6– Water Conservation
Particularly in the Southwest, the availability of water may be the factor that ultimately limits further development. But shortages occur in other areas as well. Other water issues include managing stormwater runoff to maintain natural ground percolation that recharges aquifers, as well as preventing siltation of waterways.
Many of us remember the federally mandated change to 1.6-gallons-per-flush toilets in the 1980s. Those of us who were builders then also remember customer phone calls about inadequate flushing and frequent clogs. Low-flow toilets deservedly had a bad name. But that has changed, and low-consumption toilets perform much better today.
Groundwater control isn’t as easily addressed as choosing a toilet that flushes as expected. Here, Wilson suggests finding a local engineer familiar with and experienced at innovative water management practices. Most subdivisions require engineered water management anyway, and it’s often possible to reduce the storm sewer infrastructure by increasing the ability of individual home sites to absorb storm flows. Techniques include draining roof runoff to absorption fields and the use of pervious concrete pavers on driveways. Wilson says that this approach may even “ease a subdivision’s path through local land-use boards by showing that you’re doing the right thing.”
7– Green Products
In some ways, simply choosing one product over another is the easiest path to going green. It was, however, rated as the least important aspect of green building by nearly every expert I interviewed. Nonetheless, no one said not to bother, and many had suggestions.
HUD’s Bres says to look for “one-for-one swaps that take something not as green and replace it with something greener that requires no changes in worker skills.” Examples include specifying concrete that incorporates fly ash (a waste product from coal-burning power plants) as a partial substitute for Portland cement. Another example is using bamboo flooring, which regenerates quickly, instead of wood species that are not as sustainable.
Guertin looks for Forest Stewardship Council–certified lumber and low-VOC paints. Although low-VOC paints cost a little more, Guertin says that the major brands all include a mildewcide, which makes them an easy sell to clients.
Prefab foundation panels are one of Trolle’s favorite swaps. Not only does a Superior Wall foundation go up in a day, it’s waterproof, it requires no concrete footer, and it’s insulated. Trolle also mentions Elk’s reflective roof shingles, which use a 3M mineral coating that reflects about 25 percent of unwanted solar radiation versus other shingles.
–Andy Engel is a writer and home energy consultant in Roxbury, Conn.
Green Building Glossary
Building science: The study of the physical behavior of buildings, particularly regarding heating and cooling and the behavior of water.
OVE: Optimum Value Engineering, the practice of engineering houses to be as strong as necessary while minimizing the use of material.
VOCs: Volatile Organic Compounds, typically substances such as the solvents used in paints and carbon-based chemicals that migrate from synthetic materials to the air.
Embodied energy: The amount of energy required to obtain raw material and manufacture and transport a product to its ultimate destination.
Rainscreen wall: Technique of furring siding away from the sheathing and building paper to encourage drainage and minimize pressure differentials that admit wind-driven rain.
Blower door: Diagnostic tool used to depressurize a house to measure its air leakage.
Duct blaster: Diagnostic tool used to pressurize ducts to measure their leakage.
Resources
Environmental Building News
www.buildinggreen.com
Building Science Corp.
www.buildingscience.com
PATH
www.pathnet.org
NAHB
www.nahb.org
Affordable Comfort
www.affordablecomfort.org
U.S. Green Building Council
www.usgbc.org
Home Energy magazine
www.homeenergy.org
The Green Building Initiative
www.thegbi.org
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
www.nesea.org
Florida Solar Energy Center
www.fsec.ucf.edu
Kansas Building Science Institute
www.kansasbuildingscience.com
Energy & Environmental Building Association
www.eeba.org
Residential Energy Services Network
www.natresnet.org
Energy Star
www.energystar.gov