Well, it’s finally here! All the sacrifices and extra hours put in at work and meetings with the architect to have things just the way you dreamed they would be, and now it’s time to build the home you’ve always wanted. Although, this isn’t just going to be any home, this is going to be a Green Home.
A Green home is defined as healthy,efficient, disaster resistant, mold resistant,pest resistant, low maintenance, low environmental impact and built for life. Building a home like this is very cost effective. Mortgage and utilities are cheaper, and you can save up to 60 to 75 percent on electricity and 30 percent on the cost of water. Financing your green home through you bank may seen costly in the beginning, but most banks will pay that 5 to 8 percent increase and what ever you save on utilities is extra money in your pocket at the end of the month, not to mention the tax benefits from owning a home like this. If you are about to build, or want to build a Green home, but not sure how, eco-smart.org offers the Six Key System to building a Green Home.
1. Poured Solid Concrete Wall or Structural Insulated Panel: Will help to avoid trapping moisture in the walls for mold growth, its stronger, makes for bettr insulation, better sound resistance, better pest resistance, more accurate , faster construction.
2. Sealed Attic Construction: Using either Biobased water-blown healthy foam insulation sprayed on the underside of the roof deck, or a structural insulated panel roof (such as HPRS), provides a sealed, conditioned attic space, keeping heat, dust, moisture, pests and wind out. Attic temperatures are reduced from the typical 130 to 140 degrees F to 80 to 85 degrees. Now the attic is dry, cool, usable storage space. This saves on A/C costs, improves indoor air quality, and helps protect the roof in high winds.
3. Efficient, Impact Resistant Windows: Choose windows that are both energy efficient and protect the building envelope against wind forces getting inside to lift off the roof. This completes the “green” shell of your building.
4. High Efficiency Air Conditioning, Dehumidification and Fresh Air: We recommend looking at water-cooled air conditioning, able to keep summer A/C costs up to 50 percent lower than even the most efficient air-cooled equipment. Houses need more fresh air to flush out toxins. Fan recycler or energy recovery ventilation is recommended, along with a humidistat to keep humidity at 60 percent or lower.
5. Passive Solar Water Heating: The single most powerful energy saver of the 6 Key Systems. Reduces water heating costs by 70 to 95 percent (overall electric bill reduction of more than 20 percent). Has no moving parts, doubles the hot water supply for the house, provides hot water when power is out, and offers a 30% Federal Tax Credit to the home buyer.
6. Brac Greywater System: Self-contained system that cleans and recycles shower and laundry water to use for flushing toilets. Typical savings of 30% of household water and sewer use.
These helpful hints will get you on your way to living green in your dream home. For more information on this topic email me at envirogrl@ymail.com or contact Eco-$mart, Inc. at 888-329-2705 or www.eco-smart.org. or www.eco-smart.com for all your home building needs.
