Practical Eco

Innovating for Better Buildings

An Opportunity Disguised as a Meltdown

I came across this report which I think might be interesting to many people in the building industry, particularly architects. It seeks to answer the question of how to innovate for better buildings. Nth Power and the Fraunhofer Institute have put it together because they believe the new construction sector in the US offers a timely opportunity to innovate. They assert that the market downturn is a favorable dynamic for the adoption of innovation.

Because the inefficient, compartmentalized construction processes so common in the US building industry (and many other countries) has consistently produced energy wasting and low quality buildings, the industry has essentially set itself up for disruption.

Now several drivers are converging to force the industry to deliver cheaper, greener, and better performing buildings. This is transforming the industry to more collaborative, efficient, and economical processes which are better suited to adopt innovation. The authors view this as a Perfect Storm which is nothing short of a revolutionary for the building industry.

Click here to download and view the full report as a PDF file.

Living Buildings

The concept of the “living building” is emerging as a new ideal. The Cascadia Region Green Building Council (CRGBC) in the Pacific Northwest defines a living building as a structure that “generates all of its own energy with renewable non-toxic resources, captures and treats all of its water, and operates efficiently and for maximum beauty.” The group has been pushing the concept and helped launch the International Living Building Institute to promote the concept internationally.

“We view our role as the organization that is meant to ask the really tough questions, to push the boundaries as far as possible,” says Jason McLennan, CEO of CRGBC. To this end, in 2006 the group launched its Living Building Challenge (LBC), a “call to the design and construction community to pursue true sustainability in the built environment.” So far 60 different projects around North America are vying to meet the high standards of the LBC, which exceed even the highest status of LEED certification.

The first building to be completed for consideration under the LBC program is the Omega Center for Sustainable Living, in Rhinebeck, NY. The 6,200 square-foot, one-level building, which serves as headquarters for the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, features a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar panels, rain gardens that direct water run-off to irrigate plantings, a 4,500-square-foot greenhouse that helps filter wastewater for reuse, “daylighting” design that brings natural light indoor to minimize electric light usage, and eco-friendly building materials all around. It was designed—per LBC criteria—to be “net-zero,” meaning it uses no more energy than it generates itself. Once the building has been in operation for a full year next summer, CRGBC will audit it to see if its performance lives up to the green hype. Dozens of other LBC contenders around North America will be audited as well.

Of course, the costs of creating a living building today are very high. Achieving net-zero can be especially costly, and stands out as one of the biggest obstacles to greater interest in the living building concept. Another challenge is finding materials that meet LBC standards, since many common building materials—such as PVC piping for wastewater transport—off-gas chemicals and have other hazardous attributes. LBC also expects builders to source locally as many materials as possible to boost local economies and make efficient use of nearby natural resources. McLennan remains confident that costs will come down as green materials, technologies and methods become more commonplace within the general building industry.

Image thanks to Omega Center for Sustainable Living.

EarthTalk®

Free Materials Re-use Workshop Nov 17 at CCCC Pittsboro NC

Orange and Chatham Counties are sponsoring a free Building Material Re-Use Workshop on the evening of Tuesday November 17th at Central Carolina Community College. The event requires pre-registration which you can do here.

AGENDA

5:45 pm Exhibit hall opens featuring representatives from: Habitat for Humanity, The Green Door, Builders of Hope, Barnstar,The Reuse Alliance and others.
6:15 pm Builders of Hope: A unique nonprofit that rescues “homes from demolition, rehabilitates them using green building standards, and sells them at cost to working families and individuals.”
7:00 pm ReUse panel featuring area deconstruction, recycling and waste diversion professionals.
 
November 17 , 2009
5:30pm to 8 pm
Central Carolina Community College
Multipurpose Room
764 West Street
Pittsboro, NC

It Pays to Install Green Roofs

Nate Kline's post on The Green Economy Post summarizes the many tax credits and incentives available for the installation of a green roof. Several locations including NYC, Chicago, LA, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC. Plus, there are proposed programs for Boston and the state of Pennsylvania as well as a Federal bill that proposes a 30% tax credit for green roofs that cover at least 50% of the roof area.

A study by a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, from last year suggests that white roofs across all major cites would curb climate change. See the story here on the Christian Science Monitor.

Clearly, either greater use of both white and green roofs has major benefits and is comparatively inexpensive. Of all the things that can be done with the tops of buildings, it's a shame that black is such a prevalent choice. There are several green roofs here in the Raleigh/Durham area and a few people I know have gone with white for their home roofs. One person I've spoken with has painted black shingles with white acrylic paint and is very happy with that. I'd love to hear from anyone planning a green roof in the area.

I also noticed in Nate's own GreenDldgBlog.com a recent story that neatly lists all the various tax incentives already in place for energy efficiency measures. This is useful for anyone considering energy efficiency renovations.

10 important green building studies

Tracey de Morcella, writing for The Green Economy Post summarized 10 relevant studies relating to green building.

The various studies referenced address issues such as:
- social and psychological barriers to green building
- the use of impact fees to encourage green building
- the use of mandates and incentives
- the risks that come with green building
- global green building trends
- green practices by facilities management professionals
- reshaping municipal and county laws

To read the full round up click here.

Also see my older post on the Costar Group study that shows the better financial performance of green commercial buildings.

Central Carolina Community College to build two new centers to LEED standards

Central Carolina Community College plans to build two new centers that meet LEED silver standards. One is a new 24,500 sf Siler City Center which was awarded to Monteith Construction of Monroe, and was designed by Hobbs Architects, of Pittsboro and is expected to cost $4.16 million. Construction is set to start within the month.

The county is also building a 25,000 sf Chatham Community Library on the Chatham Campus. The Library was designed by Cherry Huffman Associates, of Raleigh, and will built by Barnhill Construction, of Tarboro. Construction is scheduled to begin in August on this county-college joint-use facility.

CCCC President Bud Marchant said, “We have the programs and we have people interested in enrolling. Now, we will have the space to accommodate many more and deliver the educational services that will benefit the residents, communities and businesses of a thriving Chatham County.”

