Focusing on building sustainable residences that will last for generations has become a hot topic lately, as we see more and more evidence of the need for making our resources of money, time, and materials go further than we have seen them go before. Utilizing renewable energy like sun and wind power are at the forefront of solution minded professionals. With the recent evidence of the devastating effects of nuclear and coal driven power, it seems logical that we make this a priority. The recent economic woes have everyone focused on finding solutions to our new financial economy, which makes the decisions on everything we purchase a vital part of how our future works out. This in turn makes our time even more important as if we needed more stress in this area, right. Well, believe it or not, but the decision to buy, remodel, or update your home impacts ALL of these areas with great personal significance. That is one of the major realizations I came away from this great Tour I was able to see last week-end. There is no way I can convey all the great ideas I saw, but I will try to explain the ones I felt were most enlightening or impactful here.
If you have the ability to design and build your next home, I certainly hope that you take the time to research a majority of the technology available that will be able to make your home super efficient and truly sustainable for generations – a superiorly functioning 100 year old home is certainly a reasonable expectation utilizing today’s technology and design options. With the future in mind you can design for change and even aging in your home. Designing passive solar heating and cooling can be VERY effective. The location and size of windows, along with the orientation of the house to take advantage of the sun’s location can make a huge difference in the energy efficiency of your HVAC system, as well as being able to take full advantage of solar panels to power your house and decreasing your reliance on the electric grid. It is also possible to have your meter run backward and you GET a check from your utility company instead of writing one. Utilizing overhangs and awnings correctly can eliminate the sun’s impact on windows in the summer and take advantage of the warmth in the winter. Even changing our ideas about the garage can be a huge advantage for energy efficiency. By eliminating the idea of the garage door, you add a large protected area to your house that keeps it cool, instead of adding heat and a source for toxic fumes to enter the house, and you also are much less likely to keep the ‘clutter’ in your garage.
Unlike some of the design ideas these products can be implemented to new or existing homes the same way. When painting or staining your house, choose paints that are low or even better no-VOC paints. VOC’s are Volatile Organic Compounds and although they have not all been proven carcinogens, they can certainly wreck havoc on our allergies and are non-the-less unhealthy. A low VOC paint product is about twice as much per gallon as regular paint, but when you consider the overall cost of the project, I think you will find out the percentage is so low it will be easily the far greater choice when you through in the benefits to your health and the environment that they create. Choosing products made with recycled materials helps to ease the burden on our landfills, and reduces the amount of energy required to produce a material. Some great products using recycled materials are glass countertops and certain ceramic and porcelain floor tiles. There are products that use recycled newspaper to make wallboard (instead of gypsum), paperstone countertops, and even wall insulation.
Even if you don’t use recycled materials, by using readily available products that are manufactured close to where you are building, you will reduce the impact on the environment by eliminating freight costs and fuel usage. You can also be responsible by making sure any wood products that you use are made from properly forested trees and any glues used are VOC free. Other materials that are readily accessible and renewable are bamboo and cork! They make great flooring and even wall covering options among other products as well. The main idea that occurred to me is not that you use a certain product, or have a certain look to your home, but to THINK about what you are doing and how it will impact the environment, both now and in the future. Anything we do to improve the quality of our lives by being healthier, financially less stressed, and environmentally responsible is a great step forward; and as you can see, when we have the ability to create within our homes we impact all these areas in a momentous way. So, please check out the overall impact of your decisions before proceeding!!
Please feel free to call me any time about any question you have with this tip or anything else on your mind at 512.413.9281.
