By Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon
Global warming, green building, energy efficient. These buzzwords have people thinking green. And the green-building movement, which has picked up speed over the past 10 years, is at your doorstep in the form of your next remodeling project.
Actually, your first “green” decision was to remodel instead of tear down and rebuild. Remodeling is inherently green in that it preserves what is good about your home while upgrading only specific areas.
People are remodeling greener than ever, but some still have some misconceptions about going green. A lot of clients are concerned about energy-efficient products affecting the aesthetics of the home, or green products being more expensive and difficult to find.
The Utah House in Kaysville shows how a home can use green technology.
But your home doesn’t need to look different than a conventional home just because it’s “green.” Even if you use solar-powered photovoltaics, the new panel designs are sleeker and more attractive than the clunky solar panels of 20 years ago.
It is true some green products cost more than others, but not all. Before you compare price tags, think about what the energy-efficient product will save in the future. It makes sense to go with a more-expensive, high-quality product if it will pay for itself over time in energy savings.
Overall, green products are becoming increasingly affordable as major manufacturers develop new lines to meet the green-building demand. You can find Energy Star-rated products from major manufacturers. Energy Star is a government-backed program that helps people protect the environment by using superior energy-efficient products and building techniques. Energy Star-rated products meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy.
According to www.energystar.gov, 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.”
But green building is more than energy-efficient products. If you want your remodel to be as energy efficient as possible, you need to look at the whole room and eventually use a whole-house approach.
Here is a list of simple things you can do to make your remodeling project greener:
Install maximum insulation
Install high-efficiency windows
Seal all exterior penetrations in the area being remodeled
Purchase only Energy Star-rated appliances
Install low-flow water fixtures
Upgrade to an Energy Star-rated water heater, or better yet, a tankless water heater
Purchase the highest-efficiency heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system you can afford
No matter if you choose to include just a few energy-efficient appliances or to go with the completely green renovation, every little green effort helps. Just think, you could change the world — one room at a time. As always, we welcome your home architect design questions at
as*@re*******************.com
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