For the full news release click here.

More Green Building Could Save U.S. Economy $1.2 Trillion

If you read this site much you probably already know that there is huge opportunity to save energy through efficiency improvements in buildings. The recent McKinsey report, "Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy," indicates that increased green building along with efficiency improvements could save the US $1.2 Trillion. 

The report examines how to increase energy efficiency in buildings and sectors using existing technology and methods.  It also looks at barriers to progress and what can be done to get through them.

It concludes that a targeted investment of $50 billion per year for 10 years would produce these savings and create almost 900,000 jobs.

"This confirms a critical path forward that we have long championed. Harnessing the engine of green, energy efficient buildings can cost-effectively drive tremendous improvements in our economy and environment,"  USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chairman Rick Fedrizzi said in statement.

"Green building can stimulate the economy at a level one and a half times larger than the federal stimulus bill. In terms of climate change, a commitment to energy efficiency would be the equivalent to taking the entire U.S. fleet of passenger cars and light trucks -- more than 200 million vehicles -- off the road."

See the full 165 page report as a PDF document here.
Or read the related Greener Buildings story "Americans Waste $130 billion a Year on Energy."

*The image is of an energy auditor showing air leaks that waste energy.

LEED Project Software

Staying on top of a LEED registered project can be challenging, particularly a big commercial job. One of the big issues is keeping track of all of the documents relating to obtaining various LEED credits. Submittal documentation can include drawings, MSDS spec sheets, photos, commission plans and more. Plus, you might have many different project members seeking to view or edit these documents.

The website SoftwareAdvice recently ran an interesting blog article on project management software for LEED projects. They review a couple of the top solutions EADOC and Procore giving some helpful tips.

See the full article here.

Warren Wilson's EcoDorm earns LEED Platinum

Warren Wilson College has earned a LEED Platinum rating for its "EcoDorm" which was opened in 2003.

This is the first college campus building to achieve LEED Platinum in the Existing Buildings (EB) rating category. And this is the fourth LEED certified building on the Warren Wilson campus. The others are Orr Cottage and the Village South and Village North residences which all have LEED Gold ratings.

The EcoDorm was designed by Samsel Architects of Asheville. It's a the two-story structure that houses 36 residents. Warren Wilson students were involved in the planning, research and design of the building, and helped set its four green priorities: energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality and use of local and recyclable materials.

All wood used in the EcoDorm was either recycled or timber milled and finished on campus. The building's energy-saving technologies include solar hot water, photovoltaic panels, high-efficiency boilers and radiant floor heating. Plus, a web-based energy-monitoring system keeps tabs on it all.

One of the more unusual features students came up with is a salvaged 10,000-gallon railroad tanker car; fed by roof runoff, the underground cistern provides water for flushing toilets and irrigating the dorm's permaculture landscaping.

Their full press release is here.

Deltec Homes’ Model built to “NC Healthy Built” Standards

Deltec Homes is a family run business that has been building energy efficient, hurricane resistant, circular homes for 40 years, based in Asheville NC.

Their new model home in Mars Hill, NC (near Asheville,NC) was completed as a North Carolina Healthy Built Home in October 2008. A Grand Opening Celebration is planned for Sunday June 28, 1-5PM and Monday June 29, 10am-4pm in Mars Hill, NC. It will feature:

    * Tours of the New Round, Energy Efficient, 3800 sq ft home
    * Visit Exhibitor Booths
    * Talk with Green Experts
    * Educational Seminars (Designing a Green Home (20-30 min), Introduction to Solar Energy (20-30 min),Understanding Financial Incentives for Building Green (20 min))

The new Deltec Homes’ model home promotes a comprehensive approach to sustainability by integrating the key components of green building design and construction
This includes site selection and development, energy and water efficiency, materials selection, resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and homeowner education.

The 3800 square foot model home is projected to use 50% less energy than homes of similar size.

It also focused on indoor environmental quality with continually circulating fresh air, a sealed crawlspace, low VOC finishes and formaldehyde free cabinets.

The home promotes exceptional durability through mold and termite resistant framing, fiber cement siding, and a structural shell that was built in a controlled factory environment to limit exposure to building materials during construction.

Deltec produces all of its homes with 100% renewable energy. The prefabricated, panelized structural shell is built with 78% less waste than a typical stick-built home through Deltec’s extensive recycling and reuse program.

LEED Introduces Regional Priority Credits (RPCs)

The new concept of Regional Priority Credits is being introduced in the LEED 2009 rating systems to address geographically specific environmental priorities. RPCs are not new LEED credits, but are existing credits that USGBC chapters and regional councils have designated as being particularly important for their areas.

The incentive to achieve the credits is a bonus point toward the project’s total points. Each specific area is referenced by ZIP codes in a spreadsheet and has six RPCs per rating system.  A project may earn up to four bonus points through RPCs.

Upon project registration, LEED Online automatically determines a project’s RPCs based on its ZIP code. If the project earns an RPC, it will also earn the
associated bonus point. If a project earns more than four RPCs, the team can choose the credits from which the bonus points will be earned.

The USGBC Web site has state-by-state lists of the RPCs at www.usgbc.org/LEED2009.

Or go direct to the North Carolina sheet here.

   

ICF construction open site May 8th and 9th in Chapel Hill

Triangle Polyteel is hosting an open job site this Friday May 8th from 3-5 pm and Saturday May 9th from 9-11 am. Anyone will be welcome to view this Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) construction going up. During each day at the middle hour (3:30-4:30 or 9:30-10:30) there will be a formal introduction to the methods and materials of ICF construction. The half-hour either side allows for visitors to walk around the site and ask question of the builder or the Polysteel distributor.

Come see and feel for yourself the strength, security and performance that only ICF construction can offer. 
The address is:
1023 Russells Ford Rd.
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
map

A Triangle PolySteel job site sign marks the entrance to the private gravel drive.  The project is about a half a mile down the gravel drive.  You will see signs for the address.

Please rsvp to bradley@trianglepolysteel.com indicating which day you expect to come.

