No flooring product has zero impact on our planet, but some green materials are better than others. I have listed a few of the eco friendlier options you might use in your home with both the pros and the considerations that need to be pondered. Bamboo is one eco friendly option. Bamboo is a fast growing grass that can be selectively harvested annually. It is extremely durable and harder than red oak and maple, has 50% less contraction and expansion than wood and is a renewable resource. Cork is another eco friendly renewable resource material made out of the bark of the cork oak tree. Only the bark is used so the tree does not have to be cut down. Cork is great because it often contains recycled content, is easy to clean if properly sealed and gives great foot support. Rubber is another new eco friendly flooring material available these days. Virgin rubber is derived from rubber trees, a renewable resource; recycled rubber reduces the environmental burden of discarded tires.Linoleum uses the same ingredients today as when it was invented in 1863, linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, tree resins, ground limestone and pigments, all pressed onto a jute backing.
The ingredients are renewable items and often are recycled content, which is good for the planet. Stone is another option to consider for the kitchen. It is a natural resource and a very durable material. Stone, however, is a finite resource, can result in using significant embodied energy if the stone is mined or fabricated overseas and, if the stone requires sealing, the sealers can produce potentially harmful VOC emissions. Tile is another eco friendly durable material if you use tiles that contain recycled content. Tiles are durable, easy to clean and can use recycled materials like broken window panes and recycled granite dust. They do use though a significant amount of energy to fire and transport so try to make sure to look for local sources and make sure they use recycled content. Advantage Development Co. is an award winning Leed Custom Home Builder in Asheville NC that believes in using eco friendly building materials. Call us today at 828-215-9064 or visit our website at http://www.advdevco.com/ and learn why we are the local builder of choice.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Award Winning Asheville Leed Builder likes Green Building & Living Green
Green buildings reduce the impact on the environment, with innovative design techniques that improve the quality and performance of the buildings. More and more people are increasingly inclined to adopt green values to their old and new homes and are also insisting on the governments incorporating them in public places. One of the primary reasons for this growing awareness is energy saving and thereby reduced energy bills. It also makes safer homes for children and more productive places for employees.
For environmentalists, it is reducing global warming or the greenhouse effect on a war footing. Global warming is already making its presence felt by unseasonable rains, the increase in summer temperatures and a decrease in winter temperatures.In the U.S.A, more than half of the energy is consumed by buildings and constructions. Buildings emit more than one-third of Carbon dioxide, consume one-fourth of the worlds wood harvest and 17% of the worlds freshwater resources. In North America more than one-third of the landfills are occupied by building debris. This type of environment crushing pollution can be mitigated by a large extent with building techniques that provide better bargains and costs.
Home energy costs rank next to mortgage bills. Energy savings are assured throughout the life of a green building. Power companies give energy credits for green buildings and tax benefits are also available. In a recent survey in the U.S, it has been found out that home market value increases by 20 dollars for every dollar decrease in a power utility bill. Advantage Development Co. in Asheville NC is a Certified Green Builder and believes in Living Green. Call us at 828-215-9064 or visit our website at http://www.advdevco.com/ and see why we are the better builder.
For environmentalists, it is reducing global warming or the greenhouse effect on a war footing. Global warming is already making its presence felt by unseasonable rains, the increase in summer temperatures and a decrease in winter temperatures.In the U.S.A, more than half of the energy is consumed by buildings and constructions. Buildings emit more than one-third of Carbon dioxide, consume one-fourth of the worlds wood harvest and 17% of the worlds freshwater resources. In North America more than one-third of the landfills are occupied by building debris. This type of environment crushing pollution can be mitigated by a large extent with building techniques that provide better bargains and costs.
Home energy costs rank next to mortgage bills. Energy savings are assured throughout the life of a green building. Power companies give energy credits for green buildings and tax benefits are also available. In a recent survey in the U.S, it has been found out that home market value increases by 20 dollars for every dollar decrease in a power utility bill. Advantage Development Co. in Asheville NC is a Certified Green Builder and believes in Living Green. Call us at 828-215-9064 or visit our website at http://www.advdevco.com/ and see why we are the better builder.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Award Winning Asheville Leed Builder explains the Leed Process
When you have built a home or other building using environmentally safe Green Building materials and products, you may be eligible for a LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). This group was created by the United States Green Building Council and the aim is to make all Green Building projects of the highest quality and ensure that all the necessary standards are being met to make it environmentally friendly. The LEED certification that you will receive if your building has a good enough rating comes in the form of a plaque stating that your building is a safe and healthy place to live or work in and that it is profitable and safe to the environment. Green Building is not only about preserving the environment and saving water as well as other resources, but it actually promotes a healthier lifestyle because you and your family will not be breathing in dangerous formaldehyde or other toxic compounds anymore.
