Archive for the ‘Green at Home’ Category

While “green” has become quite the buzzword when it comes to home building and design, what exactly it means isn’t always clear. There are a few standards for eco-friendly homes, but the term “green” doesn’t have a universal definition beyond being a color made by mixing yellow and blue. So how does a consumer know when a home the builder is calling “green” is actually built with an ecological focus, or at least enough of one to justify its price?

Some of the standards for ecologically minded homes include increased insulation. To be really energy efficient, a home should be insulated beyond the minimum local requirements. This includes floor insulation, which in some cases is built right in to the concrete foundation. In addition to the walls, floors and ceilings, windows should also be insulating. Therefore, double paned and/or vinyl windows are becoming the “green” standard.

Energy efficiency should be continued throughout the home. Low water use toilets are a must, and those that have different flush options are extra eco-concious. These options allow you to have a more efficient flush for solid waste, while liquid waste just gets much more conservative flush. Shower heads, washing machines, faucets and dishwashers can also be equipped to limit the water used without compromising function. Air conditioners, refrigerators, heaters and all other appliances within the home should be of the highest standard of energy efficiency. In addition, compact fluorescent lights should be used throughout the home, or replaced by LED lights wherever those are suitable.

Beyond energy efficiency, use of non-toxic, ar at least less-toxic, materials is important in “green” homes. Look for a home with low VOC paints. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds, which are toxins that gas-off from conventional paint. Remember the lighter the pigment, the lower the VOC’s, so white or off-white walls are healthier than some of the bolder, trendy colors. This is because it is the paint base that is quality controlled, but it is impossible to take the VOC’s out of some pigments.

Another finishing detail that is popular for eco-friendly homes is bamboo or cork flooring. Bamboo is popular because it grows so quickly. It takes about five years to grow bamboo to the right size to make flooring. It is versatile and comes in a variety of styles and colors. Cork is an option because it is sustainable to harvest – removing cork does not damage the cork tree, as it replenishes its cork bark every year anyway. Cork makes a lovely, soft and springy floor surface that is also naturally warmer than many other flooring options.

For our final indoor consideration, eco-friendly homes will use more natural fabrics such as wool and cotton for carpets and window dressings.

Outside the home leaves plenty of room for “green” considerations, too. Xeriscaping is a popular means of landscaping utilizing plants native to the area being built in. These plants are naturally drought-resistant because they are acclimatized to the local environment, needing less watering and maintenance than lawns or beds full of foreign flowers.

Another “green” outdoor trend is utilizing permeable paving stones. These actually absorb water, which then is naturally filtered through the earth and goes back into the ground-water supply. These avoid the toxic run-off that can be caused by water rushing over cement and into drains, carrying oil and exhaust residue straight into the drainage system, which ultimately ends up being a nearby body of water.

If a home you are looking at is being promoted as being “green”, don’t hesitate to ask the builder about some of these features. If they don’t measure up, don’t buy it.

Green homes are the trend these days. In a world where people are fast using up the earth’s natural resources and irreversibly so, green buildings have gained importance in the real estate industry. Green building techniques include the use of building materials that are renewable and locally available. Green homes protect the environment, control energy costs and may serve as affordable housing. Today more and more builders are focusing on building green homes as these structures are proving to be profitable investments.

Many people believe that building green homes is a social and environmental responsibility and should be promoted by not just governmental authorities, but also by builders, developers and real estate professionals. Green homes save money and maintenance and are healthier to live in.

Building a green home is not complicated as one would think. The National Association of Home Builders has listed guidelines for building green homes that are very useful for home builders. The guidelines include an easy-to-use checklist that builders can follow during the construction process. With local home building associations creating regionally appropriate green building programs, the concept of ‘green homes’ is taking off among home builders.

Some people believe that building green homes involves a lot of money, at least more than conventional homes do. On the contrary, experienced green home builders say that building a green home is not as expensive as it is hyped to be. Custom builders can build green properties at the same costs it takes to build conventional homes because green building materials are now readily available and cost efficient. Green products such as user-friendly insulation, chemically neutral paints and flooring, natural landscaping products, compact fluorescent bulbs, solar roof panels, etc. are all readily available. Because most green products are energy efficient, installing them helps the home owner save a lot of money that otherwise would go toward footing a home’s utility bills.

Environmental consultant David Johnson in his book “Building Green in a Black and White World” provides extensive survey information on home buyers’ preference of green homes. One national survey puts the percentage of the market that is open to and interested in green buildings at a whopping 50%. This is proof enough for the growing popularity and demand for green homes. Builders can join their local green building programs to take advantage of this growing market segment. Home buyers can opt for green homes, which are energy efficient, environmentally friendly, durable and cost efficient.

