GREEN PROFESSIONALS: SHARE IT! the HOMEOWNER’S Clients Need to Know About Sustainable Construction
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WHAT’S NEW IN THE 7TH EDITION? Updated Products Sustainable NEW Our guide features a number of Appliances Efficient new products. Don’t miss new Learn what’s new in energy Windows “smart” devices that improve your efficient appliances, including Check out our side-by-side home’s energy efficiency, condensation clothes dryers comparison of energy efficient insulation to significantly improve your home’s R-value, that save homeowners a ton windows to make the best counter tops made from recycled materials, and more. on energy bills. (p. 48) choice for your home. (p. 40) The Homeowner’s HANDBOOK Remodeling? Building a new home? This comprehensive guide has you covered. Understanding the thousands of choices available 7th when constructing or improving a home is daunting. CONTENTS EDITION Add in efforts to use “green” products, and the task gets even more complex. That’s why we created this Exteriors 18 Handbook—to help you manage your project, by Roofing 22 separating the really important choices from the rest. Structure 26 Here’s the essential information you’ve been looking Insulation 30 for, in one handy annually updated guide. Air Quality 34 Windows 38 Heating & Cooling 42 Lighting 46 Appliances 48 Faucets & Fixtures 52 Finishes 56 Cabinets & Tops 60 Alternative Energy 64 Award-Winning Coverage of Sustainable Construction, Products and Lifestyles The Homeowner’s Handbook 2016 / www.greenbuildermedia.com of the go-to green guide for OUR 7TH EDITION homeowners celebrates solar innovation and new products, and brings you the in-depth information your GREEN PROFESSIONALS: SHARE IT! THE HOMEOWNER’S clients need to know about sustainable construction. HANDBOOK Green building professionals: Feel free to share chapters of The Homeowner’s Handbook with clients, friends and prospective clients. Visit our website for a free download—or to purchase hard copies: www.greenbuildermedia.com/the-homeowners-handbook www.greenbuildermedia.com The Homeowner’s Handbook 2016 GREEN BUILDER 15 15 GB 1016 HH-TOC.indd 15 10/18/16 9:59 AM Ridge Mounted Solar Solar Windows. Hot Water System. Every south-facing window in This system uses heat the home contains an integral from the roof to boost 2 photovoltaic mesh that hot water heating at the generates electricity. ridge. It also clears the The Super Solar House way for roof-mounted PV panels below. Infrared Spectrum Solar Panels. These panels convert the infrared region of the electromagnetic 1 spectrum into electricity. Building-Integrated PVs. Tiles with solar PV circuitry are integrated with traditional roofing materials, creating another seamless source for power generation. 6 3 Graywater Purifier/Solar Still. 7 This system (not yet available) uses 5 UV rays to destroy harmful bacteria in graywater, making it more suitable for reuse. Such systems 9 might tie to devices that extract 4 water from the surrounding air, such as the new Sun to Water device that just hit the market (www.suntowater.com). 10 Solar-Powered Mini 8 Split Heat Pump. Mini split units consist of an outdoor heat exchanger and compressor, as well as Solar Furnace. Solar Pavers. an indoor blower. They Solar Porch Overhangs. Solar energy is Rugged, weight bearing PV use outdoor air to heat Translucent, power-generating collected from panels interlock, and can be EV Solar Battery and Inverter. and cool the home and panels are incorporated PV panels and placed atop existing roads High-capacity batteries and super-efficient are powered by the sun. into roof overhangs. used for heat and walkways. Some models inverters extend the viability of PV panels, throughout the in the works include to charge vehicles and operate household home. snow-melting capabilities. appliances, even during off hours. HH-book.indb 16 10/18/16 9:54 AM 16-17 GB 1016 HH-Intro.indd 17 10/19/16 11:16 AM The Homeowner’s Handbook SEVENTH EDITION Exteriors / Roofing / Structure / Insulation / IAQ / Windows / Heating / Lighting / Appliances / Faucets & Fixtures / Finishes / Cabinets & Tops / Alternative Energy WOOD Glossary of Terms Green to the Core Wood siding is an excellent green choice (not to mention beautiful). Know the Lingo Although people think of wood as a valuable natural resource we shouldn’t use, it is a renewable product that can be recycled, and, ■■ Exterior Insulation Finish System (EIFS): A building product Exteriors01 if it goes into the waste stream, biodegrades quickly. If you use that provides exterior walls with an insulated finished surface Think beyond initial cost. Maintenance matters. wood siding, look for certification by either the Sustainable Forest and waterproofing in an integrated composite material Initiative (SFI) or the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). system. Wood products don’t require a lot of energy to produce—when ■■ Embodied Energy: The energy consumed by all of the compared with brick or fiber cement