The LEED certification is based on 4 levels from (certified), which is the lowest level to (platinum) status which is the highest level. It is easy to register for LEED online and if you think your building has everything that the LEED certification team of experts is looking for then you can benefit financially as well. The main aspects that LEED will look for in a Green Building is its sustainability, if it had low operating costs and a high asset value, if the amount of waste to the landfill was reduced by recycling or reusing certain parts, if it conserves water and energy (perhaps by having solar panels fitted), and whether it reduces harmful toxins and gas emissions. Advantage Development Co. is a custom home builder in Asheville NC and has a LEED Certified Rater that can have your new home LEED Certified. LEED Certification is the U.S. Green Building Council National standard and is the highest level green building rating available. Visit us today at http://www.advdevco.com/ or call 828-215-9064 to set-up a free consultation.
The LEED certification is based on 4 levels from (certified), which is the lowest level to (platinum) status which is the highest level. It is easy to register for LEED online and if you think your building has everything that the LEED certification team of experts is looking for then you can benefit financially as well. The main aspects that LEED will look for in a Green Building is its sustainability, if it had low operating costs and a high asset value, if the amount of waste to the landfill was reduced by recycling or reusing certain parts, if it conserves water and energy (perhaps by having solar panels fitted), and whether it reduces harmful toxins and gas emissions. Advantage Development Co. is a custom home builder in Asheville NC and has a LEED Certified Rater that can have your new home LEED Certified. LEED Certification is the U.S. Green Building Council National standard and is the highest level green building rating available. Visit us today at http://www.advdevco.com/ or call 828-215-9064 to set-up a free consultation.
Award Winning Leed Builder likes "Cool Roof" Materials
Changing just the color of a roof can cool it by 80°F and cut energy bills by up to 40%.
Depending on a roofs color and location, roof temperatures can easily reach 190°F, and dark roofs absorb as much as 95% of the suns heat, which can dramatically jack up cooling costs. Studies by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Florida Solar Energy Center show that cool roofs result in up to 40% energy savings. They estimate that about $750 million in utility-bill savings could be realized each year in the United States through cool-roof technology. A roof is generally considered a (cool roof), if its components and design lower roof temperatures by 50°F to 60°F. The chemical company BASF cites studies showing that when a black roof has a surface temperature of 190°F, an identical white roof in the same setting will be just 110°F. (At the Energy Star site, you can calculate savings by roof type.) But you really do not need a scientific study to know that black roofs are hotter than lighter-colored roofs (or tile roof systems that allow air to flow beneath them).
Yet many builders and contractors will not risk putting a light-colored roof on a spec home (and buyers seem loath to select them as options), because light roofs are not fashionable, and buyers fear difficulty re-selling a home with a roof that sticks out like a sore thumb.But now, with the advance of roofing technology, especially from 3M and BASF, a number of cool-roof options (reflective coatings for metal roofs, reflective granules for three-tab shingles, and reflective cool-roof concrete tile systems) are available that allow you to spec or offer cool roofs sheathed with dark-looking shingles. These technologies join widely available radiant barrier products, like LPs very effective TechShield radiant barrier. So, good-looking, high-performing cool roofs are within reach. They just take some work to spec and source, and they cost more up front, sometimes four times as much as traditional shingle roofs. Therefore, the challenge for builders is to achieve a premium market price for their higher-cost cool roofs, by explaining to home buyers that a return on their investment will be realized through years of lower utility bills. Visit our website at http://www.advdevco.com/ and see why Advantage Development Co. is the best builder in Asheville and the surrounding WNC area.
Depending on a roofs color and location, roof temperatures can easily reach 190°F, and dark roofs absorb as much as 95% of the suns heat, which can dramatically jack up cooling costs. Studies by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Florida Solar Energy Center show that cool roofs result in up to 40% energy savings. They estimate that about $750 million in utility-bill savings could be realized each year in the United States through cool-roof technology. A roof is generally considered a (cool roof), if its components and design lower roof temperatures by 50°F to 60°F. The chemical company BASF cites studies showing that when a black roof has a surface temperature of 190°F, an identical white roof in the same setting will be just 110°F. (At the Energy Star site, you can calculate savings by roof type.) But you really do not need a scientific study to know that black roofs are hotter than lighter-colored roofs (or tile roof systems that allow air to flow beneath them).
Yet many builders and contractors will not risk putting a light-colored roof on a spec home (and buyers seem loath to select them as options), because light roofs are not fashionable, and buyers fear difficulty re-selling a home with a roof that sticks out like a sore thumb.But now, with the advance of roofing technology, especially from 3M and BASF, a number of cool-roof options (reflective coatings for metal roofs, reflective granules for three-tab shingles, and reflective cool-roof concrete tile systems) are available that allow you to spec or offer cool roofs sheathed with dark-looking shingles. These technologies join widely available radiant barrier products, like LPs very effective TechShield radiant barrier. So, good-looking, high-performing cool roofs are within reach. They just take some work to spec and source, and they cost more up front, sometimes four times as much as traditional shingle roofs. Therefore, the challenge for builders is to achieve a premium market price for their higher-cost cool roofs, by explaining to home buyers that a return on their investment will be realized through years of lower utility bills. Visit our website at http://www.advdevco.com/ and see why Advantage Development Co. is the best builder in Asheville and the surrounding WNC area.
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