The concept of Green Building has been around since the time homes were first being built; this use of conserving material and resources has been a focus in home building for many years. Also building homes to hold heat in and cold out or the reverse has been always improving. But of course the different approaches used today are much different than the approaches used a hundred years ago. Today’s society wants the modern technology and modern amenities, opposed to what the homes of the past could provide. So the blend of the older, more conservative methods and the use of modern technology, advanced products and advanced building techniques is the focus of today’s Green Building.
The goal of creating a well-build green home is to end with a structurally sound, energy efficient, best air quality, more sustainable, water wise, inhabitant- healthy and practical home, with low impact to the environment.
Home construction inevitably impacts the environment and finding ways to reduce this impact is very important. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that residential and commercial buildings in the United States accounts for 39 percent of total energy use, 68 percent of total electrical use, 12 percent of water use and 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. Most Green Building certifications incorporate environmental and resource efficiency in every step from land development, construction and down to the operation of the home after it is being lived in.
Virtually every residential home or commercial building can incorporate practices or products to improve energy efficiency, resource efficiency and in many cases air quality and the overall health impact to the inhabitants. The National Association of Home Builders Green Building Program, The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Building Rating System or Green Globe GreenPoint System are all certification processes to insure steps are followed to assure a project is Green. Each one of these certification processes has different levels of certification. The more steps that are followed and implemented increase the points allowed, and these points determine what level of certification the final product receives.
But regardless of whether someone wants to achieve certification, just wants to participate in helping the environment or increasing energy efficiency, green building is an excellent process to follow and is becoming the way of new construction.
You can find more about these certification processes below. The NAHB program is growing very strong in the residential community, and LEED seems to be the preferred certification for commercial buildings.
More information on the NAHB’s Green Building Program at http://www.nahbgreen.org/
More information on Green Globes at http://www.greenglobe.com
More information for LEED at http:// www.usgbc.org/leed/
Or you can visit my own site called Green Building Ideas for many topics on Green Building.
Green Building provides some great benefits to the environment, the builder and definitely the home owner. But many are over using the word "Green" to help sell products; this is often called green washing. Be sure to check out what you are purchasing to be sure it meets the proper standards. A green home can be a better, more efficient home, if all of the proper steps are followed. Ask if your home has a certification and ask to see the documentation. If someone can not provide proper documentation it may just have some standard upgrades that any home may have. (And you may need copies of the documentation for insurance or energy discounts or to give to the new owner if you sell the home.) Lower level certification is not very hard to achieve, just adding some Energy Star appliances and low-flow products may be enough. Study these certifications and you decide what kind of home you want and how you may want to help protect the environment. By just purchasing a home that is marketed as "green" does not mean it is up to the standards you may think.
