As a member of the Dallas Green Building Alliance I feel it is necessary to let consumers know what green building programs are in our area.  Green Built Texas has been a valuable resource to the green community for some time now.  All members of the Dallas Green Building Alliance are members of Green Built Texas.

What is Green Built Texas?

Green Built Texas is a voluntary partnership of local home builders, industry supporters, and sponsors committed to creating awareness and interest in the construction of higher-performance, lower-impact residential homes in Texas. The program has a construction protocol that Home Builder Association (HBA) members have deemed essential in order for a home to be recognized by the program. Homes built to this protocol conform to higher standards of site management and waste recycling, water efficiency, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, materials, and homeowner education.

Membership in Green Built Texas is open to both Builder and Associate members of the Home Builders Associations in the State of Texas. Through special events and media outreach, the HBA endeavors to make homebuyers more aware of its green building program and its participants. Green Built Texas also provides educational seminars and is affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Green Building Program as its certification processes offer an alternative method to Green Built Texas recognition. A similar agreement with the U.S. Green Building Council enables homes built to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes (LEED-H) protocol to enjoy the same benefit.

GBT is better able to serve its members thanks to the resources offered by these national programs. Meanwhile, the national programs benefit from a vibrant state and local initiative serving as a conduit for certification.

The HBA’s goal is to establish a green building program that is recognized by municipalities and consumers throughout the state. Green Built Texas has also established a program for low and mid-rise multifamily construction and will soon create higher levels of green building achievement that will allow builders to advance their building product to meet both consumer desires and their own business plans.

www.greenbuilttexas.com

Benefits of a Green Built Texas Home-click on this link to view benefits

http://www.greenbuiltnorthtexas.com/benhome.htm

Construction Protocol- Click on this link to view protocol:

http://www.greenbuiltnorthtexas.com/documents/GBNT_ProtocolVersion2_official.pdf

Or is it? There is a lot in the news lately about whether this whole Green Movement is based on a hoax or not.  My take on that as far as Green Building goes is, “What does it matter?”  Sustainable development makes sense all the time, not just because it’s a fad or that its popularity has resulted from government policies and concern about Climate Change.

Building more energy efficient housing saves consumers money through lower utility bills and extends existing energy supplies.  Using re-manufactured products or products from forests with sustainable replenishment policies also extends the life of valuable resources.

Reducing product waste helps extend the life of existing landfills in population centers with growing communities.

So building Green saves money, is smart and contrary to what Kermit says, “It is easy being Green”

Blog Written by:Wesley Scott
wes@archwaysandceilings.com
www.archwaysandceilings.com

Last month the DGBA had an opportunity to view the future standard of building performance at the TimberCreek Zero Energy House in Lewisville.  As part of the Department of Energy’s Building America Program, public tours were given to inspire change in residential building practices.  This open house has attracted 1,000′s of industry professionals and homeowners to see a surprisingly well sized and inviting home with a net zero energy performance.

What is a net zero energy home? When the annual output of energy generated on-site equals or exceeds the energy consumption from utilities, you have a net zero energy building or ZEB.  The home built by GreenCraft Builders and designed by William Peck & Assoc consumes 50-70% less energy than conventional homes.  Perhaps the total building system is out of reach for many but it was filled with practices that are easily adaptable and economical.  Advanced framing, air conditioned attics, passive solar systems, and renewable energy systems are among these emerging conventions in home construction.

It may be hard to measure the value of these advanced features but the peace of mind it provides the owner is beyond measure.  With predictable utility bills, a superior building envelope, and lower life cycle costs; they know that they will reap the benefits of their forward thinking.  What is never left unsaid at any green building forum is–what we call green building today will simply be called building in the future.  And after a day of training on the latest in residential building science, we would be fools to go on building the same way.  Builders are not the only source for advancing building construction.  Many homeowners are responsible for introducing new products to their builders via the growing resources online.  Hopefully, we too have provided a better framework for awareness of green building technologies.

There are many other topics covered at the  Project Zero seminar worthy of future discussion.  Look for my post on December 18th regarding the totally revamped 2011 Energy Star program presented by their National Director, Sam Rashkin.

Cutting back unnecessary energy use is an easy way to keep your hard earned money in your pocket. Here are some suggestions you can do at home, at absolutely no cost to you.

Let the sunshine in. Open drapes and let the sun heat your home for free (get them closed again at sundown so they help insulate).

Rearrange your rooms. Move your furniture around so you are sitting near interior walls – exterior walls and older windows are likely to be drafty. Don't sit in the draft.

Keep it shut. Traditional fireplaces are an energy loser – it's best not to use them because they pull heated air out of the house and up the chimney. When not in use, make absolutely sure the damper is closed. Before closing the damper, make sure that you don't have any smoldering embers. If you decide not to use a fireplace, then block off the chimney with a piece of rigid insulation from the hardware store that fits snugly into the space (dampers don't shut fully without some leaking).

Eliminate wasted energy. Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms. Unplug that spare refrigerator in the garage if you don't truly need it – this seemingly convenient way to keep extra drinks cold adds 10-25 percent to your electric bill. Turn off kitchen and bath-ventilating fans after they've done their job – these fans can blow out a house-full of heated air if inadvertently left on. Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning to prevent up to 8 percent of your furnace-heated air from going up the chimney.

Shorten showers. Simply reducing that lingering time by a few minutes can save hundreds of gallons of hot water per month for a family of four. Showers account for 2/3 of your water heating costs. Cutting your showers in half will reduce your water heating costs by 33 percent.

