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12 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Green Building Product

A green building product better begin as a good product. Here’s what to look for before diving deeper into a product’s green claims.

By: Rick Schwolsky

green-homesWhile the industry has made real progress in providing us with green products and backing up their performance claims, product selection will continue to be one of the most critical challenges you will face in meeting your green missions—and that puts your business and reputation at risk.

As a former high-performance home builder, I know what this feels like. You’re stuck in a gray area between innovation and risk, caught between a commitment to build high-performance homes and your responsibilities to ensure those homes still perform their most basic functions without creating problems—or liabilities.

“Nobody,” builders often say, “wants to be the first to try out a new product,” and yet we’re driven to embrace change and improve the way we build. This dilemma puts pressure on every decision you make, whether it’s detailing a wall section, specifying ventilation equipment, or selecting finishes.

You have to find a reliable level of confidence in your decisions and balance the trade-offs associated with them. But how can you gain the confidence you need?

Here are the first 12 questions you should ask about any green building product you’re evaluating—before you make your selection:

How will it perform its basic function as a building material or product?

How does it compare with products I use now?

Is it code approved?

Is it third-party certified?

Will it contribute toward project certification?

Is it available?

How will it affect my pricing?

Will it increase my level of risk or liability?

How will it improve the level of performance of my homes?

How will it contribute toward sustainability?

Will it require new sequencing or installation skills/trades?

Is it worth the investment for the benefits?

After answering these 12 questions, apply your own experience and expertise to filter out products that would put you outside your comfort zone in terms of unknowns and risks.

Only after evaluating potential selections for their application as viable building products can you focus on their green attributes and performance benefits and how they’ll integrate with the other elements of your green projects. At that point you can ask: “What makes these products green?” “How can I avoid greenwashing?” and “How can I verify the manufacturers’ performance claims?”

This last question leads to third-party certifications, which we regularly cover in EcoHome.

Rick Schwolsky is Editor in Chief of EcoHome.

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How Consumers and Builders Feel About Green Homes

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Benefit of Green HomesHere is the reality about green homes: they reduce carbon footprints, save consumers money on utility bills, and improve the health of children living in the home as a result of better air quality and other related factors. In a society with a growing focus on environmental sustainability, green homes are not just a potential future; they’re forming a part of our present.

But the reality about green homes and what the public actually thinks about them are not always one and the same. In fact, they can be disparate enough that it would warrant continued action by organizations supporting green homes to increase awareness about the benefits of these homes and to dispel any myths.

Whirlpool Corporation is interested in seeing that green building takes hold in our society. Whirlpool has been a partner of Habitat for Humanity for years, donating ranges and ENERGY STAR® qualified refrigerators to new Habitat homes built in the United States and Canada as well as supporting Habitat’s work around the world, and engaging employees to volunteer with their local Habitat organizations. To gauge public perception on the topic of green homes, Whirlpool and Habitat teamed up with NAHB Research Center – an independent subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) – to survey consumers and builders on what they think is the state of affordable and green housing in the United States. Whirlpool is releasing the results from this survey in a series, with the first set of results on the affordability of green homes released in November 2010 and the second, identifying barriers to green homes released in January 2011.

The survey found that builders and consumers generally perceive green homes as affordable to live in but more expensive to purchase. In fact, among consumers, 67 percent of high-income respondents said they believe a completely green home would be affordable to live in or maintain. The same answer was given by 65 percent of upper middle income, 59 percent of middle income and 48 percent of low income consumer respondents.

But, when asked if a green home would be affordable to purchase, only high income respondents answered mostly in the affirmative, with a total of 71 percent, compared to 47 percent of low-income respondents who said that they believe a completely green home would not be affordable for them to purchase.

The builder portion of the survey found that 87 percent believe green homes are affordable for middle-income families to live in, but 30 percent felt green homes were not affordable for the segment to purchase or build. The disparity is even more evident when asked about low-income families. A total of 70 percent of home builders said they believe green homes are affordable to live in for this segment, but almost 60 percent thought green homes were not affordable for low-income families to purchase or build.

