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Americans are increasingly demanding lower energy costs, healthier living, and improved indoor air quality–particularly those earning less than $75,000, according to findings from a survey conducted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and McGraw-Hill Construction.
Sustainability features in the 30-room facility, which will provide lodging, support services, and meals to ill children and their families, include solar power, stormwater management, and a closed-loop air handling system that prevents spread of germs.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new work practice standards for remodelers of older homes in an effort to reduce lead paint exposure, particularly among children. Set to take effect in April 2010, the new standards will extend to builders, painters, plumbers, and...
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Whole-house ventilation isn’t just a good idea, it should be a standard feature in your homes. Here’s how it works.
Most builders know by now that as homes have gotten tighter, indoor air quality has declined. Brian McElroy is proving you can have it both ways.
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The first time I remember hearing about green building was in the early-'70s, when a perfect blend of hippie culture and rising oil costs resulted in, among other things, houses called "earth ships" that incorporated wall systems made from old tires filled with dirt. But also, through some hits and...
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Mold growth in homes is the hot topic in the home building industry today. Headlines tout the danger of exposure to mold in our homes and at work. A member of the fungi family, mold comes in thousands of varieties and exists in every indoor and outdoor environment. It is a natural and necessary...
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Healthy Air
At Neil Kelly Construction, green remodeling starts with designers planning sustainable, green spaces. Then, once it begins a project, the company opts to use green materials--for example, FSC-certified wood, low-VOC paints, and formaldehyde-free cabinets, which they manufacture themselves.
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Builders always wanted to sell indoor air quality (IAQ) systems, but in the past, adding a humidifier, dehumidifier, and ventilator to an HVAC system meant the installer had to hang four devices and run more than a dozen wires through the walls. Nowadays Honeywell's VisionPro IAQ lets builders hang...
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The term “high performance” likely conjures up an image of a car, one that's sleek and speedy, with an extremely powerful engine. The expectations surrounding such cars are high, which is why their allure is so strong.
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With the current consumer focus on indoor air quality, making use of mold- and moisture-prevention products is important to mitigate moisture's effects in the home.
Whether you're interested in working in a more environmentally friendly way or not, soon the interior paint you use–no matter where you live–may be a greener product. That's already true for a chunk of California and a large part of the Northeast, where stringent regulations over the last few years...
Indoor air quality (IAQ) was not priority No. 1 for Virginia Ranch Development project manager Davis Johnson as he oversaw construction of an 800-home community in Gardnerville, Nev., near Carson City. It seldom is. Like just about everybody else in the business right now, Johnson's biggest concern...
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Where in home building do risk and doubt converge? In indoor air quality matters, that's where. For big builders, the dilemma about indoor air quality falls somewhere on the spectrum of what they must do to be in compliance with code, what they could do to be ethical, and what they'd be smart in...
It's difficult to see the nation's highest volume builder as a niche builder, but D.R. Horton's Sacramento division is proving that the two terms are not mutually exclusive. Determined to carve out a reputation as an environmentally conscious builder, the division has shifted its focus from solely...
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This past year's HVAC switch came after extensive research into fuel savings for customers. “After seeing what the Evolution can do with the variable speed and the 96-percent-efficient furnace versus the 92-percent-efficient furnace we were using, our customers are looking at a five-year payback or...
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In an ideal world, all homeowners would have the interest and resources to purchase zero-energy homes that not only dramatically reduce their utility bills but also give energy back to the power grid. Although zero-energy homes are not an option for most folks, super-efficient technologies are.
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In the past, the whirring of a fan motor was the only thing homeowners might have noticed when it came to bathroom ventilation. Noise, and more important, indoor air quality (IAQ) as it relates to mold, are issues remodelers have to address during a bathroom project.
Research house may offer realistic applications for green practices.