Green Building 101: Builders’ first steps for going green
What makes a home green? Are recycled materials enough? How about locating the home on reclaimed land? Or, what if the homeowners have energy bills ...
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Great Ball of Fire: Passive solar design brings light, comfort, and efficiency to homes
For a more energy-efficient, comfortable home, consider simply using the sun. You can manipulate sunlight to provide ample lighting, heating, and shading to minimize a ...
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Educating Homebuyers on Green Building
The demand for "green" or sustainable building is beginning to increase. And it’s no wonder—green building />saves energy and resources, reduces environmental impact, and ...
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Consumer Opinions about Green Building
Let’s face it: the landscape is greener than ever. It’s hard to turn on a TV or pick up a newspaper without seeing a reference ...
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HVAC Systems: Engineering for Efficiency: Three guidelines to help reach optimum HVAC performance
On average, heating and cooling account for half of a home’s energy usage. Because heating and cooling are such a large percentage, it’s important to ...
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Homebuilding Companies Find Success with Green Building: Imagine Homes, Insight Homes, and KB Home provide models for the industry
Green building is quickly becoming standard practice. More and more homebuilders are taking steps to meet consumer demand for green homes by implementing building techniques ...
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HVAC Optimization Strategies
When buying a new home, homeowners assume that the HVAC system will keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. In an ...
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The Green Potential of PEX Plumbing Systems
Cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) is a type of plastic composed of individual molecules that have been permanently linked together, creating a very durable and safe material ...
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How Fireplaces Fare in the Green Building Trend: Some fireplaces offer energy efficiency, good indoor air quality
Fireplaces have always been a popular feature in homes. They naturally add to the aesthetics and comfort of any room. Nowadays, certain types of fireplaces ...
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Keeping Up with New Energy Codes
U.S. homes are being built to higher standards of energy efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is working to improve the energy efficiency of ...
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Greensburg, Kansas: A Model for Energy-Efficient, Durable Design: Town ravaged by a tornado is rebuilding to be America’s greenest
On May 4, 2007, an EF5 tornado plowed through Greensburg, Kansas, leaving 95% of the city in ruins and most of the town’s residents homeless. ...
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Green Products Spotlight: Products recognized for energy efficiency, durability, indoor air quality, and water efficiency
When many people hear the words “green building,” what springs to mind are green products and materials. They’re the most visible signs of a green ...
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I-Joists are a Stronger, Greener Alternative to Dimensional Lumber
Residential construction is the single largest market for solid wood products in the U.S. While that may not be surprising, it’s interesting to note that ...
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Unvented Attics Increase Energy Efficiency and Comfort
In many homes, attic spaces are constructed with a roof ventilation system that includes soffit vents, baffles, and ridge vents. Under the appropriate conditions, ventilating ...
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High-performance Light Bulbs Save Energy
Although rising utility bills have cast a gloom over homeowners, builders can brighten lives one light bulb at a time with compact fluorescents. According to ...
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Increasing Energy Efficiency in Attics: Using blown-in insulation
The Department of Energy estimates that up to 45% of a home's energy loss can occur through the attic if the insulation is missing or ...
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Jobsite Recycling Programs: Reducing construction waste and disposal fees
Jobsite recycling is becoming an increasingly important issue for the construction industry. Builders generate nearly a quarter of the waste that ends up in landfills ...
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5 Easy Ways to Build Greener
If you’re new to green building, you might not be convinced you can make the transition without encountering some significant costs or road blocks along ...
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Energy-Free Roof Ventilation: Preventing mold through continuous air flow
Normal household activities, such as doing laundry, running dishwashers, and taking showers, generate warm, moist air. This air rises from the living space into the ...
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Air Sealing and Moisture Control: Creating a comfortable living environment
An important requirement for a high-performance home is the ability to effectively control the indoor environment. Keeping conditioned air inside and external air outside keeps ...
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The Lay of the Land: 4 important site considerations for green building
Homebuilding transforms the land extensively. During development, the land is cleared of trees and ground cover, affecting water, wildlife, and drainage patterns. To build a ...
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Getting Wise on Wood: Wood-efficient building practices
Wood is used at every stage of construction, from framing to interior finishes. The National Resources Defense Council estimates that 20 percent of the wood ...
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The Green Communities™ Program: Energy-efficient affordable housing
Green Communities is a 5-year, $555 million initiative to create more than 8,500 homes that deliver health, economic, and environmental benefits to low-income families and ...
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The Green Building Initiative™
The Green Building Initiative’s (GBI) mission is to accelerate the adoption of practical, credible building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthy, and environmentally sustainable homes ...
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Green Building Programs: Guidance and incentives for going green
As green building has gained popularity in the last two decades, professional and environmental groups, homebuilder associations, industry leaders, and federal, state, and local government ...
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Hot Water on Demand: Circulation system adds warmth to cold water, reduces waste
Each year, thousands of gallons of wasted water go down the drain in American homes, and with them, thousands of dollars for homeowners, utility companies, ...
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Locking in Energy Savings with Insulated Concrete Forms
Homebuyers in today's business climate expect homes with more than superficial value and with beauty that's more than skin deep. Buyers are looking for long-term ...
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Building a More Comfortable Basement, Inside and Out
Homeowners expect a basement that’s warm and dry, whether they’re using the space as an extension of the living space, a hobby room, or just ...
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Opting for Inline Kitchen Exhaust Fans
Building codes require that all kitchens be equipped with a kitchen range hood to remove moisture, odors, fumes, and heat from the immediate area during ...
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LEED® for Homes
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the LEED Green Building Rating System in 1998; today it’s the nationally accepted benchmark for high-performance green ...
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Casting the Vote for Precast Walls: Precast concrete adds water-resistance and durability to foundations
Precast foundation walls simplify basement construction, save time and money, and result in warmer, drier basements. Precast foundation walls are comprised of individual concrete panels ...
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Pressure-Treated Wood
Wood is susceptible to termites, other insects, and fungal decay. Wood that has contact with the ground is more susceptible to termite and rot damage ...
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Greener Building Articles on the Jobsite: What are they about?
In the Greener Building section of Jobsite, BuildIQ provides articles, a few tools, and links to other websites and resources that can help you become ...
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The Basics of Advanced Ventilation: Improving air quality in the home
Airtight homes are like a double-edged sword. Although energy-efficient, they tend to have poor indoor air quality, because polluted air doesn’t escape and fresh air ...
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The Building America Program: Research toward zero energy homes
Building America is a private/public partnership sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). It combines the knowledge and resources of industry leaders with the ...
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Increasing Efficiency with Central Returns: Duct systems designed for comfort, health, safety and energy savings
In new home construction and in retrofits, proper duct system design is critical. Many existing duct systems lose a lot of energy from leaks and ...
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Homeowners Getting Cold Feet?: Air sealing floors helps ensure comfort and reduce energy bills
Floors above unconditioned spaces are a major part of the home's thermal enclosure, separating the conditioned living space from unconditioned space. A home without insulation ...
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The Dollars and Sense of Green Building: Financial benefits abound
Most people agree that green building produces environmental benefits. However, the financial benefits often are perceived as minimal, or, when long-term economic benefits are acknowledged, ...
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Engineering Better Framing
Engineered wood proves it’s possible to create man-made products that are superior to nature. With engineered wood, lumber is chopped up into strands and chips, ...
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