However, the survey also demonstrated that the public is generally in favor of a continued effort for creating more green homes. It showed that 64 percent of respondents indicated that savings from green home features were sometimes worth the added costs and efforts. And, 77 percent of consumers feel that green homes are at least somewhat, if not very, important to them. And they note that green homes are important because of the positive impact on the environment, the long-term financial savings, and the health benefits for the family. It seems clear that the public believes in the importance of green homes, so what do consumers and builders believe will help them become more affordable? According to the survey, the answer lies in reduced prices on materials for construction. A total of 59 percent of consumers indicated that lower cost of products and materials is needed for green homes to become more affordable and 75 percent of builders agreed with this.

Another change consumers mentioned that can make green homes affordable is an increase in incentives for sustainable building and remodeling. Of all respondents, 53 percent felt that increasing incentives for homeowners would help with green home affordability, and 36 percent suggested increasing incentives for builders. In addition, 69 percent of consumers indicated they believe state and federal governments should provide incentives for purchasing green building products. Among builder respondents, 40 percent believed that incentives for both homeowners and builders would help promote green building.

This survey underscores a case for the viability of green building to protect the environment and save money. More findings from the study will be released throughout the year. While these will undoubtedly offer additional insight into how we can all help promote green building, the findings we have thus far clearly show us that this is something the public is looking for. It’s up to the companies and organizations involved in green building to help educate the public further on why this is such an important endeavor and why it can be affordable to all.

Editor’s note: In a earlier post in this series, Shon Anderson, VP of Energy Solutions at Schneider Electric points out that 70-75% of the total life-cycle cost of a building is in operation and maintenance and only 20-25% is tied up in the purchase price. Why then do we allow the high initial cost to be such a barrier? These costs should be amortized of the home’s life cycle. This would be a great opportunity, not only for government subsidies, but for the financial industry to step forward and provide mechanisms to make this happen.

by Tom Halford ~ Tom Halford is general manager, contract sales and marketing at Whirlpool Corporation

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What is the Definition of a Green Home?

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green-homeThe term green home is being used more and more often in the residential building industry, but what does it really mean. According to the Green Building Council of Australia a green house is “a high performing home that is energy and water efficient, has good indoor air quality, uses environmentally sustainable materials and also uses the building site in a sustainable manner”. A green home also requires a holistic approach, beginning at the design stage and continuing on through the construction process and the eventual day-to-day running of the home. The main goal of these characteristics is to reduce the environmental impact a home will have over the course of its lifetime.

As mentioned above, a green house should begin at the design stage. Incorporating green design elements at the initial stages of a home construction will ensure the home can take advantage of the surrounding natural environment. By utilising the topography of the site, sunlight and breezes a green home can significantly reduce its dependence on additional heating and cooling sources. This saves the occupants money on their energy bills and reduces the production of greenhouse gases.

Choosing recycled and environmentally friendly building products is another important element of a green home. The type of materials used can affect the homes’ environmental impact and the health of the homes’ eventual residents. A green home utilises recycled timber or sustainable harvested plantation lumber for its structural and cosmetic components. It is also possible to use a range of other natural products in the construction of a green home, such as straw, mud, hemp and dirt. Although some of these materials are not conventional building products, it does not mean a green home has to look very different from a regular home. Many of the materials and finishes in a regular home contain formaldehyde and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). Once installed in a home they continue to release gases which can be harmful to the people living in them. A green home uses materials and finishes with low or no VOCs that ensure good indoor air quality.

A green home also minimises the use of energy and water by using efficient materials and products. Water saving devices in the bathroom, toilet and laundry significantly reduces water consumption. Collection of rainwater and the recycling of grey water can further improve water efficiencies. Insulation in walls and ceilings helps maintain a constant indoor temperature reducing the need for mechanical heating and cooling. Energy and water efficient appliances can also be found in this home. They reduce environmental impacts and keep running costs down for the occupants.