Top 5 green building mistakes

In EcoHome magazine writer Mark LaLiberte counts down the top five green building mistakes. These are practices that no green builder should be condoning or perpetuating.
His top five are:
5. HVAC Ducts in unconditioned space
4. Building tight without intentional ventilation
3. Improper flashing and drainage planes
2. Poorly selected or installed insulation
1. Wasted resources (e.g. framing wood)

I have to agree with these, though for the Southeast I'd be tempted to add another five:
1. Building bigger than you need (any family of 4 should be able to manage with 2500 sf)
2. Ventilated and unsealed crawl spaces
3. Power ventilated attics
4. Poor site planning for storm water drainage
5. Water hungry landscapes (e.g. lawns)

These are my own peeves and are mostly particular to the hot/warm humid climate of the US Southeast region - though number 1 applies everywhere.

For the original full articles see here.

Cascadia USGBC Chapter Study Proves Viability of Ultra-Green Buildings

A new study has found that the a building that generates its own power and cleans and reuses its water is the most financially responsible approach to new construction over the mid to long term. It goes on to suggest that a building that is only slightly green may end up costing more in ten years than a building which is designed and built as high performance possible with current technology. What the Cascadia Region Green Building Council calls "Living Buildings" it suggests, offer significantly larger savings in water and energy, plus they cost less to construct than than current prejudice would dictate.

The study team led by SERA Architects with Skanska USA Building, Gerding Edlen Development, New Buildings Institute, and Interface Engineering, determined that the only exceptions to this finding are “spec” buildings which are intended to be sold for capital gains within in a few years.  This study was an effort to put a price tag on the Living Building Challenge rating system – a relatively new program that has already sparked huge interest in North America with at least 60 proposed Living Buildings in some stage of design or actual construction.

Jason F. McLennan, CEO of Cascadia and the author of the Living Building Challenge, says, “Some people have thought this idea was 'pie in the sky' and unachievable. But the study clearly demonstrates that we can increase green jobs, greatly enhance our energy security, and most effectively utilize federal stimulus money by constructing Living Buildings, especially for those in the public sector where taxpayers are going to own and operate a building for the long term.”

The study was carried out by examining construction documentation on nine buildings, ranging from schools to homes and high-rises, in four different US cities representing various climate zones. Each of these reference buildings were certified LEED Gold, already incorporating many green features and representing current best practices. The construction documents were modified to meet the goals of a Living Building and then re-priced based on the modifications, with the purpose of comparing the cost difference of making the leap to net-zero energy and net-zero water. The science behind the study is the same methodology that is typically used by the construction industry for cost-estimating projects prior to construction.

While initial costs are higher, the bottom-line finding is that investing in Living Buildings will have significant economic impact – with less than a ten-year payback in several instances. The study finds that Living Buildings can cost as little as five percent to no more than 49 percent more depending on the building type and location, representing paybacks for many buildings that are well within the range (less than 7-15 yrs) for any institution, corporation or homeowner looking at holding onto their asset for a few years.

One of the most exciting surprises from the study was finding basically no extra cost to build a University classroom building in Portland, Oregon to the ultra high-performance standard of a Living Building. Lisa Petterson, SERA Architects’ Manager of Sustainability Resources and overall manager for the study, explains, “The combined impact of Portland’s mild climate, plus existing and upcoming incentives for green building and net-zero energy projects, make the incremental costs almost zero.”

The degree of cost effectiveness depends on the following five key factors:

• Use of the building: Public schools and classrooms had the lowest cost. Private sector developers building spec buildings had the largest cost differential.
• Size of the building and the roof: The larger the building and roof size (for solar and water catchment systems), the lower the cost premium.
• Climate matters: A mild climate with regular rainfall provides the most cost-effective opportunity for a Living Building, although net-zero energy and water is technically possible for all regions in the study.
• Incentives and rebates matter: When communities offer incentives and rebates for saving energy and using renewable energy, it reduces the cost premium significantly.
• Cost of resources matter: The higher the cost of energy and water, the shorter the payback period, making a Living Building more feasible in areas with high energy rates.

The full study and executive summary are available here: www.cascadiagbc.org/lbc/resources/financial-study/.

The Living Building Challenge will be the key topic of discussion at Living Future, Cascadia’s annual event. Scheduled for May 6-9 in Portland, Oregon, the conference will bring together 600 of the most cutting-edge green builders, developers, contractors, design professionals and thought leaders from all across North America.

For more information, please visit www.cascadiagbc.org.

Kohl's opening new green store in Wake Forest

Kohl's has announced it is opening 18 new stores this spring including one in Wake Forest on April 1st which are built to a design that is LEED pre-certified at the Silver level.

The store's green attributes include recycled and locally obtained building materials; high-efficiency heating and cooling systems; occupancy sensor lighting for stockrooms, break rooms and offices; water-conserving plumbing fixtures and a recycling program for cardboard boxes, hangers and packaging.

I mentioned Kohl's back in Oct 07 in an item "Retailers Flocking toward Green" and it's a trend I see accelerating across the country. It's great that NC is getting some of that.

I also notice Kohl's flaunting their green credentials with a new site www.kohlsgreenscene.com.

Caravan Village Aims Higher Than Green

Caravan Village is the vision of architect Tim Watson, as an eco-restorative community of homes. This community, in Franklinville NC, will go beyond the usual concepts of green building. It aims to put more back into the environment that it takes out. That's an almost unheard of idea for housing developments - even so called green developments.

Caravan Village seeks to create a positive inter-generational community by accommodating the needs of aging and infirm in inclusive ways that integrate them into the wider community. So it goes beyond usual concepts of Universal Design or Aging In Place too. It will create a place where people of all ages and abilities can live happily in harmony.

Some of the amenities planned for the community include:

• Solar Photovoltaic Golf Cart charging
• Golf cart lanes
• Shuttle bus stop to other areas
• Space for communal or individual gardening
• Rain Gardens
• Living retention pond
• Permaculture systems
• On site utility co-op

One of the things I particularly like about it is the utility co-op concept where several homes can share resources like solar photovoltaic, solar hot water, air conditioning, rain water storage etc. This can lower the up-front cost for each home to enjoy these benefits which offer cost savings, security and social improvements.

