Green Building is Smart Building

When you stroll through the fine homes in this year’s Parade of Homes you might miss the fact that this is the 6th year that all homes have met the Built Green Colorado™ standards. You might also miss the significance of the label. That Built Green designation means that the builder has made choices in the home that can benefit you directly - in actual monthly cost savings -- and also take a small piece out of the impact on your ultimate home, Mother Earth. No matter which way you slice it, each of us has a responsibility to sustain a decent environment and each of us makes a difference. Built Green Colorado™ helps you do your part by just making better choices.

Here’s a short summary of features Built Green builders can offer their customers:

In light of the most recent water challenges for Colorado, I put this at the top of the list. Water will be an on-going issue as Colorado grows. Much of Colorado is in a high desert climate, but our water habits often would indicate otherwise. Forty to fifty percent of our water use in the summer is for irrigating landscapes that are more suited to, say, Ireland. While we’ve done a good job of reducing indoor water use through water efficient fixtures and appliances, planting turf and plants that use less water (and less maintenance - my favorite part) and landscaping with Xeriscape principles is still only a sporadic option found in Denver suburbs. This year’s Parade highlights numerous attractive options to the standard water- and labor-intensive lawn. To learn more visit the demonstration garden by GreenCO at the Built Green “oasis”, visit their booth in the exhibit tent, and read the related article here in this magazine. (GreenCO is a group of nine landscape-related associations in Colorado committed to supporting water conservation and promoting best management practices in the landscaping industry.)

You’ve heard “location, location, location” in reference to the most important characteristics of a home. At least one of those “locations” should be referring to which direction the home faces and where the windows are located. Colorado is one of the best places in the world to take advantage of “climate responsive design,” which means using the characteristics of the climate to keep your home comfortable. It means minimizing east and west windows, providing properly sized overhangs over your south windows, providing for natural light and ventilation. Energy savings of 40-50% are possible just by using these simple design concepts; the ideas aren’t new, but they are often overlooked.

The heating system is one of those places where added first cost is almost always worth it (I say “almost” because one can always find a system that will never pay back in energy savings; do the math). High-efficiency gas furnaces - in the 90% range - are also likely to be “sealed combustion” furnaces. This means that the air used for combustion never mixes with the indoor air, so the sub-zero air of winter never enters your home. It also means that the flue gases are also isolated from the inside, eliminating a potential source of carbon monoxide. Remember that a more efficient furnace is saving you money every year it operates.

Part of the design strategy includes the type of windows. These days high performance windows are available and affordable for new homes. Low-e, double pane windows with thermal breaks in the frame will not only make rooms more comfortable, they will also contribute to that reduced monthly energy bill. The industry has made the choice in windows much easier over the last few years. Look for the NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council) label. Your windows should have a u-value of 0.37 or below. The Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) is a little trickier, but for simplicity, if you want solar heat (south windows) the SHGC should be above 0.5, and if you want to avoid solar heat (east and west windows) the SHGC should be 0.4 or below.

Insulation and sealing against unwanted air leaks are more recognizable energy features. Not as well known is duct sealing. Leaks in ducts can easily lose 20-40% of the duct system’s intended delivery. This means you are paying for energy you aren’t getting. Worse than that, the leaks can create back-drafting of flues that can cause a dangerous air quality problem (remember the sealed-combustion appliances?). The best way to ensure a tight duct system is with either brush-on mastic sealant, with an aerosol sealant applied from the inside of the duct, or with certain mastic-backed foil tapes. The gray cloth duct tape is worthless - period.

Finally, making the right material choices for the inside can have health benefits by reducing the amount of volatile organic compounds - or VOCs - that are in the air you breathe. Paints, glues, cabinets, furniture and carpets can all have a variety of toxic fumes that are released over time. The tighter your home (which is a good thing for saving energy) the less these fumes are diluted. Good air quality inside your home depends on (1) reducing the sources for VOCs and (2) providing controlled fresh air throughout the day. Ventilation can be as simple as opening windows (uncontrolled) to installing a fresh air ventilation system that maintains a certain percentage of fresh air while recovering most of the heat of the exhaust air (controlled).

All of these features are part of the Built Green Checklist, but if buyers don’t recognize their value, they may not be included in the home. With Built Green, the choice is still with the homebuyer. But the chance is greater that these important features will be available either as a standard or as an option with Built Green builders. Ask the builder for a list of the Built Green features and see where your savings can add up.

Built Green Colorado™ has been helping builders find energy solutions to new homes since 1995. The largest program of its kind in the country, Built Green Colorado™ has moved the industry without the aid of regulation by promoting the sensible techniques of “green building” -- building that makes more efficient use of energy, water and other natural resources. This approach has gained ground over a relatively short span of time, and now is woven into the very fabric of the building industry. Parade guests will see many of the features recommended on the Built Green Checklist, which lists nearly 200 different green building options.

Not every builder has chosen to embrace green building, or (incredibly) even energy efficiency. But more builders than ever recognize that “affordability” is a long-term issue that doesn’t end at the closing table. These builders are giving their customers a fighting chance to maintain a comfortable and healthy home environment without taking a huge bite out of their monthly budget, and are promoting the benefits of Built Green Colorado™ in the process.

Green building is smart building. It makes economic and ecological sense. Reducing our dependence on foreign oil has taken on a new urgency, but it was always a good idea. And the potential is huge for drastic reductions in our consumption of oil and other resources without sacrificing our quality of life. As a matter of fact, our quality of life should improve in the process. So when you leave the Parade of Homes this year and go looking for a new home, start with the list of builders from Built Green Colorado™ (www.builtgreen.org). You aren’t likely to go any further.

Built Green Colorado™ is a voluntary, industry-led program administered by the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver in cooperation with the Governor’s Office of Energy Management and Conservation, E-Star Colorado and the Colorado Association of Home Builders. It receives technical and financial support from its many builder and sponsor members and the following Built Green Industry Leaders: Whirlpool Corporation, Rheem Team, Boise Building Solutions, Trex Company, James Hardie Building Products, U.S. Home, and Kurowski Development Co.