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The four basic elements for building a green home

Green building is more than the actual construction of your home, although a large part of the process. It is a process from beginning to end that starts with the selection of your land, designing your dream home, materials and practices in use during construction and, finally, how to operate and maintain your dream home once completed. You can integrate as much or as little of these elements in home design you choose.

You decide how green you want to be.

Consider the four basic elements of Construction Green

1. Increasing energy efficiency

2. Material chosen for the construction of your house

3. Increased use efficiency water, both inside and outside your home

4. Improving air quality, improve health and productivity of your family

There are many parts of each element. Examine each of these in a little more detail

1. Increasing energy efficiency

• Advanced Framing – Use a framing contractor that may apply for advanced technical development in the construction of your home. This creates a house of solid construction with better energy efficiency and reducing cost of materials and labor. This technique replaces the wood with insulation material and maximizes the wall that is insulated, better R-value of the house. On average, developing Advanced uses 30% less wood, reducing construction costs and save 2% to 4% total energy consumption.
• Hot Water – Heating water can account for 14% to 25% of the energy consumed in your home. To increase the efficiency of your water heater, located near the highest point of use. This is usually near the shower followed closely by the washer.
• Pipes – Insulate hot water pipes and cold within 3 feet of hot water. This loss reduces the heating mode. The water heater is constantly heating and water pipes in it, even in the absence of water is used.
• Appliances – A green building offers appliances that are as effective as possible. The United States Department of Energy and the U.S. Agency for Environmental Protection has developed a program called Energy Star labels on these devices that meet strict criteria for energy efficiency. The average household spends $ 1,900 per year in energy bills. As can be seen in the chart above, much of this energy is consumed by appliances in your home.
  • ENERGY STAR qualified appliances incorporate technologies developments using 10-50% less energy and water than standard models. Just look for the ENERGY STAR. The Federal Trade Commission requires refrigeration, freezers, water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers and window air conditioners have an Energy Guide Label.
  • Tag a heater water is shown here. The water heater uses 268 therms per year of energy and compared with similar models used any where 238-273 therms per year. This model estimates the annual operating cost is $ 162.When comparing different brands of camera for your new home, be sure looking at his estimated consumption of energy. This will affect the cost of operating your home in the coming years.

• Air resistance – The putty is advanced, part of the airtight drywall approach (ADA). More specifically, plaster or putty seal is installed on the exterior walls at the top and bottom plates, windows and door frames, walls interior intersections with exterior ceilings, and electrical, plumbing or mechanical penetrations in the drywall. This approach minimizes heat loss in your home. Work with your drywall contractor to see if he / she uses this method.
• Radiant Barrier – Mirror the warmth of your home by installing a radiant barrier (a sheet of aluminum foil and paper) on the underside of the roof. This significantly reduces costs by reducing the cooling of the heat gains through your ceiling of 95%.
• Insulation – Adding insulation in your attic to keep heat in your home. There some organic insulation products based on recycled jeans, soybeans, cotton or newspapers.
• Solar energy – If the sun shines at home most of the day in winter, has the potential of solar energy to reduce their energy costs. A good solar design allows the winter sun reach a thermal mass like a stone that retains heat and radiates into your home for a period of time.
• Lighting – Lighting Systems Installation with high efficiency lighting advanced controls. This lets you use the light only when needed. Replace traditional incandescent light bulbs with energy efficiency compact fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs use 75% less power and last up to 10 times longer. In the design of your home or renovation project, the introduction of natural light in as many places as possible.
• Thermostat – Use a programmable thermostat to offer you and your family the comfort you want, day and night and reduce minimizing the use of heating, if necessary.
• Ducts – Seal ducts with mastic and insulation R-11. This reduces the heat loss of your home.
• Paintings – You can mix non-toxic ceramic powder in the interior painting of walls to isolate and reduce the amount of heat from the outside. These ceramic particles to create a barrier reflects radiant heat in the room.
• Redirect the heat – If you have a ceiling fan, heat redirect to your room in the change of address leaf on the left. This makes the heat in the room.

2. Materials chosen to build his house

• Plastic Wood – This product can be used for nonstructural applications, such as fences, benches, bridges, retaining walls, and picnic tables. The weather and insect resistant, and will not crack, splinter or chip. You do not need painting and will not release chemicals products in the soil or surface water. This reduces the amount of wood used in its home, reduce your ongoing maintenance costs, and will not damage the local habitat.

The United States is home to 4.5% of the population, but accounts over 15% of global consumption of wood.