Plus, Tim intends for one in every five homes to be partly subsidized with the occupant taking responsibility for upkeep of the utility co-op in return.

see www.tlwarchitect.com for more information

How much less does it cost to build green?

Barry Katz, in his excellent blog "the future is green" argues that asking how much more it will cost to build green is simply asking the wrong question. He re-frames the issue as life-cycle cost rather than just build cost to say we should really be asking "how much LESS" will it cost to build green.

This is a case I've heard before but really it needs to be said over and over again until we start to look at life-cycle costs rather than outright build costs. Or at least until the standard of buildings is all equally great which means effectively that all building is green.

Mr Katz looks at an excellent example in Adobe System's HQ retrofit which cost $1.4 million but is netting a cost savings of $1.2 million per year. Of course it, and other green buildings offer softer benefits too like improved productivity and reduced absenteeism which could be much larger.

So, how much less does it cost to build green, anyway? See the story here.

Georgia Bizios "Green By Design"

Local green architect Georgia Bizios has written an article about the advantages of green building, together with Katie Wakeford, for the News & Observer. They highlight top green building tips from five top architects in North Carolina who regularly build green homes.

The architects quoted are Brian Grant, Alicia Ravetto, Tina Govan, Jay Fulkerson and Erik V. Mehlman.

The key ideas discussed in the article are:
1. Outdoor living space - more economical to build and reduce the area you need to condition.

2. Passive solar design - dramatically reduce heating and cooling needs by intelligent design.

3. Efficient floor plan - keeping it simple and efficient can reduce waste and reduce energy demand.

4. Location - smart choices can reduce the time spent in cars and use less resources.

5. Daylighting - well planned use of daylight will make for a happier healthier environment while reducing the need for electric energy.

6. Cross stack ventilation - designing a building to take advantage of the cross stack effect can reduce energy needed to cool the home while making for a healthier environment.

7. Solar hot water - can reduce heating bills by up to 80%

See the full article here.

Proximity Hotel in Greensboro: a LEED Platinum

The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro is an inspired and inspiring building. They earned a LEED Platinum rating, and is the only hotel to hold a Platinum level so far. I came across this video from National Geographic Intelligent Traveler, I couldn't resist posting it.

The Proximity uses 36.5% less energy than conventional hotels. They then supply 60% of their hot water through solar panels. And they have the first Regenerative Drive Otis elevator in North America. The list of green and sustainable features is simply awesome. Which is what you'd expect from a Gold or Platinum rated building. Check out their site here for the full list of sustainable and green features of the build.

Greenspiration - a showcase home in Greensboro

Husband and wife, Mark Raines and Trish Holder were inspired back in 2007 to build a showcase green home. They had a vision of a traditional home that was truly green without looking one bit out of place in a suburban neighborhood. They also believed it could be done within a normal middle-class budget. So that’s exactly what they set out to do; and today the house is well on its way. Trish and Mark and their children should be moved in to the home in the Pleasant Oaks subdivision of Greensboro before Christmas. 

What makes this house a bit extra special is that they chose to make a showcase of the home so others right here in Greensboro, and elsewhere, could see the potential for affordable green suburban homes.  They setup a website at www.Greenspirationhome.com where visitors have the opportunity to share the owners’ journey as they make critical decisions regarding design, hvac systems, building materials, and more. The site also offers product information and demonstrations, on-site training for builders and contractors and notification of open houses.

Spray Foam insulation for retrofits

Almost any exisiting structure whether commercial or residential can benefit from a green retrofit. A green retrofit means increase property value, quicker sales and happier occupants. It also means lower energy bills.

Of all the projects you can undertake in a green retrofit, the number one in terms of return on investment has to be insulation. Some would say it's the number two and three as well.

When it comes to insulation you need to know the term R-Value. If you don't already know it R-value measures the material's resistance to heat transfer. The higher the number the slower heat will pass from one side to the other. But, like so many things, it's just not that simple in real life. R19 insulation may seem better than R13 insulation in the laboratory or on paper, but I've known plenty of R13 walls that perform 2 to 3 times better than another R19 wall.

The most effective form of insulation when it comes to energy efficiency is spray-on polyurethane foam - or just "spray foam". And the most established and well known brand in that area is Icynene. Compared to typical fiberglass batts, Icynene spray foam is far more effective because it seals the space tight. Fiberglass is not an air barrier. Look at old batts in an older house and you'll see darkening and discoloration from the air it has "filtered" leaking into the house. I recently pulled some off the underside of my floors and it was black around the air ducts. Ick! Stop the air leaks and you save energy. But you do need to balance that with supplying clean fresh air in the right amount (7.5 cubic feet per minute per occupant is usually enough) to the house.

Typically older homes will opt to spray the attic and if they have one, the crawlspace.  On a retrofit basis Icycnene spray foam can cut electricity bills around 30-40 percent.

E-Wall makes for a stronger tighter building

The Efficient Wall Systems, or E-Wall, solutions makes for strong and tight buildings that go up quickly and are easy for trades to finish.  This system is growing rapidly in Texas and Florida. A lot of builders here in North Carolina are now interested in E-Wall because it can save costs, reduce waste and deliver a better, tighter building. It's as practical for residential or commercial construction and can go up several floors in height.

The basic concept is a panel construction a bit like SIPs, but the walls are hollow to be filled with concrete on site, like ICFs. The fact that it's filled on site provides a tight monolithic structure which means you don't have to spend a lot of effort to seal gaps. The insulated panels provide for a finished wall with R14 or more. 10 of that comes from the 2" blue foam board, which can be doubled if needed for an R24+ wall.

Combine this shell with a spray foam insulated roof structure and you've got a tight well insulated house with minimal effort and at a very reasonable cost.   

