Sustainable, or green building, is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological & resource-efficient manner. Green building plans are designed to meet certain objectives & use key resources such as using materials, energy, water, & other resources more efficiently while reducing the overall impact to the environment. By utilizing more natural light, better air quality, wind turbines, solar panels, insulation alternatives, & water storage tanks, a well designed home will contribute to improved efficiency, health, & comfort in your home.

Green Building Financial Benefits

Typically, a green building will cost more up front, but saves through lower energy costs over the life of the building. Do you follow? The up-front expenditure will be absorbed over time by the project life cycle cost analysis. The benefits include energy & water savings, reduced waste, and lower operation & maintenance costs.

These & other cost savings can only be fully realized when they areincorporated at the project's conceptual design phase with the assistance of an integrated team of professionals. The integrated systems approach ensures that the building is designed as one system rather than a collection of stand-alone systems.

Even with a tight budget you can incorporate many green building measures which can be incorporated with minimal or zero increased up-front costs & they can yield enormous savings over the project life.

Site Selection

Start by selecting a site well suited to take advantage of solar exposure, and suitable area for the size of building proposed to reduce disturbance of the environment to protect & retain existing landscaping & natural features. A custom home plan can be set partially into the ground which helps to cool the building in the summer, & in the winter once you get below the frost line the temperature is constant year-round & tends to be warmer than the air outside. Protect & retain existing landscaping & natural features. So... So... Select plants that have low water & pesticide needs, & generate minimum plant trimmings. Use compost & mulches. This will save water & time. And so... So far so good. Water can be collected from the roof in cisterns for landscape irrigation.

Reducing Energy Consumption

Buildings have the potential to reach energy efficiency levels exceeding far beyond California Title 24 standards, yet most only strive to meet the standard due to upfront costs.

Passive design strategies can dramatically affect building energy performance. These measures include window placement, building placement & orientation, passive solar design, & the use of natural lighting. By orienting a building toward the south(running it east-west), & creating significant southern exposure , you can take advantage of the sun's energy to heat a building in the winter. When sun light hits a buildings mass or enters through the windows it passively heats the building & the air inside by not using mechanical means such as solar panels.

Install high-efficiency lighting systems with advanced lighting controls. Clear? Include motion sensors tied to dimmable lighting controls. Task lighting reduces general overhead light levels.

Use a properly sized & energy-efficient heat/cooling system in conjunction with a thermally efficient building shell. Maximize light colors for roofing & wall finish materials; install high R-value wall & ceiling insulation such as spray-in foam; & use minimal glass on east & west exposures.

Consider alternative energy sources such as photovoltaics & fuel cells that are now available in new products & applications. Geothermal heating & cooling is the most energy efficient & cost effective way to heat & cool your building, & it can take care of all your domestic hot water needs at the same time. Geothermal systems use the heat of the earth underground to heat water that is in turn used to heat the building, or in the summer to dump the heat from a building underground to cool it.

Material effectiveness

Select sustainable construction materials & products by evaluating many characteristics such as reused & recycled content, zero or low off gassing of harmful air emissions, zero or low toxicity, sustainably harvested materials, high recyclability, durability, longevity, & local production.

Water Efficiency

It is fairly easy to implement simple systems for recycling & reusing water on your own property, drastically decreasing the demands on shared supplies, & in turn, reducing your water bill.

Design for dual plumbing to use recycled water for toilet flushing or a gray water system that recovers rainwater or other nonpotable water for site irrigation.

Minimize wastewater by using ultra low-flush toilets, low-flow shower heads, & other water conserving fixtures. Use re-circulating systems for centralized hot water distribution & install point-of-use hot water heating systems for many more distant locations.