WHOLE-HOUSE SYSTEMS APPROACH

General Concepts
Five Principles Of Green Building

GENERAL CONCEPTS

Houses—especially larger single-family homes—can be extremely land- and resource- intensive.

Buildings account for about one-third of the energy consumed, and two-thirds of the electricity used in the United States. Buildings account for 49 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions, 25 percent of nitrous oxide emissions, and 10 percent of particulate emissions, all of which damage urban air quality. Buildings also produce 35 percent of our carbon dioxide emissions. http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/buildings/gbprinc.shtml

In fact, your home can cause more greenhouse gas emissions than your car.

The average American family’s energy expense can be reduced by 10–90 percent (depending on how inefficient you are and how aggressive you want to be about getting efficient).

A whole-house systems approach considers the interaction between you, your building site, your climate, and other elements or components of your home.

The world's first green “high-rise,” in the heart of New York City, will use 35 percent less energy and 65 percent less electricity than an average building during peak hours, with photovoltaic cells meeting at least 5 percent of the demand.

Builders and designers who use this approach recognize that the features of one component in the house can greatly affect other components, which ultimately affects the overall energy efficiency of the house.

People can live in a typical house for 10 years before the energy they use in it exceeds what went into its components—steel beams, cement foundation, window glass and frames, tile floors and carpeting, drywall, wood paneling or stairs—and its construction.

New houses in the U.S. were 38 percent bigger in 2002 than in 1975, averaging 210 square meters (2,265 square feet). This is twice the size of typical homes in Europe or Japan and 26 times the living space of the average person in Africa.

People in the U.S. and Canada consume 2.4 times as much energy at home as those in Western Europe.

We need an integrated approach to federal government building programs: a comprehensive "whole buildings" umbrella concept that ties the building and its components together into one unified package and encompasses all real-world physical and economic elements with which the building interacts or on which it depends. The same framework can bridge all federal agencies involved in building research in a coordinated manner within government, as well as with outside agencies and organizations, both nongovernmental and industrial, treating all as one unified package of complementary and supporting activities. The result will be greater building energy efficiency and occupant productivity, reduced impact of buildings on the environment, and greater economic efficiency, transferability and value of building R&D programs. See Green Development: Integrating Ecology and Real Estate (John Wiley & Sons, 1997). See http://www.rmi.org.

 

FIVE PRINCIPLES OF GREEN BUILDING

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Resources  Conserving Energy
http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/buildings/enrgcons.shtml
Commercially available, cost-effective energy technologies could reduce overall energy consumption in the United States by as much as one-third--worth some $343 billion. This link provides information on strategies such as proper siting and airtight construction, as well as installing energy-efficient equipment and appliances and renewable energy systems. Such technologies can reduce the amount of energy your building needs to operate and to keep its occupants comfortable.

Environmental Impact   Low-impact design
http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/buildings/envirimp.shtml .
The built environment has had a tremendous impact on the environment. However, your building can interact more positively with the environment if you pay special attention to preserving the site’s integrity and natural characteristics, landscaping appropriately, and selecting materials that have lower embodied energy and those that are produced locally. 

Resource Conservation    Recycled and sustainable Materials
http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/buildings/rescon.shtml.
Conserving resources is a cornerstone of green building techniques. There are many ways to conserve resources during the building process. For example, selecting materials that have at least some recycled content can conserve natural resources and virgin materials. Minimizing construction waste can ease the impact on landfills and resources. Installing water- and energy-efficient products can conserve resources while reducing operating costs. Choosing a green (plant-covered) roof can reduce energy use, cool urban heat islands, and prevent storm-water runoff, as well as contributing to wildlife habitat and air quality.

Indoor Air Quality    Healthier materials
http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/buildings/indrair.shtml.
Energy-efficient buildings are more airtight and therefore hold greater potential for indoor air quality problems, especially if not properly ventilated. Building products can contribute to poor air quality, but these potential problems can be reduced by selecting materials lower in chemicals and toxins, and installing mechanical ventilation systems to ensure an adequate fresh air supply. 

Community Issues    Reducing Sprawl
http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/buildings/indrair.shtml.
Placing green building projects within easy access of public transportation, medical facilities, shopping areas, and recreational facilities decreases the need for automobiles and encourages bicycling and walking. In addition, successful green buildings blend into the community, preserving natural and historical characteristics, and will utilize existing infrastructure in order to reduce sprawl. Co-housing represents one approach to creating a community of green buildings. http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/buildings/gbprinc.shtml

The Union of Concerned Scientists is working to encourage government building policies to focus on this “whole building” approach. See their report, Whole Buildings: An Integrating R&D and Policy Framework for the 21st Century, Full report is available as a PDF at http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/energy_efficiency/whole-buildings.html