The building owner or resident can save 30% or more on energy costs. Plus, they can save on insurance because the structure is fortified. And there are savings in pest control because the monolithic concrete structure is pest resistant and termite proof.

Planning Ahead For Solar Panels

When building a new home, making it ready to install solar in future is cheap, and will save a considerable amount of time and money later when someone does install a solar solution.

Firstly, for either hot water or photovoltaic you should identify a path from the utility panel into the attic near where you would position the solar collectors. Then install a ½ inch conduit along that path through a building cavity, finishing it off above the finished insulation depth so it can be located later. Also, label the conduit at both ends so it can be identified later, and be sure to seal the ends of the cavity around the conduit.

If needed, install an access catwalk in the attic so that the location of the conduit and future site of the solar panels can be accessed easily and perhaps a platform there for the installers to work.

Install 2x8 or larger blocking between roof trusses or rafters directly beneath the future site of the panels, spacing them 24” oc. This blocking should be secure between the trusses or rafters and in contact with the underside of the roof decking to provide mounting points.

For solar hot water you must also:

Identify a path and install two ¾ to 1 inch type L copper pipes from an accessible location in the mechanical room through a building cavity and extending into the designated attic to a point above the finished insulation depth. These pipes should be capped and insulated with ½ inch insulation rated for 250˚ F (e.g. HT Armaflex). All pipe joints should be carefully reamed to reduce flow noise and bubbling, and the cavity air sealed at the top and bottom.

The path in the attic should be as short and straight as possible with space provided in the mechanical room for the addition of a possible storage tank and/or heat exchanger and controls.

Install a four- or six-conductor stranded thermostat control wire along with the pipes. Tape the wire to the outside of the insulated copper pipe and leave a coil of extra wire at each end to simplify later completion/connections.

Cork: a cool green option

I remember thinking of cork as a cheap flooring somewhat industrial material. But nowadays, cork comes in such a wide range of colors that it can look positively elegant or cutting edge cool. There are several good cork manufacturers out there. The company I represent, APC Cork, offers 36 different colors. And they come in engineered click-lock panels, rolls or squares.

In so many situations cork provides an outstanding floor. Its resilience and give make for a comfortable walking and standing floor that's ideal in many commercial environments, kitchens, play areas and much more. And the wide range of colors means you'll get the right look for just about any space.

The green credentials are clear and simple because the trees are never felled to produce cork. They simply strip the bark every 9-14 years. A totally sustainable system. Plus, as more and more wine stoppers are made of plastic or metal, using cork for flooring helps support this niche industry which is mainly in Portugal.

I've got beautiful cork, bamboo and FSC certified Teak flooring available. If you're considering remodelling or if you're specifying a job anywhere in North Carolina take a look at our prices and product range, or contact me to discuss your needs.

R-Anell wins award for its downtown Asheville Lexington Station project

R-Anell Homes has won the 2008 National Modular Housing Council Design Award for the modular multi-family category with its Lexington Station project.

Lexington Station is located in downtown Asheville. It integrates 70 residential condos, 25,000 square feet of office and retail space on the first level, a restaurant and 100 underground parking spaces across three multi-story buildings.  It also features outdoor plazas and courtyards.

The condominiums range in price from $170,000 to $500,000. Inside, the condominiums feature hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, gourmet-style kitchens and thermal windows.

Lexington Station was built using elements of R-Anell's Build It Green construction program. R-Anell has modeled its Build It Green program to incorporate many of the requirements of the North Carolina Healthy Built Home program, the NAHB Green Building Standards and the USGBC’s LEED program.

GreenPros Training: April 5th passive solar case study

Designers, builders and homeowners looking to put theory into practice should attend the "Green & Passive Solar Case Study & Design Lab"

This full day course presented by Alicia Ravetto, AIA LEED, a Carrboro architect, and Paul Konove a local designer-builder will be April 5 from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. at Central Carolina Community College.

The workshop will focus on greening plans and specifications to achieve your optimal green design goals.

Alicia and Paul will share with their experience from actual design projects. Highlights include an exercise to determine optimal lot siting for green building and an exercise to design /modify a conventional home plan to optimize renewable energy, green construction details, and specifications.

Central Carolina Community College, Pittsboro Campus Multipurpose Room, Building 2

COST: $90
PRE-REGISTRATION: call CCCC Continuing Education 919-542-6495 ext. 223
ON-SITE REGISTRATION: starts at 8:30 am

CoStar Study shows LEED buildings outperform others

The CoStar Group just released a study concluding that LEED certified buildings do better in terms of occupancy rates, sale price and rental rates.

The results indicate a broader demand by property investors and tenants for buildings that have earned either LEED® certification or the Energy Star® label. Naturally, this strengthens the business case for commercial green buildings, though it was pretty strong already.

According to the CoStar study, LEED buildings command rent premiums of $11.33 per square foot over their non-LEED peers and have 4.1 percent higher occupancy. Rental rates in Energy Star buildings represent a $2.40 per square foot premium over comparable non-Energy Star buildings and have 3.6 percent higher occupancy.

And  Energy Star buildings are selling for an average of $61 per square foot more than their peers, while LEED buildings command a remarkable $171 more per square foot.

Read the full press release here.

 

Powered Attic Ventillation? Contentious subject.

On my walk around the neighborhood yesterday I saw the biggest roof mounted attive ventillator that I've ever seen - twice as big as the one pictured.  So it's got me thinking about the issue of attic ventillation. 

The sales positioning for these fans is that by ventillating your attic you remove the heat and save money on your air conditioning.  But I've read a respected view from Advanced Energy that refutes this claim.  See the article on Advanced Energy's site here.  They say that since almost all of the heat gain is through radiation that ventillation will do little or nothing to improve that.

I consider Advanced Energy to be an authority on matters like this. They do real field research and testing. The houses they tested were all being depressurised to some extent - that's what mainly causes the risk of flame roll out. And you really want positive pressure in your house, at least here in the South. Positive pressure keeps the house from sucking in impurities.  The attic can also pull your cool air up through the cieling and into the outdoors. So it's very important that a house with powered attic ventillation is thoroughly sealed between the conditioned space and the attic space.