siding. In fact, although wood processes associated with the production of a building, from When it comes to your home’s makes up nearly half of all raw materials manufactured in the United the acquisition of natural resources to product delivery. exterior, durability, maintenance Why Pay More for Brick? States, its share of energy consumption is a small 4 percent. ■■ Engineered Wood: Cladding made from wood strands In addition to new wood siding, you can buy reclaimed wood, that are coated with a resin binder and compressed to create and fire resistance are just as though more people opt for pre-primed pine or weather-resistant a strong board. Because they last cedar. ■■ Fiber Cement Siding: Cladding made from a mixture of important as aesthetics. almost forever. Portland cement, cellulose or wood fiber material, sand Bricks come in IDING CHOICES ABOUND for today’s homes. Aesthetics and other components. many colors, are important when choosing one option over another, ■■ Lap Siding: Siding that looks like individual boards, typically textures and Virtues Caveats and when you take the environment into account, ■■ Renewable ■■ May not be perfectly straight, 8’–12’ long. Each piece of siding is lapped over the piece other variations. below it to provide a waterproof covering for the house. some choices just look a whole lot better than others. ■■ Recyclable which can cause install problems Approximately 3” ■■ Vulnerable to pests such as According to research from the Freedonia Group ■■ Little energy used ■■ Portland Cement: Found in stucco and fiber cement siding, it thick, brick veneer carpenter ants and termites (www.freedoniagroup.com), fiber cement, stucco and in its “production” requires intense heat (and thus energy) to produce. ■■ (Boral Bricks are ■■ Biodegrades quickly Offers minimal insulative benefits brick siding will see rapid advances through 2017. Demand for fiber S in a landfill (between R-0.7 and R-1.4 per inch) shown) creates an cement is predicted to grow 8.5 percent annually. Vinyl siding will ■■ Requires maintenance armored shell for remain dominant, but will continue to lose its market share. Although and can shrink and expand FIBER CEMENT your home. The ■■ long lasting, it’s a controversial material made with polyvinyl chloride Can be twice as expensive as Tough Stuff durability of engineered wood or fiber cement (PVC), a plastic that until recently has had a poor recycling record. At Fiber cement siding is a low-maintenance product made from sand, brick is one of its least one company (CertainTeed) has now begun to recycle vinyl, and the Portland cement, clay and wood pulp fibers. It’s very strong, long greatest assets. industry is beginning to look more closely at vinyl’s life-cycle impacts. lasting, termite-proof, fire resistant and rot-proof. The product Boral, for example, We haven’t included it here as a “green” option, but we will continue to ENGINEERED WOOD has the look of wood siding, and comes in either a smooth or offers a “two monitor the industry’s efforts to move in that direction. Most Improved wood-look finish. Some manufacturers, including James Hardie lifetimes” warranty. For people who like the look of wood, engineered wood products and Allura, offer fiber cement that has been pre-finished (painted) More info: www.boralamerica.com/Bricks BRICK are a good green option. They are made from wood strands that are in the factory. A Durability Leader coated with a resin binder and compressed to create a strong board. The rub against fiber cement is its high embodied energy, though Made of clay and shale, brick is very durable. It is a solid barrier between the brick and the interior housewrap. This provides The products look like wood. They are free of knots, resist warping manufacturers are moving toward using more recycled content in against weather, and the installation of brick creates a 1” air space insulation against temperature transfer and the transfer of sound, and cupping, and are factory pre-primed to take paint well, which their products. At least one brand contains fly ash. and it also prevents moisture from seeping into the home. Because reduces field and labor time once installed. For extra R-value, fiber cement siding can be installed over foam of its thickness, brick provides thermal mass, making it slow to heat LP SmartSide Trim & Siding, as one example, offers a special insulation board, as on an ICF house, but caution must be taken Virtues Caveats ■■ Recyclable ■■ Resources must be mined in the summer and slow to cool in the winter, which helps regulate manufacturing process that helps protect against termite damage to ensure proper installation. If you decide to go this route, follow ■■ Durable ■■ Not all brick manufacturers have a home’s temperature. and fungal decay. The product also comes with a self-aligning edge manufacturers’ recommendations closely. GB ■■ Resists termites, fire, taken steps to reduce emissions Manufacturers such as Boral Bricks are making brick manufacturing design to make installation faster and easier.