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Tips for Building "Green" - Infiltration
The vast amount of information available about building green can be overwhelming. To assist our customers in making environmentally sensitive decisions while building their new home, Donald A. Gardner Architects has compiled this handy FREE guide to building green.
Infiltration
Unwanted air, water, sun and noise are the four elements that the structure/construction of a home should be able to control. Air carries pollutants, temperature change, noise and moisture. Water carries pollutants, temperature change and of course is moisture. Sun produces heat and material degrading radiation. The building structure's "envelope" is key to controlling these elements. The envelope is made up of the floor, walls and roof of the home.
Site:
Control runoff water. Create a storm water wetland pond or install a cistern (a vessel to hold rainwater). Vegetation can help control noise, wind, water and solar radiation. Deciduous trees provide the most protection in the summer but allow sunlight to reach the home during winter. Evergreen trees provide protection year round.
Floor:
a) Crawl space: Insulate under the floor and install a vapor barrier to cover the exposed ground.
b) Sealed crawl space: ground is covered and the foundation walls are covered, which provides a sealed, airtight space supplied by air from the HVAC system, creating a conditioned space.
c) Basement walls: ICF’s or Insulated Concrete Forms can be used to form poured concrete foundation walls to provide added insulating value to the basement walls.
Walls:
Insulate wall cavity. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulation. R-value is a term used to describe the insulation properties of certain building materials. Its use is limited to situations where thermal insulation is achieved by retarding the flow of heat through the material itself rather than reflecting radiant heat away.
a) Wet blown borate-based wall cavity insulation made from either cellulose insulation from recycled cardboard and paper products, or insulation made from recycled blue jeans are both very “green”.
b) Install sheathing on the exterior side of wall.
c) Use SIP’s – Structurally Insulated Panels for walls and roof. This is a panel that has rigid insulation encased between two layers of sheathing.
d) Install a moisture and vapor retarder (house wrap) on the warm side of the wall. Generally speaking, this is on the outside of the exterior walls in the South and on the interior side of the exterior walls in the North.
Doors & Windows:
Window and door openings need to be properly flashed to prevent moisture intrusion, and should be insulated around to fill all air gaps. Install weather stripping at doors and windows.
The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) rates energy performance of doors, windows and skylights. These products are labeled to help you determine how well a product will perform the functions of helping to cool your building in the summer, warm your building in the winter, keep out wind, and resist condensation. By using the information contained on the label, you can reliably compare one product with another, and make informed decisions about the windows, doors, and skylights you choose. Go to http://www.nfrc.org/label.aspx to see a description of the label.
Roof:
Install roof sheathing with a radiant barrier. Radiant barriers help keep attic temperatures low. Provide ventilation for attic areas by providing soffit, ridge, and gable vents. Insulate the ceiling. Light colored shingles help reduce heat gain in the attic. Alternately, you may choose a sealed attic, making the attic a conditioned space. Provide a ventilating air space directly below the roof sheathing.
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