HOME WORK: THEY'VE GO TO BE GREEN
Other Columnists
You want a new home or a new addition. You want it to be
"green," or environmentally friendly, and energy efficient, too.
To preserve trees, you'll walk on interior floors of bamboo instead of more
traditional oak.
To escape the spiraling prices of natural gas and heating oil, you'll warm
and cool with a geothermal heat pump.
To power that heat pump, and most of the other major appliances, you'll
install a photovoltaic solar roof that generates household electricity.
Good luck. You'll find dozens of contractors and installers familiar with
more traditional materials and systems but who are, well, green when it comes
to building green.
And just how green is green? Is a home that uses formaldehyde-free
insulation greener than a home with spray-on, expandable foam insulation?
While it's true many new-home builders and contractors are leaning green,
consumers often discover that old ways die hard.
That's why the burden for going green is on the consumer, says Setauket
architect Peter Caradonna, president of the Long Island chapter of the U.S.
Green Building Council. "Homeowners have to be more educated, because in many
cases, it's a better way to build and live," Caradonna says. "The benefits are
long-term. It's healthier, cleaner, and we leave a better world behind for our
children."
So, just what is green building? Also called sustainable building, it
results in structures that are designed, built, renovated or operated in an
ecological and resource-efficient manner.
Green buildings protect the health of people who live and work there, use
water, energy and other resources - like lumber - more efficiently, and reduce
the overall impact on the environment. The downside is that building green has
increased up-front costs. But with growing concerns about global warming, toxic
emissions and the volatile cost of fossil fuels - have you seen the ads for Al
Gore's new film "An Inconvenient Truth" yet? - more homeowners are expected to
think green.
Consumers can rely on several organizations that monitor eco-friendly
techniques and materials, including the U.S. Green Building Council, a
coalition of leaders from the construction industry. The council sponsors
something known as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a
rating system that helps builders and consumers reach various levels of green.
LEED also provides a "project checklist" covering eight different categories,
including indoor environmental quality, water efficiency and materials. Points
are awarded for meeting or exceeding certain requirements, and four levels of
green certification can be achieved: platinum, gold, silver and certified.
Locally, Caradonna is among the green leaders, pushing initiatives to
clients for more than a decade. He prefers buildings framed with structured
insulated panels (SIPS), made from recycled wood, instead of wooden studs. He
prefers fiber cement siding to vinyl, which can release hazardous by-products
during manufacturing and disposal.
Nationally, green slowly is winning over more builders. Green construction
methods conserve materials, and that translates into lower building costs. A
recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders and McGraw Hill
Construction reveals that since last year, there has been a 20 percent increase
in builders dedicated to green issues. The climb is expected to continue to 64
percent by 2007, according to the survey, with builders either heavily or
moderately involved in green projects.
For homeowners like David and Dee Hensen of Miller Place and Dr. Fred and
Nicole Gutman of Stony Brook, that's promising news.
David Hensen, 49, a veterinarian, started coloring his farm-style Colonial
a darker shade of green in 2002, when he installed an 8.64 kilowatt
photovoltaic solar system, which produces his household electricity. This past
winter, he spent about $70,000 - before rebates and incentives - to install a
geothermal pump that heats and cools his home.
"I was spending about $9,000 annually for heating and cooling," says
Hensen, who admits he initially pursued energy-efficient programs to save
money, "and I know that oil and natural gas prices are going to continue to
rise. I plan on staying here for a long time, so I figured the investment is
worth it."
Payback on the geothermal system, which uses the constant temperature of
the earth to furnish heat and dehumidification, should be less than 10 years.
After that, the Hensens will be getting free electricity and heat. Their
geothermal pump, which is powered by the solar PV system, circulates a liquid
through underground pipes or tubing. Depending on the temperature of the
outdoor air, the liquid absorbs heat from, or relinquishes heat to, the
surrounding soil. As heat is exchanged, a blower distributes warm air during
winter months and cool, dry air during summer months.
