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Guides to Building an Environmentally Friendly Home

1. Site Work:  Harmonize with the site by preserve trees and other natural features.  Tree preservation reduces landscaping and future energy cost and helps provide winter wind breaks or summer shade.  Additional landscaping improves the environment even more:  one tree can filter 60 lbs of pollutants from the air each year.
2. Foundation:  Foundations should be as well insulated as the living space walls for efficient home energy use and enhanced comfort, especially if the basement is used as a family room or bedroom.
3. Framing:  Use pre-fabricated, factory- built components including wall panels, roof trusses, floor trusses, and pre-hung doors.  The components are designed, engineered, cut to specification and then assembled using repeatable processes.  There is less wasteful lumber.  Wood that is not needed for one truss can be used for the next one rather than be taking to the landfill.  Left over woods that can’t be used is ground up to be made into oriented strand board (OSB) and other building materials.  These products eliminate the need to cut wood at the job site, allows more efficient use of raw materials, and making the most out of every piece of lumber.
4. Walls:  Increasingly, many builders are also using structural insulated panels (SIP).  SIPs are mad of polystyrene or foam insulation sandwiched between two pieces of OSB.  An SIP sandwich is extremely energy efficient and requires a minimal amount of additional framing, using fewer resources.  Increase the amount and R-value of insulation is a cost effective way to save energy and help reduce heating and cooling bills, which account for at least half of the energy use in the home.  Sprayed insulation made of foam, cellulose (shredded, treated old newspaper), or wool is an alternative to traditional fiberglass batting.
5. Roof:  Use oriented strand board to sheathe roof and walls.  When it comes to roofing, select more durable eco-friendly alternatives roof coverings such as steel, slate, wood composite-or recycled materials, and fiber cement to reduce the frequency of roof replacement.  Lighter colors absorb less heat, reducing cooling costs in warm climates.  Modern solar roofing products integrate asphalt shingles, standing-seam metal roofing and slate or concrete tiles.
6. Plumbing:  New toilets have redesigned bowls and water tanks that use less water but function more efficiently than earlier low flow models.  Some use pumps for more supplementary water pressure.  Advanced shower and sink faucet aerators provide the same flow regardless of pressure to reduce water use and the energy required to heat it.  Tank less water heater provide hot water on demand at a preset temperature rather than storing it, which reduce or eliminates stand by losses.  Geothermal heat pumps work with the earth’s renewal energy and also heat water.
7. Electrical:  Selecting more efficient, correctly sized heating and cooling and water heating equipments save money.  Install an automatic, programmable thermostat and learn how to set it correctly (they typically cost $40-$100).  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the device can save you about $150 a year.  Energy efficient compact-fluorescent lamp (CFL) cost more ($6), but they use nearly 75% less energy and last at least 8 to 10 years, about 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs.  That adds up to about $30 of saving over the life of each bulb.   The energy efficiency of refrigerators and freezers has tripled over the last three decades because they have more insulation, advanced compressors, better door seals, and more accurate temperature controls.  Front loading washers use about 40 % less water and half the energy of conventional models.  Choose models that have Energy Star approval rating.  Energy Star rated appliances save an average of 30 % over standard models.  Energy Star is a joint project of the U.S. Environment Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. 
8. Windows:  Incorporating passive solar design features like large south-facing windows helps heat the home in the winter and allows for increased natural day lighting.  Energy efficient windows incorporating advanced technologies like low emissive (low-E) glass coating, gas filler between layers and composite framing materials keep heat inside in the winter and outside in the summer.
9. Cabinetry:  Look for kitchen and bath eco-friendly cabinetry that is formaldehyde-free and use only water-based glue and low to no volatile organic compounds finishes.
10. Exterior:  Vinyl siding on exterior walls save some money on installation and maintenance; fiber cement siding is termite and rot-resistant, and is warranted to last 50 years.  Use covered entries at exterior doors to help prevent water intrusion, reducing maintenance and increasing durability.
11. Flooring:  In addition to natural wood, flooring choice include low volatile organic compounds (low-VOC) carpets for better indoor air quality; laminates that successfully mimic scare hardwood; and linoleum, a natural product.  Tiles, natural stones, and granites are low maintenance and durable.
12. Landscaping:  Recycled plastic lumber and wood composite materials reduce reliance on chemically treated lumbers and durable hardwood for decks, porches, trim and fencing.  Xeriscaping or using native plants, significantly reduces the need for watering, fertilizes, and herbicides.
13. Small Footprint:  Build as little as possible.  The greenish feature of your house may be its small square footage.  Build a small house.