On the other hand, speaking to builders I hear the view that you've got to get rid of the heat that builds up in the attic somehow. Proper ventillation is the only way to do that. One builder tells me that in his own attic he has experienced cooler temperatures since installing a powered ventillator.  Also I found a very detailed report here from the Florida Solar Energy Center that explores the issue well and comes down in favor of powered ventillation.

It's obviously a complex issue with no simple answers.  If building from scratch or if you can afford it, I'd seriously consider spray-foam insulation and sealing the attic - especially if your ducts run in the attic space. For an existing house with ducts in the crawl space, I'd first make sure the attic floor was well sealed from the cieling below so that air isn't exchanged. Then I'd insulate well. Then I'd possibly consider a powered attic ventillation system last. 

ROI Tables for Green Tuneups and Remodelling

I've just discovered GreenAndSave.com which offers ROI tables for various improvements you can make to your home. These show the expected costs versus savings and return on investment (ROI) you might expect from making such modifications.  This is a great resource for comparing the value of improvements.

There are a few points on which I might differ such as windows and skylights. Windows show a payback of 2.3 years which seems very short to me. When I've looked at changing windows I've worked out payback at nearer 10 years. Skylights are another point. In the South they're more likely to cost you money for extra cooling. Skylights a great at adding heat in Summer because they're oriented horizontally for peak Summer sun; and loosing it in Winter because heat rises. Another issue is insulating walls. The cost of tearing out sheet rock in older homes is much higher than the tables indicate. It looks to me as if the cost shown is only the insulation itself not the associated cost of remodeling. But hey, if you're ripping out the sheet rock anyway it has to be done. 

My final gripe is solar attic fans, which do nothing to reduce the cooling demand. 95% of the heat that enters the attic comes through radiation. Increased ventilation does very little to change that. See my Vented Attics post.

Apart from those few issues the resource at  GreenAndSave.com is fantastic. Quite probably much of our differences come from the fact that I'm concerned only with the mixed humid climate of the Southeast which has its own unique challenges.

For the complete ROI tables and topic page with details on over 50 ways to SAVE Money and the Environment visit: Home Remodeling ROI.

Achieving the 7.5 CFM per occupant venting standard

Chandler Design Build use timer delays on bathroom fans along with a few other clever tricks to achieve the balanced standard of 7.5 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) of air exchange in their homes. The goal is to provide balanced and filtered make-up air, with a designed exhaust and a balancing intake.

Another of their tricks I like is placing the intake vents in the laundry room since dryers draw out an average of 300 CFM and a nearby intake vent means the dryer won't consume much conditioned air. 

Read the full methodology and tips here.

New Report on Government Incentives for Green Building

Yudelson Associates, a green building consulting firm, has released a new study titled, "Green Building Incentives That Work: A Look at How Local Governments Are Incentivizing Green Development."

There are hundreds of different incentive programs across the country.  Developers need to research what each local jurisdiction offers and need to become involved where incentives are being discussed and adopted. This new survey shows that while developers may be aware of incentives, they often don’t take advantage of the.  That may often be that they need to make quick decisions while governments move too
slowly to enable them. 

This report may, among other things, help local developers lobby proactively by pointing to the sorts of incentives that are working in other areas.

The study is available by free download from the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties web site, downloadable here.

Eco Friendly mobile homes

In another lift from Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends, I've found a story about an initiative to develop eco-friendly mobile homes. This idea is being driven by a professor of architecture at Mississippi State University (MSU).  His idea of a GreenMobile home is an ultra-affordable and ecological-minded, factory-built housing unit. The first prototypes are expected to be build this March and should sell at about $50,000. They could be used either as regular homes or disaster relief housing.

This story struck me as interesting particularly because I just drove down to the coast and back yesterday and it really is amazing how many mobile home and modular home sales companies there are lining the highways. I'm sure there were at least 10 on my drive, which just underlined for me how popular manufactured homes are.  That would suggest this idea has some real merit.

Free online Green Building Course

The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) has provided a free online course on green building aimed at its members, home inspectors.   The course is available and accessible to all, so for anyone who wants a high-level primer or broad introduction, this is a great resource to start out with. It's an excellent overview of materials and practices.

ACTech Panels revolutionize construction

One of the first things ACTech's COO Tony Francel says about their product is that it's a building system, not just a panel. And that makes sense when you look at it closely.

The key benefits of the system for the builder are speed, simplicity and competitive cost. For the building owner the benefits include durability, a warm/cool environment, a tight envelope which means better air quality, and energy savings.  Not only are there savings in in energy consumption but also pest control and insurance as well as lower finance costs due to speedier construction. Less immediate but also important is the fact that better air quality and pest resistance means a healthier happier family or occupant and fewer medical bills.

The panel system is comprised of two-foot wide panels cut to length including gable end angles, channels to mount the panels into, channels to close off window and door openings, trusses for roofs and floors, and angle brackets to connect roof to wall panels. They provide all of these components as well as self tapping screw fasteners by truck to the building site.  From there a three or four man crew can assemble a 2000 square foot house shell in a couple days. All that's left is to frame interior walls (though panels could be used for some), finishing the interior, external finish of your choice, mechanicals and roof shingles. Time savings on a medium sized house can amount to nearly 2 months. There are also savings through using a less skilled crew and fewer subs and suppliers overall.

Then there's the durability angle. The movies on their website show air cannons firing studs at different types of walls and basically destroying them. When fired at the ACTech panel with it's 24 gauge steel skins the 2x4 fired at over 100 mph just dents the wall and bounces off. Any damaged panels can be replaced comparatively easily. I was told of one house in Florida that has survived three hurricanes over its 14 year life.

What I found really amazing is that while you can use the system for commercial or residential construction it's very cost effective. Builders are using this system to construct affordable homes that are selling for $85 per square foot completed!

I'm excited about this system and plan to use it for my next house. Anyone have a plot of land available in Chapel Hill or Durham to get started on now?

Is Concrete Green?

