GREEN BUILDING PRODUCTS
The concept of Green Building embraces several philosophies - creating a healthy living environment within the home, reducing the cost of heating/cooling the home, protecting the environment its resources and reducing water consumption. Generally, through the use of modern energy saving technologies and eco-friendly products.
The philosophies are driven by environmental issues, which cannot be denied, due to air pollution, diminishing fuel and water supplies plus a growing understanding that life quality and expectancy are diminished by the detritus and garbage created from an ever expanding population.
Eco-friendly is the catchword.
Green Building 's future is growing rapidly - a multi-billion dollar industry that is bringing an edge to homebuilders and a sales advantage to homeowners.
Eagle's Nest Eco-Green concepts are designed to fulfill a wide variety of needs and financial considerations for those homebuyers who wish to reduce heating/cooling costs, water consumption and live healthier, while providing an individual commitment to the health and welfare of the global eco-system.
Green Building products and techniques should be considered based on the location you expect to build; - for instance
If solar photo electric or solar heating panels are a consideration, one must consider the amount of sunlight hours available and the cost of the system to compute a favorable return on investment (ROI).
It is prudent to recognize that the cost associated with some "Green Building" techniques are often not related to a favorable 8 - 15 year return on investment.
There are many other viable reasons people incorporate Green Building products into their home or business, especially the more costly products.
SUCH AS
Concern for the environment and the eco-system, a desire to be more personally energy independent, perhaps off the grid. The ability to have an emergency source of electricity or heating in areas in which violent weather activities can destroy the power grid - hurricanes, tornadoes, earth quakes, heavy snow accumulation, or perhaps one is constructing in an area in which power is not readily available.
"Certified Green Building" is a road map to specific "Green Building" products and techniques.
Each homebuyer should consider their level of commitment and the multitude of benefits before investing in a technology that may not be suited for their area.
In the final analysis "Green Building" with its inherent energy savings and environmental benefits is here to stay and growing readily.
Simple, very cost effective solutions such as utilizing florescent lights in the home, effective insulation use, passive solar applications, etc. should become a part of all homebuilder's technology today.
COMING SOON
EAGLE'S NEST "ECO-GREEN"
GREEN BUILDING PRODUCTS
Eagle's Nest Management is in the process of developing its associations with producers of "Green Building" Products.
We will concentrate on three areas which will result in environmentally friendly objectives and offer home builders an ROI (return on investment) that should establish a valid economic reason to incorporate some or all of these products in their homes.
WATER: Large investor groups are currently buying the "rights" to tap into the large volume of fresh water that exists below ground.
With the increasing demand for fresh water, commercial and residential, coupled with its finite source, fresh water supplies are fast approaching the inability to sustain the needs of the world. That's why many are calling it the new "liquid gold".
Reducing water consumption is an imperative.
Fortunately, it is an imperative with a silver lining. With rising water costs, the use of simple and more complex devices that diminish water use offer an on-going economic payback to the homebuyer and the environment.
Following is an example of simple and less complex, but proven, technologies that can be incorporated into homes.
* Insulation and house wrap.
* Showerheads and faucets that reduce water consumption.
* Toilets that use much less water, but work efficiently.
* "Grey Water" storage tanks to collect tub/shower and faucet water to be utilized for irrigation, etc.
* Fluorescent or LED lighting for the home or business.
* Energy saving appliances. The energy star symbol.
Eco-Friendly with positive economic benefits and easy to adopt.
HOME HEATING AND COOLING:
In the 1970's, the owner and CEO of Eagle's Nest Homes owned a company that produced and distributed nationally liquid and air solar collectors, solar collector storage tanks, hydronic fireplace grates and created solar heating systems for various applications.
National tax credits combined with some state tax credits established a return on investment that created a brisk national interest and sales in these products.
When the tax credits were not renewed, the industry declined, but has been in resurgence for the last decade due to rising energy costs.
Liquid solar collectors and photovoltaic cells that create electricity from the sun have improved significantly.
Coupled with rising energy costs, they offer in areas with "Good" sunshine days a prudent way to reduce energy costs utilizing a source, the sun, which is non-polluting and almost infinite in its availability.
Following are some examples from the simple to the more sophisticated that should be considered in your homebuilding techniques:
1. Fluorescent or LED lighting for your homes. Today's fluorescent bulbs last over five times longer than an incandescent bulb and cost less than 50% to operate - a fantastic ROI, with a huge environmental impact.
2. Insulating your home through the use of foam, loose or rigid insulation to attain a minimum of an R value of 19 in side walls and R32 in the ceiling. This includes insulation jackets for hot water tanks. Federal tax credit for builders are available for homes that are 30% or 50% more energy efficient than building code requires.
3. Adequate roof ventilation to retain heat in the winter and eliminate heat in the summer.
4. Exterior wrap on the home or an interior wall vapor barrier to create a weather tight home.
5. Consider roof overhangs which block the high summer sunrays (heat) from entering the home, but allowing the low sun angle in the winter to assist in solar heating the home.
6. Multi-pane windows with low-e glass.
7. High efficiency heat pumps utilizing water or ground as a "heat" source.
8. Radiant heat.
9. Photovoltaic cells to provide electricity. A big benefit with PC's is that in most states electricity not utilized by your home will be "sold" back to the electric grid, also reducing your monthly bills, ROI (return on investment) can be lengthy.
