Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing’s (PATH): Top 10 Ways to Make Your Home Green
http://www.pathnet.org/sp.asp?id=18438
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB): Top Ten Ways to Incorporate Green into Your Home: Green remodeling can be done in small ways and doesn’t necessarily have to encompass the entire home. It’s easy to pick and choose elements that fit each particular homeowner.
• Use non-toxic paints and sealants
• Install programmable thermostats
• Invest in energy efficient appliances
• Install natural flooring
• Use local building materials
• Choose natural fiber rugs and fabrics
• Select recycled material roof shingles and tiles
• Specify energy efficient lighting
• Insulate your hot water pipes
• Landscape with native plants
NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines
http://www.nahb.org/publication_details.aspx?publicationID=1994
The guidelines contain six primary categories:
• Lot Preparation and Design – Even before the foundation is poured, careful planning can reduce the home’s impact on natural features such as vegetation and soil; and enhance the home’s long-term performance. Such preparation can provide significant value to the homeowner, the environment, and the community. Included for the end user, especially developers, is a Site Planning Appendix that closely mirrors this section and provides additional guidance.
• Resource Efficiency – Advanced framing techniques and home designs can effectively optimize the use of building materials. This section also details how careful material selection can reduce the amount of time and money needed for home maintenance; and demonstrates equally important construction waste management concepts.
• Energy Efficiency – This is the most quantifiable aspect of green building. The information in this section will help a builder create a better building envelope and incorporate more energy efficient mechanical systems, appliances, and lighting into a home, yielding long-term utility bill savings and increased comfort for the homeowner.
• Water Efficiency/Conservation – Although, the relative importance of water availability and usage varies from region to region, the concern with adequate supply is becoming more widespread geographically. Experience also shows that employing the line items from this section of the Guidelines for indoor and outdoor water use can reduce utility bills, regardless of location.
• Occupancy Comfort and Indoor Environmental Quality – Effective management of moisture, ventilation, and other issues can create a more comfortable and healthier indoor living environment.
• Operation, Maintenance and Education – Given the level of effort a home builder goes through to create a well thought out home system, it would be a shame not to give the home owner guidance on how to optimally operate and maintain the house. Line items from this section show a builder how best to educate homeowners on the features of their new green home.
U.S Green Building Council Green Home Guide
http://www.greenhomeguide.org/what_makes_a_green_home/index.html
The U.S. Green Building Council provides a list of ideas and techniques that can be employed to green your home. Time and money investments range from plugging air leaks to going solar.
REGREEN:
http://www.regreenprogram.org/
The American Society of Interior Designers’ Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council have partnered on the development of best practice guidelines and targeted educational resources for sustainable residential remodeling projects. This program will increase understanding of sustainable renovation project practices and benefits among homeowners, residents, design professionals, product suppliers and service providers to build both demand and industry capacity.
Building Green: Green Products
http://www.buildinggreen.com/menus/
Building Green showcases the GreenSpec® Directory, listing product descriptions for over 2,100 environmentally preferable products. Products primarily represent structural materials.
Green Home Environmental Store
http://www.greenhome.com/
This online catalog offers green products for the home, ranging from furnishings to cleaning products.
Your Green Home
This new book by Alex Wilson, editor of Environmental Building News, provides homeowners up-to-date and objective information on creating sustainable, healthy, and energy-efficient homes. The book is available for purchase fromhttp://www.buildinggreen.com/ecommerce/.