When a house is listed for sale in Colorado, the seller can fill out a green disclosure form to indicate what "green" or environmentally friendly qualities the house has. Many of the terms on the form are specific terms, often abbreviated, that may be unclear. Let's go over them and discuss what they mean.
The second item is the type of construction used in the home. The form's options are: SIPs, ICF, Material Efficient Framing, Improved Insulation, Straw Bale, Earthen Build/Rammed Earth, and Other.
SIPs means "structural insulated panels." These are made of insulating foam between two boards, which might be sheet metal, plywood, cement, or oriented strand board. SIPs may cost more than conventional construction materials, but can often be assembled in less time and are likely to be more efficient insulators, leading to a lower life-cycle cost for the building. You can read more at http://www.sips.org/.
ICF means "insulating concrete form." In ICF construction, forms made of stiff foam, wood fiber, cellular concrete, or a similar material, are snapped together like Lego bricks and filled with concrete. Among other benefits, ICF means minimal air leaks, if any. You can read more at http://www.icfhomes.com/.
"Material efficient framing" is a LEED term that means the waste involved in framing has been limited to ten percent or less. A technical explanation and table is available on the US Green Building Council website at http://www.usgbc.org/node/1732436.
"Improved insulation" means insulation levels beyond what is required by state building codes. Increased insulation helps a home stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer while using less energy to maintain its temperature. To check out the required codes for Colorado, go to http://energycode.pnl.gov/EnergyCodeReqs/?state=Colorado and click on the county, like Mesa County for Grand Junction.
"Straw bale" construction uses bales of straw as construction elements, insulation, or both. The straw is often composed of wheat, rice, rye, and oats. Straw-bale construction is an old practice and has been revived in the past decade. Read more at http://strawbale.sustainablesources.com/.
"Earthen build/rammed earth" construction makes walls out of earth, mixed with sand, gravel and clay, and stabilized by lime, cement, or something similar. Temporary frameworks made of wood or plywood provide a mould for the walls, which are then filled with 10 to 25 inches of earth mixture. The earth mixture is compressed to half its original height before the second layer is poured. Once the wall is complete, it is already strong enough for the forms to be removed. Sometimes this is done immediately so that texture can be applied to the walls before they harden. Rammed earth walls can be good at absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night, controlling humidity, and providing soundproof walls. Read more at http://home.howstuffworks.com/rammed-earth-home.htm.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Colorado Green Disclosures, Item 1
When a house is listed for sale in Colorado, the seller can fill out a green disclosure form to indicate what "green" or environmentally friendly qualities the house has. Many of the terms on the form are specific terms, often abbreviated, that may be unclear. Let's go over them and discuss what they mean.
The first item asks a seller to indicate whether or not the house has been optimized under the "Home Performance with ENERGY STAR" program. "Optimizing" means that an authorized contractor carefully evaluates the house and makes recommendations designed for "whole house" efficiency. Then the seller makes a series of improvements in a specific order, so that the changes work together.
For example, the first improvement could be to seal air leaks and add insulation. This breaks down into two tasks: sealing air leaks, such as leaks in the attic floor, before adding insulation. Leaks must be sealed first so that insulation isn't filled with warm, moist air from elsewhere in the house. The consequences of moisture in attic insulation can include decreased efficiency, mold, roof rot, and ice dams on the roof.
Once leaks have been sealed and insulation has been improved, the second recommended improvement might be to upgrade old heating and cooling systems to ENERGY STAR appliances, when possible.
You can see a full example at the ENERGY STAR "What to Expect" page. You can also check out the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR for Homeowners page and find out whether this program is available in your area.
The first item asks a seller to indicate whether or not the house has been optimized under the "Home Performance with ENERGY STAR" program. "Optimizing" means that an authorized contractor carefully evaluates the house and makes recommendations designed for "whole house" efficiency. Then the seller makes a series of improvements in a specific order, so that the changes work together.
For example, the first improvement could be to seal air leaks and add insulation. This breaks down into two tasks: sealing air leaks, such as leaks in the attic floor, before adding insulation. Leaks must be sealed first so that insulation isn't filled with warm, moist air from elsewhere in the house. The consequences of moisture in attic insulation can include decreased efficiency, mold, roof rot, and ice dams on the roof.
Once leaks have been sealed and insulation has been improved, the second recommended improvement might be to upgrade old heating and cooling systems to ENERGY STAR appliances, when possible.
You can see a full example at the ENERGY STAR "What to Expect" page. You can also check out the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR for Homeowners page and find out whether this program is available in your area.
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