10. Liquid solar heating panels, to product heat for radiant heating, forced air heating or hot water.
11. Wind mills to produce electricity in homes with wind conditions that can sustain requirements to produce electricity with consistency.
12. Passive solar benefits through the placement of windows on south facing walls.
13. Energy saving products and appliances. Look for the Energy Star symbol.
LAST WE WILL BE ADDRESSING SAFE ENVIRONMENTAL LIVING CONDITIONS IN OUR ASSOCIATIONS SUCH AS:
1. Home water treatment to eliminate the many toxic pollutants in our water which includes the use of chlorine, a deadly toxin, outlawed for water treatment in Europe or drugs which are being found in our drinking water not filtered out in municipal water plants.
2. Consideration of proper home filtration and outside air exchange which becomes more important as homes come more insulated and weather tight.
3. The use of interior products which don't "outgas" with toxic material which will include floor material, cabinetry including countertops and interior paint.
Some of these products are simple and inexpensive and must be utilized and considered by all homebuilders.
Others are more complex, but in some regions of the country offer a stellar return on the investment.
Obviously, these are personal decisions that will be driven by many considerations.
But one must also consider in a world of rising energy costs combined with a growing understanding of finite resources plus a growing population the potential benefit of selling a home that possesses the qualities of "Green Building".
The benefits are extraordinary in that public demand, largely due to economic considerations, is increasing. Green Building products will give builders a sales edge.
It is already a multi-billion dollar industry expected to double in a few short years.
According to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the following questions should be asked to determine if a product is sustainable, eco-friendly, saves energy and is a quality Green Building product.
1. Does it have a long life?
2. Does it save energy?
3. Does it contribute to the waste stream?
4. Is it renewable and recyclable?
Vinyl products are a prime example. PVC, a vinyl product, was found to perform favorable in terms of energy efficiency, thermal-insulating value, low contribution to greenhouse gasses, product durability and recycling capacity.
Consider a few of the uses - PVC pipe, lawn furniture, Energy Star roof membranes to reflect solar energy, electrical conduit, siding, fencing, wire and conduit insulation, floor and wall coverings, window frame wrap, etc.
PVC conserves energy in manufacture and, more importantly, use due to its durability.
Green Building is indeed a necessary component of current and future building.
Many Green Building techniques are currently available in our fabricators manufacturing process which include rigid and loose insulation, vinyl wrapped windows with low-e glass available, house wrap, interior thermal wrap, etc.
www.energystar.gov
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
Results are already adding up. Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2006 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 25 million cars – all while saving $14 billion on their utility bills.
FOR THE HOME
Energy efficient choices can save families about a third on their energy bill with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions, without sacrificing features, style or comfort. ENERGY STAR helps you make the energy efficient choice.
* If looking for new household products, look for ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR. They meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and US Department of Energy.
* If looking for a new home, look for one that has earned the ENERGY STAR.
* If looking to make larger improvements to your home, EPA offers tools and resources to help you plan and undertake projects to reduce your energy bills and improve home comfort.
www.energytaxincentives.org
The Tax Incentives Assistance Project (TRAP) are Federal Income Tax incentives for energy efficiency products and technologies.
Generally, these tax incentives are tax credits, not deductions, which mean they are deducted directly from the amount owed Uncle Sam on your tax return.
Many State's, manufacturers and power companies offer tax credits or cash rebates for homes constructed with specific ENERGY STAR products and building techniques.
Check out the sites, Federal and State, you will be surprised at the many hundreds and thousands of dollars available to homebuilders or owners who incorporate ENERGY STAR products and building techniques into their new home.
The ENERGY STAR and the Tax Incentives Assistance Programs are Federal and worthy of investigation.
There are even programs for builders offering significant tax credits for meeting specific energy standards in the building process.
You will probably be surprised to learn that many home appliances and products you bought for your home qualified for tax credits and you didn't know it existed. Now you do.
GREEN BUILDING
Numbered in order of cheapest to most expensive (1 being the least expensive). Qualifier: solar and PV cells have Federal and State money incentives and solar heating in most areas a 5 - 10 year ROI, or a 10-16% yearly return on the investment.
WATER: Reducing water consumption: thereby, reducing water / costs.
2 Toilets
1 Showerheads
2 Hot water
1 Jackets for hot water heaters
2-3 Solar hot water and solar space heating
2 Water treatment
ELECTRIC / COOLING: Reducing the costs of heating/cooling the home.
2-3 PV Cells (photovoltaic)
1 Fluorescent light bulbs, led
1 Insulation (loose, rigid)
2 Foam insulation
2 Low-e glass
1 Adequate roof ventilation
1 14 seer heat pump
2 Geothermal
2 Radiant
2 Water source heat pump
1 Tyvek
1 Interior wall vapor barrier
1 South facing walls with glass, passive solar
1 Roof overhangs
1 Advantech roofing, siding and sub floor. Better than plywood with no formaldehyde out gassing. Automatic house wrap, no roof felt material required, highly water resistant.
LIVING ENVIRONMENT: Utilizing interior products which do not emit or outgas chemicals that create an unhealthy home living environment.
1 Good filters
2 Proper air change in home
1 Paint, interior products
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