Residential design is not going green. It's gone green. More homeowners demand that their homes be sustainable, healthy to live in, and affordable to maintain as the years go by. By going green, they have chosen to reduce the burden on the environment while adding value to their homes.
Responding to this trend, many communities are putting forth efforts to promote an environmentally sustainable approach to growth that will generate ways to build homes using less water and energy. Taking it a step further, other communities are stimulating development by allowing building departments to fast-track the permitting process for developers with sustainable designs, by providing tax-incentive programs for building green, and by going so far as to require that homes be designed and built green. In fact, the average premium per 1,500 square feet of new home construction is less than $2,000 to go green.
Ways to Go Green
In addition to cost, the greatest hurdle to building green has been fear of change. One of the biggest fears is greywater.
Where water is apparently abundant, municipalities and departments of health often resist efforts to capture greywater. A greywater system collects water from shower drains, bathtubs, and laundry, then filters and pumps it through a dedicated supply line to toilet tanks for flushing. This reduces average household water consumption by a third. It is designed into the plumbing of new construction and can be added to existing residential home systems.
Conversely, where water is so precious, you would not be allowed to build anything without using greywater systems.
Managing water runoff is one of the simplest things a homeowner can do to be more environmentally conscious. Another simple solution is using solar electric systems.
A solar electric system converts light into electricity by capturing the energy in light when it strikes solar cells made of a semiconductor material, typically silicon. Solar panels produce Direct Current (DC) electricity. Inverters convert that electricity to Alternating Current (AC) for use in the home, precisely matching the electricity provided by the electric utilities. Typical residential systems can satisfy most electric needs, including the heating of domestic hot water.
In the late 1990s many states passed laws allowing homeowners to connect solar electric systems to their electric grids. The result is net metering, which allows homeowners to use solar electricity from their systems as it is available and receive the balance of their electric needs from their local electric utility all the time. Utilities are required to credit homeowners for electricity produced by their solar systems.
Rebates from the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut generally pay about 40-50% of the installed cost of a solar electric system. Federal tax credits (and a state tax credit for New York residents) can help reduce the cost even further.
For solar domestic hot water systems, the federal tax credit can cover as much as 20-25% of the cost. Additionally, the New York State tax credit can cover another 25% of the cost.
However, some state utility regulations can be hurdles. Some rules limit the amount of solar energy that can be developed. For instance, Florida (“The Sunshine State”) caps the amount of energy a single development can generate at 10 kilowatts, which is enough to power a 1,500-square-foot home, regardless of the number of units in the development.
For builders, another valuable tool in the green arsenal is making use of salvaged building materials. Salvaged building materials divert reusable building materials from the landfill, thereby preserving our resources and providing cost-effective remodeling supplies for our communities. Each month, countless tons of building materials are salvaged.
A recent Internet search for Westchester and Connecticut building supply houses that specialize in salvaged building materials turned up a wide array of products from flooring and pavers to roofing materials. The found inventories of flooring included tens of thousands of square feet of reclaimed limestone and sandstone flagstone pavers, quarry tiles, slate, and reclaimed pine and oak floorboards. More digging turned up an exhaustive range of roofing tiles that covered all types of roofing slates, handmade and machine-made tiles, and both ridge and valley tiles. Also found was a huge selection of roofing accessories.
Gone Green
Once the hurdles are passed, homeowners and builders see the benefits of going green more clearly. The homeowner benefits are simple. Profitability, affordability of operation, and indoor air quality are all enhanced. Builders gain a marketing advantage and easily differentiate their homes from the competition. Communities benefit the most. They conserve their water resources. Management of waste and storm water becomes easier.
Green is more than a color — it is rapidly becoming a way of life for many Americans. And builders and architects who address this need will not only grow their businesses but protect the environment for future generations.
About the Author
William “Billy” Hallisky is a vice president at Meridian Design Associates, Architects, P.C. (www.meridiandesign.com). The company has a long history in green design in both residential and commercial projects.
