What is Green Building?
Green building is the practice of constucting homes in such a way to conserve energy and reduce waste.
Are Green Building Practices Right for You?
Green homes are better built and more comfortable homes that will save money on your utility bills every month
Better for your pocketbook
- Lower Utility Bills
- Greater Resale Value
- Tax Benefits
Better heating and cooling
- An Even, More Comfortable Temperature
- Improved Indoor Air Quality
Better for the Environment
- Improved Air and Water Quality
- Less Energy Consumption
What Green Building Techniques do you recommend?
Smart Design
A highly efficient green home today starts with great architectural design. Architects that understand green building can dramatically save resources with better designs which can be implemented with little wasted time or effort.
Framing Techniques
We employ the use of alternative framing techniques to minimize overall wood usage while maximizing insulation area. This aids in creating and sealing the thermal envelope, dramatically improving the efficiency of the home while creating the tightest possible building.
Insulation
Sealing the thermal envelope with good insulation is key to building an efficient home today. We prefer open or closed cell spray foam insulation. It is sprayed into all open wall cavities, roof decks, and band joists. This is extremely effective at sealing the many gaps that naturally occur during the framing process. This is also a fantastic way to create a very tight building envelope.
Heating and Cooling (HVAC)
The foundation to an efficient, green HVAC system is the proper sizing of the system during the design stage.
Then, there are different green technologies employed to heat and cool your home. They include the following: ground source heat pumps (geo-thermal), super high-efficiency variable speed heat pumps, radiant floor heat, and passive solar.
There are significant tax credits available for the installation of some of these systems. In an efficient, tight thermal envelope house, we introduce mechanical ventilation (fresh air) into the house via an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV).
Electrical
We are able to produce electricity in our green homes through the utilization of two green technologies: photovoltaic cells (PV Cells), and wind power.
PV Cells are installed in an array on your roof and are either linked directly to the electrical grid, or your house. Wind turbines are also mounted discreetly on your roof.
We further install low energy LED and compact fluorescent lighting where applicable in lieu of incandescent bulbs.
Paint
In our green homes, we utilize low or zero-VOC paints. VOC’s are volatile organic compounds, and are noticeable by the smell, or off-gas, they produce. By reducing the amount of VOC’s in a house, you enhance your green home and protect our environment.
