All Entries in the "Green Design" Category
Green Construction rapidly increasing
Manufacturers are making it easier than ever to find environmentally friendly products to construct buildings with. But are owners and builders responding? The overwhelming answer is “yes”.
In 2005 green building accounted for only 2% of the construction market. Now, based on current statistics and purchasing trends green building is set to represent 25% of all construction by 2013, and 20% of all new residential construction. Currently green building is a $93 billion industry. By 2013, according to McGraw Hill, the green building sector will be at $140 billion.
Implementation of LEED building standards has been a huge motivational force for the construction industry, as many building owners and operators expect their facilities to be certified. Large corporations want buildings that correlate with the environmental responsibility aspects of their companies. As for the typical American residence, building trends are starting to change. In June of this year LEED for Homes was introduced, for the first time providing a set of guidelines geared toward residential construction. The Energy Star certification for house plans and completed residences represents another credential that builders want to make sure their homes comply with. The labels are nice, but what this really means to consumers is that repsonsible, environmentally friendly, energy-efficient buildings are becoming a reality. That’s good news for everyone.
Vampire Energy. It’s sucking power out of your walls.
By now it seems that everyone has heard of Vampire Energy. Sounds a little scary, but it’s really very simple. All of the electronics and appliances in your home or office are using electricity all the time. It doesn’t matter if youare watching the big flat-screen or not. So what can we do about it? If you’re like most people you are cautious about turning off lights when you leave the room and turning off televisions when no-one is watching. But do you really need to unplug them? Cornell researchers say that the average house loses around $200 per year to energy that is used by idle electronics. I’m sure some of us lose a lot more money than that. One solution is to plug devices into a power strip which is then turned off by the switch on the strip. For computers and peripherals there are a couple of companies that are making power strip devices that automatically sense when your computer is on standby. Once your computer powers down it signals the device which then turns off all the other peripherals that are plugged into it.
When designing a home from the ground up there is a much easier solution. Make sure that all your outlets in each room have at least one outlet that is connected to a wall switch. We’ve been doing this for many years in the homes we design. Not only will you be able to eliminate the wasted energy from electronics, lamps, etc., you will also simplify turning things on in the morning or off in the evening. I walk into my family room, flip a single switch, and all the lamps, television and electronics go off. Another easy way to save on your electric bill is to install motion sensors on all incidental use rooms in your house. Walk-in closets, hallways, pantries, etc. All of the rooms that you go into less frequently should have motion sensor switches. These devices are inexpensive and easy to install and you can set the delay timer that is built in to the switch based on how long you want the light to stay on.
Unique Modern Homes
If only this was my house. This is the NISHIKIhouse, one of the new homes introduced by SUSTAIN house in their Modern Forest Series line. The company is making headlines all over for their unique, small footprint homes that also happen to be energy efficient and green. What’s not to love. The WILLOWhouse design (see photo below) entry path leads in over a reflecting pool — and yes, that is a waterfall coming out from the projection that shades the window. Too many innovations to name. SUSTAIN house is the new residential division of Barrett Design, and the brainchild of internationally acclaimed architect Johnna Barrett. Rumor has it the new Mineral Series is being introduced before the end of the year. Stay tuned.
Follow up note: We just visited the new blogsite of SUSTAINhouse. http://www.sustainhouseplans.com Very user friendly and there are some interesting excerpts about green building.
Do apartment renters want green?
Excerpted from an article by Johnathan Bartlett & Shyam Kannan, RCLCO
An overwhelming majority of renters are concerned about the environment, and almost half are willing to spend money to protect it. Things like recycling are important to most people, but we can segment environmental benefits into two specific categories: those that impact health and/or pocketbooks (“me green”) and broader picture issues (“we green”).