• Engineered Wood – This combines the raw materials of wood veneer and fiber with adhesives to produce such as plates plywood, I-beams and roof trusses and floor. The process uses fast-growing, small-diameter trees, allowing more than 80% of the registration to be used in the final product. This produces a product that is very stable and consistent while minimizing the impact on a natural resource.
• fiber coating Cement – This is a composite of cement and wood fiber processing scrap wood and small diameter, fast growing trees. Produces siding that is resistant and requires little maintenance. Many composite materials, fiber cement offer a guarantee of 50 years, which increases the value of your home and reduces maintenance costs.
• Brick-making process of extracting clay bricks results in loss of limited raw materials. Brick has an unlimited life and can be recycled or recovered after the demolition.
• Recycling – Efficient use of materials during construction Green comes in two forms. First, the recycling of construction waste and use of building materials recovered during the construction, where appropriate. Once your house is finished, the responsible recycling of materials that are used every day.
• Design – When you work with your architect or designer, the use of standard dimensions, engineered wood stacked floor plans to reduce the total volume of wood used and the volume of waste.

3. Increased water use efficiency within and outside your home

• Porous plans to provide – watertight, or areas impermeable "as paved roads, patios and sidewalks do not allow the flow of rainwater to seep into groundwater systems. Use uncompressed stone gravel crushed, open or porous pavement for driveways and other light traffic areas minimizes the number of impervious surfaces on your property, allowing the flow of water rain.
• Rainwater Collection – collect rainwater from your roof is a free source of landscape irrigation water. The collection system consists of a proper roof and a system sewer, a storage unit and a simple filtration.
• Low-impact Development Programme (LID) – This innovative approach imitates the original form of runoff of water instead of land disposal and treatment of stormwater in large, costly, at the end of the downstream facilities. This may take the form of open spaces, green roofs, the narrow width of the street and sidewalks, parking lots and sidewalks permeable, medium and using more vegetation buffers.
• Plumbing – Design your home to use recycled water for toilet cleaning. Use ultra low-flush toilets and low flow showerheads.

Some toilets more use old 7.3 liter per flush while a very low flow toilet uses less than 1.6 liters per flush.

A family of four, showering for five minutes of daily use 700 liters of water per week – a three-year supply for one person drinking in the United States. Help for a shower head uses high-performance 1 to 1.5 liters of water minutes – up to 60% less than a conventional shower head.

• In the garden – Payment exposed soil beds and improve the soil with compost to a depth of 8.13 cm to increase the capacity to retain water. Choose plants with low water needs and pesticides. Planting trees not only beautifies your yard, but also increase the value of your home while reducing the impact on the environment. A single mature tree can provide about $ 300 in energy and resources in terms of cooling, erosion and pollution. The more you reduce your carbon footprint.

Turn right place full of plants and development of quality, healthy soil means less watering in summer, need fewer chemicals and less waste concern.

• Chemicals – Avoid chemicals in oil leaks and fix outdoor and other fluids to prevent water pollution runoff.

The charge Attorney General of the State of New York, 95% of pesticides used on residential lawns are considered possible carcinogens by the EPA.

• Hot water – Use recirculating systems for distributing hot water or central use "on demand" systems vs. traditional hot water tanks.

4. Improving air quality, improving health and productivity of your family

The EPA classifies indoor air pollution among the top 5 Environment risks. polluted air is found in 30% of new and renovated buildings. The electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single house is more than dioxide carbon into the atmosphere of 2 cars on average.

• Rugs – Using a short hair or less allergen attracting carpet and pad greatly improves air quality. wool carpet or PET (soda bottles containing recycled) are good choices. In addition, during installation, have rejected the carpet, does not stick, to reduce pollutants. Many drawings Verde, built to minimize the use of surfaces of the carpet, replace them with hard surfaces that do not have these pollutants and are easier to remove dust and mold.
• Paints – Use low VOC (volatile organic compounds such as formaldehyde) paints.
• Ventilation – If you want seal your home to prevent heat loss, which creates a need for mechanical ventilation. Ventilation can be provided by quiet fans with automatic controls or heat recovery ventilators. Talk to your contractor for the best HVAC system for the design of your home.
• Building Materials – In order to avoid microbial contamination materials selected that are resistant to bacteria growth.
• Drainage – to ensure effective drainage of the roof and surrounding landscape and allow proper drainage of air conditioning coils.
• Window treatments – Avoid synthetic window coverings that can easily be cleaned.

Although there is much to consider using green building techniques and principles, is manageable and feasible. We here at UBuildIt can help to work with your architect or designer, subcontractors and suppliers to help to build or renovate your dream home and to minimize the impact on the environment. Take time to plan and build or renovate your dream home using UBuildIt and Green Building will have a positive impact on you and future generations.

About the Author

Chuck Warrender, an experienced custom builder, opened UBuildIt in 1988 to show people how to become Owner-builders and save money or gain equity on their own custom home building and remodel projects. Chuck designed the UBuildIt System for Owner-builders who want to build more home for their money by directing their own construction projects. UBuildIt’s Construction Consultants guide Owner-builders every step of the way and provide a proven system, professional advice and trusted resources. UBuildIt now has over 100 franchises across the US. Learn more about Chuck and how to build or remodel your own custom home at UBuildIt.com

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