  However, none of them really address the issue of where we get our energy from.  Traditional energy companies provide electricity by burning one of many fossil fuels, thusly releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  If you want to really reduce your carbon emissions, you can opt to install your own solar panels, or a wind turbine.  Many states offer tax credits and incentive programs for people using their own solar or wind powered systems.  Check www.dsireusa.org to see if your state has any programs.  Using solar or wind power, you can even tie into the grid, and if you produce more power than you use, get paid for it.  Costs for either system can start at around $12,000, and typically take about 7 to 10 years to pay for themselves.  Imagine not having an energy bill, but being sent an energy check!

Visit www.solarelectricpower.org, or www.mrsolar.com for solar power, and www.awea.org, or www.windenergy.com for wind energy.  Even if you don’t choose to install solar or wind power, you can opt to buy your electricity from renewable sources.  Check www.eere.energy.gov to see if you live in one of the 36 states with a renewable energy program.  If you don’t, you can purchase carbon offsets from a company such as www.cleanaircoolplanet.org or renewable energy credits from www.green-e.org.

In the end, it’s not important if you do one of these things, or if you do them all.  The important part is that you do something.  Living without regard for the consequences of our action upon our environment isn’t a sustainable model.  Remember, the world isn’t ours, we’re only leasing it from our children.  Everything we do today, ensures their tomorrow will be one we’d like to see.

Visit www.PlacesOfValue.com for more articles on best places in North Carolina and South Carolina, relocation made easy, top retirement communities, cost of living, and designing and building your Dream Home.

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