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The Brooklyn Park City Council will meet tonight for its regular meeting at city hall at 7 pm Anoka-Hennepin School Board meets with its facility use taskforce tonight at 6:30 pm in the Education Services Center in Coon Rapids. The taskforce will present its recommendations for possible school closings for the 2010-2011 school year, but the board won’t take any action on any proposals. An estimated 800 Cooper High School alums showed up Aug. 14 at the school in New Hope to reminisce about a beloved retired District 281 football coach and drama teacher who died in a motorcycle accident in Otter Tail County Aug. 11. Ertwin Jones-Hermerding, 62, was remembered by almost two dozen alums, many choking back tears, who stepped up to a microphone to relay funny stories about “Herm.” A continuous slide show played in the lobby of the school as alumni filed in and signed a guestbook. The stage in the auditorium was adorned with a single large floral bouquet, bearing a card that said, “From your adoring students.” Votive candles in the orange and blue school colors lined the edge of the stage. A memorial service for Jones-Hermerding was Aug. 15 at his lake home in Ottertail, Minn. A second memorial service is 7 pm tomorrow in the auditorium at Cooper High School, 8230 47th Ave. N., New Hope. Memorials to Jones-Hermerding are preferred to Children’s Home Society of MN, Cooper High School Theater and Perham Community Theater. Built by Hennepin Technical College students and owned by …

Green homes are eco-friendly homes that are energy efficient and use ecological design and sustainable resources. There has been a tremendous increase in awareness of the benefits of green building in America among builders and home owners alike. With home builders finding it easier to construct green homes, the number of green homes constructed throughout the country has gone up remarkably.

Ecological concerns and the increasing awareness of the advantages of green homes have led to an upsurge in green homes in the country. Concerns about the impact their homes have on the environment have prompted some homebuyers to opt for green homes.

Building green homes is no longer a remote concept these days. Over disturbing facts about global warming and indoor air pollution, today, the top priority of the National Home Builders Association and the American Institute of Architects is constructing green buildings.

There is sufficient data around that indicate that the building of green homes is on the rise. According to the figures provided by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) (who developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system), the number of buildings with LEED status in America has increased from 38 in 2002 to 669 now. Green buildings are progressively entering the mainstream with more and more buildings getting LEED certification.

Given that green buildings do not cost very much more than traditional buildings, and that they actually reduce energy bills, the building of green homes is on the rise. A green building is not only less expensive to live in but also spikes in value by 7.5 percent on average and improves return on investment by 6.6 percent on average.

Green building concepts begin to rise everywhere as the number of individuals who want to remodel, build or buy green homes are rapidly increasing. Architects and developers are responding to satisfy this growing demand. Green buildings have been found to appreciate faster than traditional buildings.

What was once a patchwork of green buildings in several cities has now increased to encompass whole communities and neighborhoods. According to a McGraw-Hill Construction survey in 2006, about two-thirds of builders would be building green homes in America this year. Green buildings are firmly mainstream now with federal government and 15 states requiring new public buildings to meet the LEED standards. In fact, four U.S. states and 17 cities offer incentives for private buildings built to LEED standards.

With rising government initiatives, consumer interest and the number of green developers and builders, the green building revolution is all set to go to a new level.

Structural Insulated Panel or SIP is the new buzz-word in building construction industry as 21st century “green” building material. SIPs can be used in the construction of exterior walls, floors and roofs of residential and commercial buildings offering advantages of low cost and energy conservation over traditional wooden frame construction. SIP addresses two major concerns while building “green” home – energy efficiency and diminishing natural resources.

The general characteristics of all SIPs are two exterior skins sandwiching a rigid foam plastic core made up of low cost expanded polystyrene material. The skins most generally used are oriented strand boards (OSB), plywood or gypsum board. The resulting sandwich panel is exceptionally solid, cost effective and energy conserving which can be used as load bearing walls, partitions and roof insulation.

When used as a load-bearing wall or roof insulation, the two skins act as lean columns constantly supported by the rigid core to resist buckling and compression. When bending is applied to the panel due to a live or a wind load, the skins take most of the compressive and tensile forces and the core offers resistance to shear. Skins and rigid core acts internally to provide exceptional strength to the structure.

The most important characteristic of Structural Insulated Panel which has led to rapid growth in its demand is excellent energy efficiency and improved thermal performance. Today, one of the major challenges for any home owner is to control increasing energy costs. SIPs are practically airtight panels due to the nature of material used and fabrication process. This results in less cooling during winters and less hitting in summer! Hence buildings made with SIP panels require less expensive cooling and heating systems than a normal building saving more energy and costs. A building constructed with SIPs takes less time than the one with wooden frame. This saves you labor and wastage at the job-site. Overall building a home with SIPs can save you energy, costs, time and labor too!

Design of Structural Insulated Panel requires good amount of structural drafting & design services.