Consideration of these factors and the inclusion of sustainable building techniques and materials make a green home use energy and water efficiently, provide a healthy environment for the occupants and reduce the environmental impacts over the lifetime of the dwelling.

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We can, for example, source, consult on, and manage all aspects of sustainable development, including sustainable housing and development. Our ongoing relationship to the sustainable development industry, including housing, education, community, and national/international sustainability networks, allows us to provide comprehensive solutions and initiatives for sustainable technologies and development needs.

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Disadvantages of Building Green

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Unfortunately, it seems that everything that is beneficial to people tends to carry a higher price tag with it. For example, the checkout receipt from a simple trip to the grocery store seems to double if the items that were purchased include fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and fish; instead of chips, cookies and canned foods. Just when a lot of people are seriously thinking about trying to help preserve the environment by building an eco friendly home, a few disadvantages to this type of construction are slowly beginning to rise to the surface. Of course, the primary concern is the tremendous initial cost that is usually associated with the whole “building green” process. Therefore, it is a wise thing to spend a little time and effort thoroughly sorting out and searching through all of the variables that may be connected to this fairly new style of constructing a home.

The most important stumbling block in this endeavor might just be the availability, or rather the lack of, adequate funding. This is something that will have to be quickly dealt with. Obviously, since this construction method is a fairly new concept to many people, the conditions and restrictions of such building loans might make it very difficult for the average homeowner to even be able to obtain a mortgage. Secondly, any potential green house builder also has to remember that since “building green” is a relatively newly introduced technique, the demand for these types of building materials has been very low up to this point in time.

Consequently, the possibility always exists that it may be more than a little difficult to obtain them from any of the material supply sources that are located in their particular area. As most people can attest to, the lack of competition automatically increases the prices of most items. Add to this fact, if a person has to order these things from a distant supplier, shipping and handling charges will also have to be included in the final price. Therefore, at the end of the day, the bottom line figure that will have to be mortgaged may be a whole lot more than some of the lending institutions will be ready to agree to. Locating qualified building contractors can become another exhausting undertaking.

Therefore, as you can see, there are a number of variables that just might have an adverse effect on the entire building process. Delving into any brand new idea or concept requires a whole bunch of planning, consideration and preparation. Try to envision how much more of all of these things will be absolutely necessary when dealing with a project of this magnitude.

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Building to a Higher Standard

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There has been an explosion of interest in going green. Everything from cars to light bulbs are being pushed to new levels of efficiency. New industries are cropping up, it seems, on a daily basis.

But what about buildings; office buildings and schools in particular. These are the places that we spend most of our waking hours, and where we consume most of the energy.

There is a movement, led by the US Green Building Council, to establish standards to which buildings are designed and constructed by. Affecting more than just the energy consumption, but also the environment of the occupants inside. Buildings are certified, showing that it has met the requirements for a particular level of efficiency.

Not only do buildings get certified, but individuals also become accredited. There are thousands of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professionals in the United States, all of whom had to pass a fairly difficult test covering the details of the “LEED” program. These “APs” act as a guide to design a building for the specific purpose of attaining high levels of efficiency.

Just as hybrid cars are more expensive than their normal, gas powered counterparts, buildings achieving, or attempting to achieve any level of certification will have an increased cost. The cost, if calculated properly, should be offset by the reduction in energy usage, and the increase in productivity of the occupants of the building. And the payback of the additional cost could come in 5 years.

A recent study released from the venture capital firm Good Energies, Inc states that around 50% of non-residential building will be green by 2015. That is five years from now. It must also be noted that these numbers also include buildings that did not obtain LEED certification, but did adhere to the guidelines. This should be recognized as tremendous growth.

Based on the ever increasing number of buildings being submitted for certification and the growing population of accredited professionals, it looks as though green building has only barely gotten started.

If you like this article and have a website, you can link to it, or post it (please include greendesigncommunity.com as the original source).

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