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Unlike active solar heating systems, passive solar building design doesn't involve the use of mechanical and electrical devices — such as pumps, fans, or electrical controls — to circulate the solar heat. Buildings designed for passive solar incorporate large south-facing windows and construction materials that absorb and slowly release the sun's heat. The longest walls run from east to west. In most climates, passive solar designs also must block intense summer solar heat. They typically incorporate natural ventilation and roof overhangs to block the sun's strongest rays during that season. "Daylighting" takes advantage of natural sunlight, through well-placed windows and specialized floor plans, to brighten up a building's interior. Passive solar design can be used in most parts of the world. If designed by an experienced passive solar architect, buildings using passive solar design principles don't have to cost more up front than conventionally designed buildings. And when they do, the savings in energy bills quickly pay for themselves. http://www.eere.energy.gov/de/passive_solar_design.html
Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. Visit www.biodiesel.org to read more about how biodiesel is made, how it's different from raw vegetable oil, why people use it and where you can get it.
The NAHB website offers tools for people to get started in green building. Their website features the following information:
Builders & Remodelers - Use these resources to aid in the design of green homes. Evaluate your projects, get advice, get certified!
Homebuyers - Understand what green home building includes, and work with your building professionals to design a green home.
They also offer an interactive project scoring system where you can enter your project details and see how it would rate according to these guidelines.
The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute states that VOC content is the amount (by weight) of VOCs that are in the formulation of paint, while VOC emissions are the amount of VOCs released into the air following the application of paint. The difference between the two is important because VOC content does not determine what is released into the air of buildings with painted surfaces. VOC content has traditionally been used to meet outdoor air regulations that limit the release of certain VOCs contributing to outdoor smog formation. This approach served as a surrogate for estimating indoor emissions for many years. However, data shows that even paint with "low or zero" VOC content may still emit levels of VOCs found to be irritating and unacceptable to people indoors. Technologies are now available for measuring low level paint emissions and predicting their impact on the indoor air that building occupants breathe. http://www.greenguard.org/Default.aspx?tabid=43&ItemId=461
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
Speaking before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Peter Templeton, Vice President of Education and Research for USGBC, stressed the fact that buildings are an often overlooked solution to reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The building sector is the single largest source of carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions, accounting for 39% of such emissions in the U.S. Read the entire press release at http://www.usgbc.org/News/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?ID=3149
Definition of Carbon Neutral: counteracting the releaseof carbon dioxide, relating to the maintenance of a balance between producing and using carbon, especially balancing carbon-dioxide emissions by activities such as growing plants to use as fuel or planting trees in urban areas to offset vehicle emissions (source: MSN Encarta)
When an individual or an organization sets out to reduce their carbon footprint or become carbon neutral it is usually achieved by combining the following three steps:
Limiting energy usage and emissions
From transportation (walking, using bicycles or public transport, avoiding flying, using low-energy vehicles).
From buildings, equipment, animals and processes.
Obtaining electricity and other energy from a renewable energy source, either directly by generating it (installing solar panels on the roof for example) or by selecting an approved green energy provider, and by using low-carbon alternative fuels such as sustainable biofuels.
Offsetting the remaining emissions that cannot for the moment be avoided or generated from renewables in a responsible carbon project, or by buying carbon credits.
"I want to build a house using sustainable materials,alternative fuel sources, or passive solar design - but I don't even know whereto start!"
If you're hearing this from your customers, send them to www.hammondlumber.com/green. They will find a link to the USGBC's website which has pictures & articles about green building. They'll also find examples of LEED certified homes built around the US,including a couple in Maine. Here's the first paragraph from the part of the site called Green Homes 101:
Making your home a greener place is a commitment – to yourself, your family, your community and the world. But more than that, it isa learning process. As exciting new technologies, products and scientific breakthroughs constantly emerge, staying educated on the hows – as well as the whys – of maintaining a green home is the best way to ensure your efforts areas effective and beneficial as possible. http://www.greenhomeguide.org/what_makes_a_green_home/green_homes_101.html
Getting Started: What You Need to Build a LEED Home LEED for Homes is a voluntary rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes, including affordable housing,mass-production homes, custom designs, stand-alone single-family homes,duplexes and townhouses, suburban and urban apartments and condominiums and lofts in historic buildings. http://www.greenhomeguide.org/green_home_programs/LEED_for_homes.html
Getting Started: What You Need to Remodel Green The American Society of Interior Designers' Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council have partnered on the development of best practice guidelines and targeted educational resources for sustainable residential improvement projects. The website offers a green product checklist, public comment results, FAQs about REGREEN, and case studies. http://www.greenhomeguide.org/guide_for_green_renovation/index.html
New exterior doors often fit and insulate better than older types. If you have older doors in your home, replacing them might be a good investment, resulting in lower heating and cooling costs. If you're building a new home, you should consider buying the most energy-efficient doors possible. More information is available here: http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/windows_doors_skylights/index.cfm/mytopic=13620
Glass or "patio" doors, especially sliding glass doors, lose heat much faster than other types of doors because glass is a very poor insulator. Doors with a thermal break, several layers of glass, low-emissivity coatings, and/or low-conductivity gases between the glass panes are a good investment, especially in extreme climates. When buying or replacing patio doors, keep in mind that swinging doors offer a much tighter seal than sliding types. http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/windows_doors_skylights/index.cfm/mytopic=13620
Windows, doors, skylights can gain and lose heat in the following ways:
Direct conduction through the glass or glazing, frame, and/or door
The radiation of heat into a house (typically from the sun) and out of a house from room-temperature objects, such as people, furniture, and interior walls
Air leakage through and around them.
These properties can be measured and rated according to the following energy performance characteristics: U-factor, Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), and Air leakage
MaineHousing programs offer help for energy improvements such as new insulation. Their Weatherization Program and Central Heating Improvement Program (CHIP) provide grants to low-income homeowners and renters to improve home energy efficiency and perform energy-related repairs. The Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) provides very low interest rate loans to low- and moderate-income homeowners to finance improvements to make their homes more energy efficient. Income eligible homeowners may borrow up to $30,000 at 3.95% interest.
Help your customers learn how to save $$$ on their heating bills: Use this equation to estimate the cost effectiveness of adding insulation in terms of the "years to payback" for savings in heating costs. Years to payback is the time required for the insulation to save enough fuel from heating (at present prices) to pay for itself. A simple payback is the initial investment divided by annual savings after taxes. http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11360
The Home Energy Saver helps consumers identify the best ways to save energy in their homes, and find the resources to make the savings happen. The Home Energy Saver was the first Internet-based tool for calculating energy use in residential buildings. The project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as part of the national ENERGY STAR Program for improving energy efficiency in homes. http://hes.lbl.gov/
FSC : Forest Stewardship Council. FSC's mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. Hammond Lumber Company received our Chain of Custody certification in 2007, allowing us to supply commercial or residential projects that require certification. www.fsc.org
LEED : Leadership in Energy and Environment Design. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) works to advance buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Their LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification system is a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. www.usgbc.org
Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturer's Association Environment Stewardship Program . This program grants certification to those manufacturers who promote the sustainability of natural resources, reduce waste, and go above and beyond in their efforts to reduce environmental impacts. Omega, Merillat, Bertch, Schrock, Yorktowne, and Aristokraft are all certified. www.kcma.org
ENERGY STAR qualified products and practices help you save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE. The ENERGY STAR label also designates superior energy performance in homes and buildings . www.energystar.gov
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