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November 21, 2009  |  Login
Designing Your Way to a Better Green Home
By Eric Corey Freed
 
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  • Minimize waste and speed up installation by designing around standard sizes For example, design your bathroom to fit the tiles you’re planning to install.
  • If you’re building out of wood, consider using optimum value engineering techniques You’ll use up to 55% less wood. (Advanced Framing Techniques explains the benefits of this practice.)
  • Design an energy-efficient building Making an efficient building is the easiest thing you can do to save energy. Use high levels of insulation, high-performance windows, and tight construction. (Refer to home energy efficiency for more on all these options.)
  • Design buildings to use renewable energy Consider solar water heating and solar panels, or design the roof for future solar panel installation. (See Renewable Home Energy for more information.)
  • Let the sun shine in Daylighting (using natural sunlight to light a room) is an easy way to bring warmth into your home while reducing energy use. (Find more ideas on daylighting)
  • Use the sun to heat and cool the building Passive solar heating, daylighting, and natural cooling can be incorporated cost-effectively into most buildings. (Find  out more on passive cooling)
  • Consider a graywater system You can save the soapy water that has been used for bathing, dishwashing, or clothes washing and reuse it later for flushing toilets or irrigating the garden. (Read more about the benefits of graywater)
  • Use the rainwater Clean water falls on your roof every time it rains. Collect this water and use it to flush your toilets or water your lawn. (Learn more about rainwater systems)
  • Design water-efficient, low-maintenance landscaping Lawns require a great deal of maintenance, pesticides, and mowing.
  • Avoid potential health hazards, including radon, mold, and pesticides The issues of mold and radon are important concerns.  ....read more
 
 
 
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