Green Glossary

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc.

The carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce and has units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent.

What is Earthcraft House?

EarthCraft House is a green building program that helps member builders construct healthy, comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment. EarthCraft House is a partnership between the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, Southface Energy Institute, the government and industry partners. The aim of the program is to help home builders be leaders in smart growth management and environmental stewardship.

Green Plumbing - In the last Decade, there have been many advances in plumbing when it comes to water conservation. Low flow toilets and dual flush systems have been perfected, and are becoming more and more popular. Problems that plagued early attempts at low flow fixtures have been solved, in part through the standardization of testing and rating systems that have established clear performance specifications for which manufactures design. These Standards are called Maximum Performance standards. The Hot Water D'MAND® System consists of an electronically controlled pump and valve assembly that allows for the rapid delivery of hot water to plumbing fixtures without the loss of cold water down the drain. The D'MAND System is activated when someone creates a demand for hot water by activating the pump with any one of a number of methods. At that time, the Hot Water D'MAND System pumps the hot water to the plumbing fixtures. Once hot water reaches the pump, the System detects a 3° to 4° temperature rise and completely shuts off so there is no loss of energy or water.

See JT Plumbing and Pully & Assoc on our Vendor List.

Green HVAC - Here is an area of remodeling that can combine a number of Green Features: good indoor air quality reduced heating and cooling cost, and moisture control. For heating cooling and active Ventilation, there are three types of HVAC systems: those that only exhaust air, such as kitchen fans; those that only supply air, and those that do a balance of the both.

Green Paint & Finishes - No area of Green Building has seen such a profusion of new products than that of paints and finishes. When the California Air Resource Board set VOC standards for California markets, the manufactures that responded to with California specific products found themselves ahead of the curve. Green Building suddenly became all the rage on a national scale. The EPA also set standards for low- and no- VOC paints and finishes that manufactures could set their sights. As a result, high-performance, low- and no- VOC paints and finishes are widely available at prices you used to pay for more dangerous paints and finishes.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects.

Blown Foams - Of all the insulation innovations, the one with the greatest positive impact on the building envelope is blown foam. Though it is relatively on the costly side, and has to be done by a specialty contractor, it offers near zero air permeability and great insulation properties; therefore, the resulting envelope has a high R- value and high integrity, two very green features.

See Woodman Insulation on our preferred Vendor List. Also, see Icynene.

Duct sealants in conditioned spaces - If you are using Ducts to heat and cool your home, your two main goals should be (1) to carefully seal the seems of the ducts so that they do not leak air and (2) run the ducts through a conditioned(insulated) space as straight as you can. As for sealing ducts, even common sense will tell you that if you’re blowing air under pressure into a duct system that leaks like a sieve, you are going to lose conditioned air into non living spaces, which will dramatically drive down the efficiency of your HVAC system. After achieving a mechanical connection between ducts, seal them with an acrylic- or butyl based specialty tape, or a duct sealing mastic. Don’t use duct tape, which has a rubberized adhesive and dries out over time.

As for where to run ducts, here too, common sense will tell you that if you blow heated air through a duct system that runs through ice cold (non-conditioned) space, you will see a dramatic drop in the HVAC systems efficiency. The same is true for a system that blows cold air into ducts that run through hot attic space. Ideally you want to run ducts through a conditioned space. Even if the conditioned space is not the same temperature as the living space, you aim is to lower the degree differential between the air temperature inside the duct and the temperature of the air the duct is running through. See our Vendor List for a qualified contractor.

Insulation Terms

Here are some terms for use when looking at different types of insulation.

  • BATT OR BLANKET INSULATION - This is usually made from fiber glass cut to fit onto framing cavities. Batts are provided on sheets, while blankets come in rolls.
  • BRITISH THERMAL UNIT - (Btu) is a measurement of heat. One btu is the heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degrees fierenheight.
  • RIGID BOARD INSULATION - Is manufactured in panels that make it easy to clad a large area. Different types provide a range of R- values, although rigid foam generally is highly rated. It also resists water and rot from locations in the ground.
  • R-VALUE - is the standard measure of resistance to heat flow. Every type of insulation has an R-Value per inch. The higher the value, the greater the resistance.
  • THERMAL ENVELOPE - Describes the sum total of a home’s insulation systems: walls, ceilings, foundations, floors, windows, and doors.

GREEN SEALS

These are some of the green seals you should look for when choosing green products.

  • Greenguard - The Greenguard certification program (greenguard.org) is run by the Greenguard Environmental Institute. It certifies low-emitting products for indoor air quality focusing on such harmful chemicals as VOC and formaldehyde in adhesives, appliances, building materials, finishes, and flooring. Testing follows ATSM and EPA standards.
  • Green Seal - Green Seal (greenseal.org) is an independent third-party organization that provides environmental testing and certification for a wide range of materials, including building materials. They look at the products entire life cycle, and manufacturers pay a fee to be evaluated. If the product passes the various evaluation tests, it earns the green seal.
  • Green Certified Lumber - For evaluating the “chain of custody” of lumber (from where it is harvested to where it is sold), there are two leading agencies, one of which—SFI—is viewed a little too pro-industry. The more objective and independent lumber certification organization is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) at fscus.org. The FSC promotes responsible forest management acts world wide. FSC sets standards to protect ecosystems, water quality, habitats, and even local communities. They also accredit third-party organizations to verify its standards. There are two certificates available: a Forest Management certificate and a Chain Of Custody certificate, which tracks lumber from raw materials to the consumer. The American Forest and Paper Association set up the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (aboutsfi.org) to foster the benefits of long time forest management as well as the protection of the environment. SFI also has two certificates: one for producers of wood products, and another for processed wood.