Use appliances efficiently. Do only full loads when using your dishwasher and clothes washer. Use the cold water setting on your clothes washer when you can. Using cold water reduces your washer's energy use by 75 percent. Be sure to clean your clothes dryer's lint trap after each use. Use the moisture-sensing automatic drying setting on your dryer if you have one.

Put your computer and monitor to sleep. Most computers come with the power management features turned off. On computers using Windows, open your power management software and set it so your computer goes to sleep if you're away from your machine for 5 to 15 minutes. Those who use Macintosh computers look for the setting in your Control Panels called "Energy Saver" and set it accordingly. When you're done using your computer, turn it off (see next tip). Do not leave it in sleep mode overnight as it is still drawing a small amount of power.

Plug "leaking energy" in electronics. Many new TVs, VCRs, chargers, computer peripherals and other electronics use electricity even when they are switched "off." Although these "standby losses" are only a few watts each, they add up to more than 50 watts in a typical home that is consumed all the time. If possible, unplug electronic devices and chargers that have a block-shaped transformer on the plug when they are not in use. For computer scanners, printers and other devices that are plugged into a power strip, simply switch off the power strip after shutting down your computer. The best way to minimize these losses of electricity is to purchase ENERGY STAR® products.
 

Structural Insulated Sheathing(SIS),Developed by Dow to help make building energy efficient homes easier for builders, STYROFOAM SIS™ is a 3-in-1 solution that provides R3-R5.5 insulating value, meets or exceeds structural codes, and is one-third the weight of OSB*. Because OSB and housewrap are not needed, STYROFOAM SIS™ reduces the number of trips around the house and saves on installation time and labor costs. The innovative STYROFOAM SIS™ Brand Structural Insulated Sheathing from Dow combines three functions in one product:

1.     Structural lateral bracing and transverse loads

2.     Significant insulation performance

3.     Water-resistive barrier

In addition to providing the racking shear needed for exterior walls, STYROFOAM SIS™ blankets both the wall cavities and the studs to shield against thermal bridging which minimizes heating and cooling loss due to air infiltration. STYROFOAM SIS™ also helps move the dew point from inside the wall cavity (where mold and mildew can accumulate and go undetected) to outside of the wall cavity where it belongs, and, when taped at the seams and joints, STYROFOAM SIS™ meets code for water-resistive barrier.

Builders are incorporating STYROFOAM SIS™ into "green" package options for their customers as a point of differentiation.  Made of up to 80 percent post-consumer recycled content by weight, STYROFOAM SIS™ is also ENERGY STAR-qualified and can save homeowners between $200- $500 per year*** in energy bills. The reduction in home energy usage helps reduce carbon emissions and may enable the use of a smaller HVAC unit, which could earn credits in the USGBC’s LEED program or NAHB’s National Green Building program. 

The thermal performance advantages of STYROFOAM SIS™ can also help builders earn the $2,000 U.S. Energy Tax Credit for energy efficient homes built in 2009. STYROFOAM SIS™ provides a high R-value (R-3.0 at 0.5" or R-5.5 at 1.0") without having to extend window and door jambs, and is cost-competitive with wood sheathing and house wrap in many instances, so builders can promote the benefits of insulation with little to no added expense.

STYROFOAM SIS™ Brand Structural Insulated Sheathing has won an MVP Award for "Most Valuable Product 2009" from Building Products  magazine, a Hanley Wood publication. STYROFOAM SIS™ was selected as a winner of this coveted award by a panel of judges comprised of builders, remodelers, architects and developers who evaluated product submissions based on their ability to reduce installation time, callbacks, or labor costs, and other factors that bring "value" to building professionals.

Click the link below to calculate energy savings for your home:http://building.dow.com/na/en/tools/calculators/usres_disclaimer_new.htm

 For all the information on this product go to: www.dowsis.com

This house has an ENERGY STAR ^® rated cool roof system in Dallas, Texas. The reflectivity property of the ‘cool metal roof’ allows this home to reduce its energy costs in the summer months. The roof was built so it sloped in one direction and can be used to collect rain water once a water harvesting device has been installed. The collected water can then be used to water the home-owner’s landscape, while conserving water and saving on utilities.

Photo credit: sunshinecity

Take advantage of the tax credit available for purchasing a qualified energy-efficient exterior door or window by  December 31, 2010.  In short, the door must meet a U Factor and SHGC rating of 0.30.  Congress raised the per-item credit to 30 percent of the cost up to $1,500.  They also extended the deadline for making the improvements through the end of 2010.  If you have already purchased a qualified efficient door or window you are not left out.  The act is retroactive to Jan. 1, so if you installed a product meeting the previous criteria it qualifies for the larger credit. 

Seventy percent of the GHG emissions related to single-family envelope energy consumption can be attributed to homes built before California had an energy code (1983).  The statewide carbon impact of retrofitting these homes with upgraded energy features was explored.  Spending $10,000 retrofitting a 1960s home could save 8.5 tons of carbon at a cost of between $588-$1,176 per ton (…)  Increasing the energy efficiency of a new home by 35% would cost about $5,000 and would reduce emissions by 1.1 tons at a cost of $4,545 per ton. Retrofitting existing homes with energy-efficient features is four- to eight times more carbon- and cost-efficient than adding even more energy efficiency requirements to new housing.

 Not all ENERGY STAR rated doors qualify, contact BMC West for assistance.  Visit energystar.gov for credits in solar-energy panels, water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, small wind-energy systems and fuel cells as well.