To know how we can help you design SIPs for your home email us at info@outsourcestructuraldrafting.com or visit http://www.outsourcestructuraldrafting.com

Carter, Jack, Linda, Sabrina and the crew are all on hand for load-in day. Thisvideo is part of HGTV Green Home 2009 show SHOW DESCRIPTION :Starting April 17, at 9 am ET, enter for your chance to win the luxuriously furnished 2009 HGTV Green Home and a new 2009 GMC® Sierra Hybrid – a grand prize package worth $750000!

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Watch a green home being built with structural Insulated Panels

For every square foot of lawn that we grow, it takes at least 25 gallons of water to keep it alive throughout the year. For a 2,000-square-foot lawn, that’s 50,000 gallons of water

You don’t have a hundred miles of grass to mow, but you may as well. Using a gas lawnmower pollutes the air just as much as a hundred-mile road trip! Though alternative forms of energy are on the rise, carbon-spewing coal is still the number one resource used to produce our electricity.

This defeats the sole purpose of the concept of Green Home…

Artificial Grass is an ideal alternative. The usage of FieldTurf as an alternative to the natural greens is not only economic interms of ongoing maintenance, but also provides that natural grass “look-feel-n-play” effect<input />.

FieldTurf is a proven product, endorsed by various environmental agencies after numerous cycles of quality testing on the environmental-friendly aspect of it.

FieldTurf is proven clearly safe for kids to play on it. FieldTurf is the first artificial grass product to receive ‘Lead-Free’ certificate in the world – means 100% safer and environmental-friendly.

Benefits of FieldTurf:

1. Conserves Water: FieldTurf saves the usage of water. Till date FieldTurf installations have saved over 25 billion gallons of water across the world.

2. Protects Groundwater: Pollution due to Pesticides and fertilizers is the next big. With no need for potentially harmful pesticides and fertilizers, FieldTurf helps protect groundwater from getting contaminated.

3. Say NO to chemicals and pesticides: Usage of pesticides and fertilizers contribute to global pollution much more than the carbon emission from vehicles. FieldTurf totally eliminates the chemical and pesticide usage.

4. Totally Recyclable, No Nylon: FieldTurf is manufactured from 100% polyethylene – no nylon! – and is 100% recyclable

5. LEED Credits: The usage of FieldTurf contributes to total ratings under LEED credit for New Construction in several categories

If it happens to be that you’re looking for information about green home electricity supply then listen to what we have to share on the subject – it is of great financial importance to you. Wealthy utility companies provide the majority of us with our electricity; but now it’s possible to get a system that enables you to get free and unlimited power supply without spending a lot of time and money.

The skeptics among you might be doubtful, but the truth is that anyone can take advantage of the new technology and create their own electricity, and without being ‘married’ to any local or national power company. Take a look at this utopia – no more monthly bills, deposits of any kind, just an endless supply of green energy for your entire household.

Now, before you start scouring the web for help with green home electricity supply; it is very important that you hear the exciting news that there is a simple method that is already being utilized by many energy consumers in this country and even in far away countries that gets you set up with quickly and easily so you can start saving a lot of money. So we’ve piqued your curiosity and you’re wondering what kind of a ‘magic trick’ this is; it’s just a matter of taking advantage of existing resources – taking natural energy sources and transforming them into electricity, with just two or three days of easy work, right in your own yard. And that’s not all. here’s the best part – anyone can do it, even if, like most people, you’re not a trained professional and even if you have no knowledge of electricity.

So while you continue educating yourself about green home electricity supply, listen to some more great information – with this special way, you are helping the planet by using renewable energy and in addition, power companies even pay individuals who generate enough power to share with them! Visualize having a cool house in the summer and a warm one in the winter, without counting each cent, while at the same time getting paid for it. Still doubtful? Don’t risk missing out on a good thing – look into this further; I’ll willing to bet you will be eager to get up and running.

Green home energy designs have become a fascinating scenario on the world’s building design market. The earth has been degraded over the past years due to the use of fossil fuels as a source of energy for heating and lighting at home. Try to consider some of these tips and ideas that are in this article. Let us all work hard towards saving mother earth and make this place a better home. 

The design of your house is very important when it comes to energy use and consumption. 

Green Home Energy Building Ideas  

The materials used in building the house should be those that prevent extra use of energy in terms of heating and lighting. The design must allow enough light to enter within the building during the day. Properly inserted window layers may be useful in this case. Assembling and processing of the materials is also useful. Use material that consumes less energy when it comes to processing, for example; wood. Solar systems designs are also useful in order to achieve this. Use natural heating and lighting systems. Some materials absorb enough heat during the day and trap in a lot of heat inside. Well ventilated buildings reduce the costs of air-conditioning. 

Well, why not start to save mother earth today! Get all the information required when it comes to building an environmentally friendly building. Get the DIY solar and wind installation energy systems for home and get all the best for green home energy.

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