I caught this article on Greener Buildings and it has got me thinking again about this marvelous material.

Not long ago I was on the fence about concrete. I think a lot of people see concrete as a cold and hard material so therefore not very "green". Then there's the issue of embodied energy, or the energy that it takes to make and transport the product.

Concrete just doesn't have the warmth and natural feeling of wood, brick or a lot of other building materials. But then it also isn't a source of food for mold which is essentially a plague on buildings here in the Southeast. It also can provide a pretty air tight envelope quite easily, which can mean better air quality indoors as part of a complete well designed system.

Plus, it's fire proof, pest proof and super strong.This means as a home owner you'll save money on insurance and pest protection year after year. Not to mention that a concrete building will likely far outlast stick built homes even if you don't have hurricanes, tornadoes or other disasters that will demolish the typical home.

We offer insulated concrete forms, or ICFs, which is a great way to achieve a quick build, good insulation and all of the great properties of concrete.  And we also offer E-Wall which is perhaps my favorite build system now. E-Wall is a hybrid of structural insulated panels, SIPs, and ICFs. It's a panelized system that is assembled quickly on site then filled with a concrete pour to produce a solid monolithic wall.

GE's new Homebuilder program?

I thought when I read this item that GE was positioning itself to offer the next green building program. With something like 80 programs out there across the country, why not another one? GE's new Homebuilder Program claims to be "groundbreaking".  Hey, it offers 20% savings in household energy and water costs versus the average home. Pardon me if I'm not impressed when I know builders who are doing much much better than that around here.   

On the other hand, I've made the point several times that someone who can paint a pale shade of green across a wide area can do much more good than many small dark green efforts. And if anyone can paint green across a wide area it's GE. So, perhaps I won't write this off with snide remarks just yet.

Still, when I look into the program a bit more I realize that it's mainly just a way of dressing up their appliances and electronic gizmos, like their new eco-dashboard, and selling them as a package deal.
 

To make it happen they've partnered with Environments for Living who are verifying the homes at their "guaranteed performance" level.  I've got pretty mixed feelings about this and a sense of foreboding at the idea of a giant like GE stepping into the green homebuilding arena. Will it help things to move along or will it be a great big greenwash?

Water conservation becoming more and more important

One of my regular reads, Treehugger, carries a post today titled A New Era of Water Conservation, and it makes specific reference to North Carolina.

That puts me in the mind of an excellent product, Brac grey water recycling systems.  There are simply no other viable competitors in North America for what they offer, apart perhaps from Aqus, which is simpler but doesn't offer nearly as much savings or as much safety. Brac's systems not only capture water from sinks, baths, showers and even laundry if needed, but they have state of the art purification in place to deliver clean water to be used for either toilet flushing or irrigation.

It should, and may someday, become mandatory to have such systems in place for new construction. Certainly builders today have every reason to consider using either a grey water recycling system like Brac or a rain water collection system, like Brae or both.

Vented Attics?

I've spoken to quite a few homeowners recently about insulating attics with spray foam insulation like Icynene.  Many worried about keeping the attics properly ventilated.  Here's another area where the building science has evolved. Particularly here in the South, ventilating attics is not necessarily the right thing to do, as with crawl spaces. And, attic fans are not helping either.

The better thing to do is seal the attic and insulate the roof deck with spray foam. With new construction a radiant barrier like TechShield should also be used.

The basic thinking has been to cool the attic with ventilation. But what we now realize is that almost all of the heat transfer into the attic space is through radiation directly through the roof deck. Vents will do nothing to stop this. And when it's hot and humid outside all vents do is draw humidity into the building envelope.

For a good article on this see "Joe's Top Ten List of Dumb Things to do in the South", on the Building Science website. A great general resource.  And take a look at Arnie Katz's article on this subject at the Advanced Energy site. Another great resource.

Making your square feet work harder

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about our general trend toward larger homes. Why do homes keep getting bigger? "McMansions" is a wonderfully appropriate term I've heard used. My guess, and it's not particularly researched, is that people see their peers buying larger homes and are sucked into "keeping up with the Joneses".  To some extent home builders are to blame for starting the trend and for not pushing back against demand for bigger homes by educating buyers or showing them how a well designed smaller home can deliver greater benefits. Whatever the reason, more and more builders are now starting to realize that investment in good design yields many tangible benefits including better value for money, part of which is appropriately right-sized homes.

In my idle web wandering I stumbled across this excellent article on Oikos Eighteen Design Principals to Make  Square Feet Work Harder, excerpted from the wonderful book The Art of Natural Building. If you don't already have the book, the article is a good read on its own.

Germany wins the Solar Decathalon competition

The winners of the Solar Decathlon competition were announced today as the German University, Technische Universität Darmstadt. See the full report on Inhabitat here.

Retailers Flocking Toward Green ?

The first one I noticed was Best Buy, then Staples and Office Depot very quickly were saying they would build stores to LEED standards. What great news. Retail may not be the worst contributors to energy consumption, or CO2 emissions but their efforts will be very visible and get good publicity for the causes of green building and energy efficiency.

Then I noticed a story that Kohl's would be putting rooftop solar PV on 63 or its 80 California stores. Hey what about NC and the other 754 stores they run?  Next I read that JC Penny is about to open a store in Denver in a LEED certified shopping center development and that they will seek LEED certification for two more stores opening over the next two years.

All great news. So it seems the new LEED for Retail program is working well. The program consists of two rating systems - new construction and major renovations version 2.2 plus LEED for commercial interiors 2.0.  It's still in pilot but the 2nd draft of the program was issued this past April.

On a related note, I came across a study on the City of Seattle website which shows that stores with increased daylighting, not only save energy costs, but enjoyed increased sales - 30% or more $/square foot improvement in fact. I found that interesting since I've heard retailers say they must have certain types of electric lighting to showcase their wares effectively and achieve better sales.

More anecdotally, I've heard of a few smaller retailers putting up solar hot water around NC, so it must be going on a lot. After all it's practically a no-brainer given the accelerated depreciation and uncapped tax credits available to commercial applications of solar, and the fairly rapid payback period for solar thermal.

