Dual flush toilet — These toilets have two different settings, usually 0.8 gallons for liquid removal and 1.6 gallons for full flush solid removal. On the average they use about 2,500 gallons per year, compared to a 1.6 single flush that uses about 4,500 gallons per year.
Earthen flooring — Earth that has been compacted with straw or other fibers and conditioned with various oils to form a hard surface. Fairly labor intensive, but relatively easy to repair and usually very low bodied energy and inexpensive materials.
EER —See SEER.
Energy heel truss — An engineered roofing truss with an elevated portion at the wall plate line to provide for full-depth insulation.
Energy Star — Introduced in 1992 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a voluntary labeling program to identify and promote energy-efficient products to help reduce greenhouse emissions. Originally designed for computers and monitors, it has now expanded to include office products, major appliances, lighting, home electronics and more. New expanded programs now also include complete buildings such as homes, commercial and industrial buildings.
Engineered lumber — Designed to reduce the amount of material needed for framing a building. By designing away from full dimension sawn lumber, fewer large-growth trees need to be cut, and smaller dimension lumber can be assembled in various configurations to span long distances with equal or superior strength. Trusses have always been a good example of engineered lumber by using smaller dimension lumber and distributing forces more efficiently; the materials needed are a fraction of that required to span the same distances with sawn lumber.
Engineered studs — A little different from engineered lumber, usually smaller diameter stock is shredded and reassembled by forming them into nominal-sized framing materials. The material is combined with a binder and compressed into large billets that are then cut to dimensional size. Similar products have been around for many years in the form of oriented strand board (OSB) and other laminated wood beam products. An advantage of engineered studs is that they are dimensionally stable and less susceptible to warping. These studs are considerably heavier than sawn wood, cost about twice as much and may be subject to water damage.
Finger-jointed studs — Often the lumber being cut today is a shadow of the old-growth lumber of yesterday in quality, density and overall suitability for construction. However, by conserving the shorter sections of lumber and removing the undesirable wane and knots, these sections can be fitted with special splicing techniques to form longer and more dimensionally stable lumber. The application is usually limited to vertical installation because of this splicing technique.
Flow reducer — A device attached either just downstream from the water shutoff valve to a building or at the outlet of a fixture designed to reduce or limit the amount of water flow in relation to the delivery pressure from the street. Flow reducers can cut the flow of water dramatically, saving thousands of gallons each year in a dwelling or even more in larger buildings. Flow reducers are never installed on automatic fire extinguishing systems for obvious reasons.
Flyash — A byproduct of a coal burning furnace, usually from power generation equipment. Consisting mostly of silica, alumina and iron, these fine, glass-like particles, when mixed with lime and water, form a cementitious material similar to Portland cement. The cement produced is hard, smooth and easily worked. Other uses include fills for abandoned coal mines, sealing liners for hazardous waste sites and seaside docking areas.
FSC-certified wood — The Forest Stewardship Council is a non-profit organization that certifies various forests around the world exhibiting good sustainability and management practices based on a specific management criteria. The wood from these forests is often quickly renewable using hybrid timber and advanced forestry methods. Other forests are simply carefully managed by limiting the impact on both the environment and the people and demonstrating a social benefit in the process.
Granny flat — Another name for an accessory dwelling unit. Granny flats are usually attached to the main dwelling unit, but may also be detached. City regulations limit the number and size of these units.
Greywater — Waste water from lavatories, showers, baths and sinks only. This water can be stored in special equipment and may then be used to water lawns, gardens or other relatively benign non-potable uses such as groundwater recharge. Water from toilets is called black water; it must be properly drained to the sewer or septic system.
Green power — Generally this is the production of electricity from environmentally friendly sources such as photovoltaic, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass, hydrogen fuel cells, ocean energy and wind power. As with all forms of electricity generation, there are significant costs involved and in some cases undesirable byproducts such as vane noise, unsightly appearance or diversion of wild waterways. While large-scale versions of these methods are not practical within an urban environment, many homes and businesses are taking advantage of solar systems that not only make electricity but also heat water and interior environments. In the future if clean-fusion-process electrical production can be developed, the use of fossil fuel generation can be greatly reduced or eliminated. Another advantage of green power is the reduction of carbon dioxide generation.
Green roof — A growing roof system using a specialized undercarriage for the waterproof membrane and excess water removal. Various types of vegetation in a special growing medium help to replace displaced vegetation in the building footprint as well as greatly reduce the heat-island effect of a roof, especially in hot climates. Depending on the species of plants chosen, significant increases in watering requirements may be required. On the other hand, on large walkable roofs, pleasing garden atmospheres can be created, and watering requirements can be reduced by the installation of stormwater-recovery systems. Green roofs can also regulate the flow of excessive stormwater by metering the release of the water from the roof area.
