Energy Savings
Energy savings is more than just putting money back into your pocket, it is also a way to help protect the environment, our natural resources, promote healthier living, and improve indoor and outdoor air quality.We believe that it is the responsibility of all of us in the home building industry to do our part to build cleaner, more energy efficient homes. In order to accomplish this goal we have partnered with the Federal Government’s Energy Star program and the Green Build Grand Traverse Initiative.
So what does all this mean??
Generally, green building is made up of three main components:
Energy Use
Impact on the Environment
Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality
Energy Use
We all know that saving energy saves money, but more importantly, for the rest of us by saving energy we save resources and reduce pollution.
For example, a typical Green Build home will be 30% more efficient than a home built to the Michigan Energy Code. In 2002 alone, Americans were able to save:
7 billion dollars on their energy bills, which is enough energy to power 15 million homes and is also equivalent to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions produced by 15 million cars.
Impact on the Environment
We all know that are natural resources are limited, and green building addresses this concern by using:
- Recycled products
- Materials from or made from lumber harvested from sustainable managed forests
- Using efficient design and advanced framing practices
- Reducing waste and water usage
- Using engineered lumber products which use material from faster growing species leaving other trees to move onto maturity.
- Educating homeowners on the most efficient and healthy ways to maintain their homes
For example, we use Nu-wool Engineered Cellulose Insulation in nearly all of our new construction homes. Nu-Wool® is an energy-saving cellulose insulation made from recycled newspapers and it has superior thermal and air infiltration properties, reduces heating and cooling bills by up to 40%, creates quiet, comfortable, draft-free homes, is made from recycled newspapers and contains an E.P.A. registered fungicide, making it resistant to the growth of mold.
In addition over 50% of the lights we put in our homes are CFL type and use up to 75% less energy than standard bulbs, which means less pollution. In addition CFL lights last 8-10 times longer than standard bulbs – perfect for hard-to-reach places.
Did you know that one tree can filter about 60 lbs of pollutants out of the air a year??
Nearly 75% of all the lumber that goes into our homes is either engineered lumber products or lumber that is created from recycled wood products. This means that larger trees are not needed to manufacture the product and that less waste is produced in the process.
Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality
According to the EPA the average indoor air quality inside the home is 5-10 times worse than outdoor air. Green building helps to reduce this problem by using:
- Products that reduce the release of “off-gas” chemicals in the air
- Design and product usage that keep mold from growing in buildings
- Properly sealed ductwork systems that do not contaminate the air
- Air exchange systems that bring in fresh air and exhaust stale air
Energy Star Partner
An Energy Star Partner is a home builder who builds homes to Energy Star Qualification and is then certified by a third party. Green Building and Energy Star are very similar but are also very different. The Energy Star building program focuses on using high performance building materials such as “low-e” glass that keeps heat in in the winter and out in the summer. Other features include a mechanical air exchanger that sucks out polluted stale air and pulls in fresh air, as well as high efficiency furnaces, water heaters, insulation and appliances. In most instances Energy Star Homes are 15 to 30 % more efficient than one built to current Michigan energy code. This efficiency can literally transform into thousands of dollars of savings over the course of owning your home. In addition it also helps to improve the indoor air quality and reduce the impact on the environment.