Green homes cut down on toxins and wasted energy
“Green homes,” or those that are built with consideration for the environment, can cut down on energy usage and indoor pollution, and provide humans with the chance to live more lightly on the earth, but it doesn’t mean they have to stand out. Despite stereotypes about barren, hut-like structures with grass roofs and exterior walls made from salvaged beer bottles, most green homes are indistinguishable from any other home on the average street.
These homes can be built in any architectural style and include all the creature comforts even the most discerning homeowners would be pleased with, but there’s one extra thing. They’re also built with materials that provide a sustainable, ecologically sound means of doing business – one that’s good not only for the family inside, but the contractor and workers building the structure as well.
“The air quality inside your house, on average, is 10 times as polluted as the air outside,” said David Edwards, a Ph.D.-trained biochemist who used to work in cancer research but quit the job he found “unsatisfying” to start Earth Bound Construction in Santa Clara. “A lot of that is because of the chemicals that are released from your home construction and furniture materials. That freshly painted smell is there because of the volatile organic compounds in your paint. Items like particle board are treated with formaldehyde, which will outgas in your house for 10 years.”
Green construction, an industry built on the concept that a home should be built for maximum quality and durability, also keeps close watch on the chemical content and sustainability of building materials. And though the costs of these extra touches are often higher than conventional construction, green building has done more than boom – it has exploded.
BuildItGreen.org, a nonprofit green building education center formed in 2003, has already certified 265 green building professionals in the greater San Francisco Bay Area through its certificate program conducted under the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, and calls for the program to come in daily.
A home tour the group held in Alameda and Contra Costa counties in May drew more than 1,700 participants, and similar numbers are expected for an upcoming show in Marin and Sonoma counties in September.
The certification has been a boon for Edwards, whose services are booked for the next five months, but the green trend is also supporting a tremendous micro-industry of materials producers. Major paint suppliers like Kelley Moore make low-toxicity paints, which usually retail for about $2 more per gallon, but there is also a market for recycled glass, wood, concrete and cotton.
Ultra-Touch, a form of recycled cotton insulation made from old blue jeans is just one of the more than 500 recycled, reclaimed or sustainable products available throughout the Bay Area, many of which are listed on BuildItGreen.org.
“Work in a lot of really expensive homes is driving these items,” said Gitt, executive director of BuildItGreen.org. “They are looking for reclaimed woods because they’re looking for something that you can’t just go down and get in your local Home Depot. The reclaimed woods are popular because they’re usually thick beams with really dense grain. That’s not something you’re going to get today, so it’s being recycled.”
For more pedestrian use, there are items like Trex decking are available through most retailers. The recycled plastic and wood composite boards are not only more ecologically friendly than their virgin wood counterparts, but also more durable and less sensitive to lack of care.
Another appeal of today’s green construction: It’s budget friendly. Homeowners can green their home one element at a time for a gradual transition, rather than ripping the house down and starting over.
One of the best things homeowners can do to improve their home’s energy efficiency, said Edwards, is to install insulation. There’s one rule: Forget the Pepto-pink fiberglass of yesteryear.
“What’s not commonly known is that, in a wall cavity filled with insulation, if there’s a half-inch gap in that insulation, you lose 25 percent of its effectiveness,” said Edwards. “But walls aren’t always easy. You have plumbing runs, wires, electric boxes – lots of things to go around.”
Instead, Edwards uses spray-in foam insulation, a goopy liquid that, once blown into wall crevices, hardens into a more sturdy foam. It forms an air-tight seal in walls, seriously cutting down on air infiltration, which can cause between 30 and 50 percent of the heat loss the average home experiences.
To achieve maximum insulation, he recommends spraying the concoction into wall crevices and attics as well as under floors.
An easier cost-saving move may be sitting right in your kitchen already, though, said Gitt.
“Refrigerators draw a huge amount of energy alone,” said Gitt. “Look at all of your appliances and make sure they’re all Energy-Star rated. If they’re not, replace them.”
And don’t stop at just the refrigerator, dishwasher and wash set, either, said Edwards. Appliances that don’t make the front line can be just as dated.
“A furnace that was sold 10 years ago was 80-percent efficient, which meant that at least 20 percent of the heat it was turning out was going straight up the exhaust and out of your house,” said Edwards. “Now you can get a 96-percent efficient furnace, so you’re basically going to get the extra money back in savings. It’s the same with water heaters.”
Homeowners can also replace their incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs, install water restrictors in their kitchen sinks and shower heads, and have their duct systems tested, said Gitt.
“You want to make sure the ducts are actually functioning correctly, which means there are not a bunch of leaks and gaps,” said Gitt. “Most homes are not commissioned projects, so when you go through and look, it’s amazing how many homes have big leaks in their air conditioning systems.”
If you’re building from the ground up, consult with your contractor, advised Edwards. Most can order formaldehyde-free paneling and other eco-friendly supplies as long as you request them, and a good designer should be able to maximize the virtues of your property, from taking advantage of natural light and ensuring that windows do not collect excessive solar heat to creating a design based on your lifestyle.
“You have to pay attention to which rooms a family uses most,” said Edwards. “A room with a TV doesn’t have to be just a TV room, especially if you don’t watch that much. You want to give a family lots of space where they’ll use it most and less space where they won’t be most of the time.”
For more information on green construction, visit BuildItGreen.org.
