By Wendy A. Jordan, CAPS
The bad news, of course, is that energy costs are rising. The good news? So is the energy efficiency of houses and home building products. In fact, housing is "more efficient than it was five years ago, and twice as efficient as it was in the early 1970s," says Ray Tonjes, an Austin, Texas, custom home builder and remodeler and chair of the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Subcommittee.
Resource-conserving and healthy—"green"—home construction is picking up steam for three reasons. First, consumers are asking for it. "Homeowners report that lower utility bills result in higher resale values," Tonjes says. They want lean, mean, energy-efficient homes.
Second, builders want to build green. NAHB executive vice president Jerry Howard says, "Ninety-two percent of home builders [surveyed this year by NAHB] told us green building is the right thing to do."
And third, going green is easier than ever because green construction recommendations are readily available and the number of green products is multiplying.
Those recommendations are covered in the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, which covers everything from lot preparation to indoor environmental quality. Though the free book was issued just last year, Howard says the guidelines will be updated in 2007 to reflect rapidly advancing new technology.
Meanwhile Margo Thompson, research associate at the NAHB Research Center, offers a rundown on some of that technology:
- Insulated concrete forms. These foam blocks deliver an insulating value of up to R-21, says Thompson. They're also used for above-grade walls with stucco or siding.
- Pre-cast foundation walls. Composed of extruded polystyrene insulation and concrete studs, these precast systems, such as those from Superior Walls, provide up to R-12.5 in insulation value, says Thompson, and are quicker to install than conventional foundations.
- Panelized walls and roofs. Thompson says there's a trend toward use of panelized or pre-manufactured systems, because they eliminate the thermal breaks found in conventional stick-built walls, they install quickly –"often in a day or two" – and they "have a potential for reducing construction waste."
- Spray-in-place foam insulation. These products, which can provide insulating values as high as R-6 or R-7 per inch, says Thompson, help seal the building envelope. Some are made from green agricultural materials.
- Engineered wood products. Oriented strand board (OSB), floor and roof trusses and other engineered products made of small pieces of wood and waste wood, have become green classics. Now the range is being expanded to include even greener materials, such as products made with formaldehyde-free adhesives.
- Other composites for exteriors. Thompson says plastic and wood-fiber decking, fiber-cement siding, and composite exterior trim pieces are increasing in availability, variety and popularity.
- Low- or no-VOC sealants, paints and stains. All these products are widely available now, says Thompson. "Almost every manufacturer has a line of eco-friendly paint," she says, and it usually costs no more than standard products.
- Tankless water heaters. These heaters cost more to buy than tank heaters, but they are becoming more popular and easier to use, and they can return "a 12-15 percent energy savings over a tank heater, depending on usage patterns," says Thompson.
- Water-saving toilets. Manufacturers are offering lines of dual-flush and ultra-low-flow toilets that use less than 1.6 gallons per flush. Thompson has encountered no customer complaints about these new-generation models.
- Energy Star appliances. Once a novelty, the Energy Star label has become a standard for appliances, states Thompson.
- Compact fluorescent lighting. "The quality of light from compact fluorescents is 100 percent better than the early products," says Thompson. Compact fluorescent bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescents, she adds. They've come down in price, too.
- Bamboo flooring. Fast-growing and renewable, bamboo is an attractive alternative to hardwood for flooring, and costs the same or less.
- Optimum Value Engineering (OVE). OVE eliminates unnecessary structural members and incorporates more room for insulation.
"Proper installation and attention to detail still are the most important elements to keep in mind," says Thompson. Even if environmentally preferable materials are used, they need to be installed correctly in order to reap the green benefits.
As Carl Seville of Atlanta-based Seville Consulting.com puts it, "Ninety percent of [green building] is just doing things right."
Wendy A. Jordan is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C. She is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist and the founding editor of Remodeling magazine.
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