APT permeable pavers stop storm water runoff

The Advanced Pavement Technology (APT) Ecological Paver System reduces storm-water run-off while it promotes rainwater infiltration and natural groundwater recharge.  The Permeable Pavement System is engineered to support heavy axle loads for roadways and parking lots. Yet, it's a flexible, paver system that adapts to changes in the ground and changes in the weather that would damage conventional pavements.

The Bio-Aquifer Storm System, BASS™, method of construction integrates specifically designed pavers in an engineered system that will allow for collection of stormwater runoff and support heavy axle loads for roadways and parking lots. In addition, due to the types of aggregate used, a natural filtration process will occur and pollutants that are removed from the runoff will be broken down by bacteria contained in the aggregates.

For housing developments this system can reduce the requirement for retention ponds and make more land available for building. That means it can far more than pay for itself and that should be music to the ears of developers and municipal storm water personnel too.

Spray foam insulation seals tight

You have many great choices of insulating material these days. Most builders use fiberglass batts, which is the cheapest way to meet the code requirements. But if all you want, or want to build, is a house that meets the code requirements you're probably not visiting this website. After all, code simply defines the cheapest house that can be build without going to jail.  One the other hand, I have known good builders who favor fiberglass, with the huge caveat that it be installed correctly - and that can be a "big if".

Spray foam offers some tremendous advantages over batts, or even blown cellulose. Firstly it's an air barrier, so in one swoop you seal the house tight and insulate well. Secondly, there's a lot less concern about the quality of installation because there are simply a lot fewer things that can be done wrong. Thirdly, if offers the added benefit of superior sound insulation too, so you'll enjoy a quieter home as a bonus.

Solar Hot Water from Solahart

There are several different systems for solar hot water. The Home Power web site has an excellent primer on the different types and benefits of each. For residential applications in this area (NC), I tend to favor the Solahart Thermosyphon models. Though the Home Power prime summary says Thermosyphons are not freeze tolerant, the Solahart is, making it well suited to a climate like ours where there are occasional freezing days.

Simpler Flat Plat collectors may be cheaper but they're much less efficient. In places like Florida where there isn't much of a Winter, that can be the right choice.  Evacuated tube collectors are also great, but a bit pricier. They're so efficient that they often need a heat dissipator to prevent over heating. They're excellent where there are a lot of cloudy or rainy days or where there is a need for very hot water. I recommend them for many commercial situations in this climate, or larger homes.

One of the great things about the Solahart Free Heat series thermosyphon systems is that they're passive which means there's no need for pumps and fewer moving parts. That also means less maintenance and longer life span. Some people really like the fact that it comes with its own tank, so in a new construction you can avoid installing a hot water tank at all. Just rig a tankless hot water heater, like the Rheem model discussed earlier, saving space, money and time.

Advanced Framing - no brainer

Any framing contractor or home builder who doesn't used what's called "Advanced Framing" techniques should be ashamed.  It's simply a better, faster way to frame a stick-built house because the techniques mean less wood is used and there are fewer  thermal bridges so the walls are better insulated.

For example 2x6s are typically used 24 inches on center, rather than 16 - that's about 50% fewer studs to measure, cut, position and nail. That's also fewer studs providing thermal bridges and more insulation for the whole wall.

Other techniques include using less wood in headers within non-load bearing walls, aligning the loads from floor joists directly to the studs below, and where interior walls T onto the exterior wall using a ladder assembly to permit insulation of the exterior wall at that point.

The US Department of Energy has a fact sheet on the techniques here.

The Conserv Membrane ERV

Indoor air quality is of increasing concern since we build houses tighter now. By cutting down on ventilation we're trapping countless contaminants in the home. One way to deal with that is to ventilate more, but you loose the energy you've put into conditioning your air whether warming or cooling.  That's where Energy Recovery Ventilators, or ERVs, come in.

The best one available is made by Dias under the brand ConsERV. It uses a patented membrane that utilizes nano-technology to achieve incredible results at reasonable prices. 

Employing an ERV as part of a good HVAC system design means you can typically afford to downsize your units because up to 30% of a typical system's load is used to condition the outside air. An ERV preconditions the outside air by transferring the heat from inside air as it gets exhausted out. So you can stop cooling, or heating, the great outdoors.

Whether for residential or commercial construction you should consider a ConsERV unit as part of any well considered Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning design.

tubular daylighting

Skylights, which were once very popular, make no sense at all from an energy point of view. While they may bring daylight they also bring heat gain - particularly in the Summer when you're trying to cool your home. Then in the Winter they let the heat you're paying for escape straight up.

The solution to bringing valuable daylight into awkward areas of the home is tubular daylight units like this one.  The light comes in but not the heat. And in Winter they're still effective without losing your inside heat to the atmosphere.

This model, the Sun Dome by Daylighting Technologies, which we represent, offers the highest light output with lowest heat gain available on the market. It's also very durable. Having been designed for Hurricane weather in Florida it carries Miami-Dade missile impact and wind pressure approvals as well as a 10 year warranty against cracking or yellowing.

So if you've got an area of the house that could use more natural light, before you install more electric lighting or even worse, a skylight, contact me for more information.

Eco-Rubber Pavers, Tiles and matts

Eco-Rubber Impact Absorbing Pavers provide a slip resistant, comfortable surface for patios, decks, and walkways.  These Pavers are suitable for indoor or outdoor applications in apartment complexes,  office buildings, schools, senior centers and hospitals, even private homes. They're light-weight, impact absorbing, slip-resistant and low maintenance,  But most importantly from the environmental perspective, they're water permeable, so can reduce run off into storm drains. Plus they're made from recycled rubber, so reduce the pollution of incineration and the waste of landfill. 

Interlocking, self-aligning tiles are easy to install and require no adhesive, making them ideal for installation over existing surfacing materials. Manufactured from recycled materials, Eco-Rubber Surfacing products are impact absorbing on the environment as well and qualify for LEED credits.