The Gutmans also recently added an energy-efficient heating system while
renovating the second level of their four-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot Colonial
last year. Amid concerns about their 7-year-old daughter Sarah's asthma, they
ripped out yards of carpeting and installed radiant-floor heat under a layer of
eco-friendly, honey-colored bamboo flooring.
"We were worried about indoor air quality, and we also wanted to move our
laundry room from the first-floor mud room to the second floor," says Dr. Fred
Gutman, 49, a neurosurgeon at Stony Brook University Hospital.
In addition to radiant heat, a remodeled master bathroom and a
high-efficiency air conditioning unit, the $130,000 renovation featured a
ventilation system with electrostatic air filtration and a humidifier. The
result is a cleaner, healthier home, which meets green standards.
"We're very satisfied with everything about the project, except for the
bamboo," says Nicole Gutman, 37, an educational liaison for Stony Brook
University Hospital who helps children with cancer return to school. "The
flooring just is not durable. It scratches and gouges too easily. But the
radiant floor heat is warm and comfortable, a very even heat."
The bamboo cost $6,000; the installation, $3,000.
On cold winter mornings, when Sarah and sister Rachel, 10, have to get out
of bed, they often curl up in blankets in warm corners on the floor.
The Gutmans are planning to renovate their first floor some time soon. They
plan on going green again, with more radiant heat and a high-
efficiency oil-fired boiler. "I'd do geothermal, but I don't have enough
property," Fred Gutman says.
Caradonna figures as more families like the Hensens and Gutmans make
remodeling decisions based on energy efficiency and health issues, their
stories will spread the green influence.
"We are seeing more and more people ask about building green, but there
still is a long way to go," Caradonna says. "The average person who shops for a
new home always seems to ask, 'What are the taxes?'
"When they start asking, 'What are the energy costs of this house?' then
things will start to change."
GREEN TERMINOLOGY
What is a "green" home?
A green home exceeds the minimum requirements of the national building code
and takes steps to address conservation and efficiency of energy, water,
materials and land.
Are there benefits to building green?
Yes. A green home can feature environmentally friendly materials, which can
address health and safety issues, and more efficient energy systems, which can
reduce operating costs.
Can one home be "greener" than another?
Sure. "Shades of green" is a term often used to define various levels of
achievement. Homes with a few green features are called light green. Homes
rich in eco-friendly materials or energy-efficient systems often are called
dark green. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green
Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for
developing sustainable buildings. LEED for Homes has four levels of green:
platinum, gold, silver and certified.
How can a home-buyer recognize a green building?
LEED for Homes is a national rating system that can help consumers identify
green features. All LEED homes are third-party inspected, performance-tested
and certified to perform higher in specific areas than conventional homes.
What's the difference between the LEED rating system and other green home
building programs?
There are more than 50 local or regional green-building programs. A list is
on the LEED for Homes Web site, www.usgbc.org/leed/homes. Each program has
its own specifications and requirements. LEED is designed to provide national
consistency in defining features and to allow builders across the country to
obtain a "green" rating.
SOURCE: U.S. Green Building Council
WHERE TO LOOK FOR HELP
Where to get information on green building techniques, materials and
incentives:
U.S. Green Building Council, www.usgbc.org
EPA's Green Building Workgroup, www.epa.gov/green building
National Association of Home Builders, www.nahb.org. (Typing "green" in the
site search engine
generates a list of articles. )
Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) www.dsireusa.org
GreenProgress.Com, www.greenprogress .com
New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority, Green Building Services, www.nyserda .org/
programs/green
_buildings
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy
Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, www.eere.energy.gov
New York State Green Building
Initiative, www.dec.state.ny.us/ website/ppu/grn bldg/index.html
- GARY DYMSKI
WRITE TO: Gary Dymski, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250 or e-mail
Gary.Dymski@newsday.com
