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Did you know that your new home, apartment, condominium or townhouse is packed
with energy and environmental features? The “green building” movement taking place in the housing industry represents a kind of quiet
revolution, but one that none the less is bringing decades of environmentally
friendly construction techniques and materials to new home construction.
Green building, the buzz word for eco-friendly residential construction, can
take many forms. It can include land use, development and community design
techniques that preserve natural features such as trees, wetlands and open
space. It can mean water conservation as well as energy efficiency in heating
and cooling systems, appliances and lighting. Common building materials such as lumber used
in the home construction industry are greener now as well, since many of those
materials have been recycled. Chances are the home you recently bought was
built using a number of energy and environmental advances or
environmentally-friendly materials, including:
•longer-lasting roofs made of durable steel and fiber-cement coverings;
•wood products known as Oriented Strand Board that use smaller trees and parts of
the tree not previously used—these products have replaced plywood for roof sheathing;
•windows with insulating glass that keep homes more comfortable and
energy-efficient;
•vinyl siding that has reduced the need for cedar, redwood and other wood
products for exterior walls;
•increased insulation levels in walls and attics that make homes less drafty and
lower energy bills;
•passive solar design that captures the sun’s rays and gives homeowners “free” heat;
•tree preservation around residences that provides shade, reduces energy costs by
cooling the home and creates residential communities of lasting value;
•the planting of native plants that require little or no watering by home-owners
and reduce water bills for homeowners in dryer climates.
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These are just some of the advances discussed in a new six-page publication
entitled “Building Greener, Building Better: The Quiet Revolution,” that the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the NAHB Research
Center recently published. Featuring a four-color cutaway drawing of a typical
new residence, the publication provides details on just how far the housing
industry has come in providing greener housing choices to the American
home-buying public. In fact, many new homes feature:
•appliances such as washing machines that use 45 percent less energy and
dishwashers that use 40 percent less energy than models manufactured in 1972;
•plastic lumber in decks that has helped reduce the use of redwood in decks to
6.3 percent in 1999, and;
•greater overall energy efficiency. Homes built today are 100 percent more energy
efficient than homes built in the 1970s. Builders and manufacturers routinely
provide consumers with insulated doors and windows as well. In fact, the use of
insulated glass windows jumped from nearly 68 percent in 1978 to 87 percent in
1999.
A Better Environment Around Your Neighborhood and in Your Community
Homeowners can also enjoy walking near more wetlands these days, because
builders are restoring these areas that protect water and act as wildlife
refuges for rare and endangered species.
Building greener neighborhoods also means working to remove regulations that
make building beautiful difficult. Builders are breaking down regulatory
barriers so they can create more tree-laden bike paths, put in water-purifying
ponds and lakes, and ensure that pedestrian-friendly communities come with
ample open space.
Builders Care About the Environment
With the help and cooperation of local government officials, further green
building can be a staple of new homes, townhouses, apartments and condominiums.
For more information about energy and environmental features in your new
residence, contact the GHBA at 281-970-8970 to obtain a copy of the NAHB
publication “Building Greener, Building Better: The Quiet Revolution.”l
By Joe Flynn, CGB, CMB, CSP, CAPS, CGP
Cambridge Estate Homes
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