Green is More Than a Trend, It's a Standard in Home Building

Last week (September 17, 2008), Sandy Dunn, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) president and a home builder from Point Pleasant, W.Va. responded to the August 2008 decline in housing starts and builders' reducing production and pulling fewer permits for new homes to help restore better balance between supply and demand positively, stating, "With help from the new first-time home buyer tax credit and improving rates on home mortgages, the long downswing in production activity is slowly but surely putting us back on track to a healthy housing market."

The road back to a healthy housing market must include green and sustainable design and building techniques. Our old ways of building, without concern for the environment and energy consumption need to be replaced with careful consideration of each site environment and ways to incorporate renewable energy. Every positive action counts.

From my vantage point as a green architect, any improvement to any portion of the building process helps the environment. An incredible 40% of energy consumption in the United States is attributed to residential buildings, and of that, 32% is consumed in heating and cooling.

Homeowners desiring to make the largest effect for the smallest effort & investment will build a better insulated, energy efficient home with renewable heating and cooling systems, utilizing natural day-lighting and incorporating a renewable energy system such as solar to produce hot water and/or electricity or geothermal system, which uses stable ground or water temperatures near the earth's surface to provide heating, air conditioning, and in most cases, hot water.

Small steps in aggregate will have an enormous impact on our global environment - and give you a comfortable, energy efficient home with a great return on your investment.

About the Author: Jeremy Bonin, a principal partner of Bonin Architects & Associates, is an award-winning green architect and the author of TIMBER FRAMES: Designing Your Custom Home. With a special interest in sustainable design and green homes, structural insulated panels (SIPs), as well as timber frame construction, Jeremy incorporates renewable energy practices where possible, including geo-thermal, solar, radiant heat, and energy-efficient foundation systems.

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