Green Building Guide

What Does green Building mean?

Green Building is a fairly broad concept, but the core ideas of green building entail the following:

So, what does it mean that a building is environmentally friendly? It simply means two things; Constructing the building is safe for the surrounding environment and will not significantly interfere with the wild life, its patterns of daily life, and that it will not negatively affect the natural environment. nearby. It also means that building is constructed from environmentally friendly materials that are available locally and that the construction process is well designed to reduce the unnecessary pollution and negative effects on the environment.

In green building practices, efficient use of resources means using water saving faucets and plumbing elements, energy efficient lighting units and passive solar design. It also involves, the use of energy efficient building materials aimed to attain highly energy efficient building envelope with well insulated walls, floors and ceilings. A well insulated building envelope will helps keeping building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Reduced energy consumption provides financial benefits for the building owners and helps reduce the carbon monoxide footprint of the building on the environment.

Another important feature of a green building is its design aimed at providing comfortable and safe environment for the human occupants. It means that building will be pleasant and safe for people to be in. It could contain the elements of intuitive floor plans, spacious and well lit hallways, fresh-air circulation and monitoring units, dampness and temperature controls. Use of Human safe materials and pleasant architectural design that provides psychological and physiological benefits for human occupants.

Green Building Benefits

The most fundamental benefit of Green Building is that it is environmentally friendly and safe for people occupying the building. A well designed and constructed green building is well integrated into the environment in which it is built and does not detract from it. It is pleasant and safe for people who use the building on a daily basis. Its aesthetic appeal of carefully designed and well integrated architectural features, such as efficient use of space, intuitive layouts and [pleasant lighting offers psychological benefits to people. While, elements such as clean air monitoring and circulating systems, handicap access, clean water and other elements make it safe and beneficial to human health.

Green Building Materials

Sustainability and environmental friendliness are two key requirements to green building materials. Many green building materials also offer energy efficiency benefits. For instance, use of metal in residential and commercial construction is considered environmentally friendly because metal is recyclable and long lasting building material that also offers excellent solar reflective benefits making it an energy efficient choice for roofing and wall panels when constructing a building envelope.

Bamboo is another green building material because it grows quickly and thus can be easily sustained. Specially grown Cedar can be considered sustainable building material when its grown locally and cut in a sustainable manner that will ensure future growth and availability.

Green Energy Generation Systems

Energy Generating systems are considered to be the most expensive elements of a green building design, but the initial cost of this type of investment is justified when calculated for future energy savings for the building owner. It is also environmentally sound choice that not only results in free energy, but also earns LEED / green building credits to the building owner.

Two most commonly used green energy generating are solar and wind electricity generating systems:

The use of solar energy in green building can provide free electricity for the building owners. Solar panels can be installed on the roof top of the building where the solar energy will be converted to electricity.

Another way to generate electricity is through the use of wind energy. Wind turbine can be set up in pathway of winds, which can provide significant amount of free electricity for the building owners.

Green Building Guide to Costs and Prices

Without a doubt, building green is initially pricier than the cost of conventional construction, but from a long term perspective integrating green building elements will result in energy savings and longer lasting building that will pay for the difference in initial investment and then some.

Year 2009, also offers financial benefits and incentives that will make green building technology more affordable for homeowners and commercial buildings.

Green Building for Residential Use

Homeowners can greatly benefit from the use of green building technology in new home construction and for the existing homes. In fact, there are quite a few green building elements that homeowners of existing homes can benefit from:

A well insulated home can help save over fifty percent on your heating bill in the winter, and lower your cooling bill in the summer. A well insulated building will not leak warmer air out or allow cooler air in the winter, and will provide for similar effect in the summer. Not only will well insulated walls and ceilings help you save money by reducing your energy bill, but it can also help the longevity of your home. In fact one of the most frequent damages to homes in the winter are ice dam formation, and one of the easiest ways to prevent ice dam build up is to have a well insulated attic, which will keep it cool and prevent the melting of the snow on your roof.