The House as a System
Sustainable building take most of us back to the classroom for a refresher on the physical properties of energy, air, and water. It's much easier to build a green house when we understand how heat and cold move from one object to another, and how air and moisture move inside our houses. Green building practices, as well as the selection of building materials, revolve around a few basic principles of science.
*A house is a system of interrelated parts.
*Energy loses some of its potential each time it is converted from one form to another, which helps explain why passive solar heat is much more efficient then electric heat.
*Form follows function when it comes to design, meaning that construction should be tailored to the environment in which the house is built.
*Air leaks in the building envelope represent a significant loss of energy and open the door to moisture damage inside wall and ceiling cavities.
*Controlling the movement of heat, air, and moisture involves in every part of the building and everyone on the building team.
Insulation
Insulation is the key to energy conservation, a cornerstone of green building. Poorly insulated houses waste energy, and most heating and cooling equipment runs on fossil fuels, Which are not sustainable over the long haul. Well-insulated houses not only save energy, thus lowering operation cost, but also keeps people more comfortable.
Indoor Air Quality
Maintaining high indoor air quality , an important component of green building, becomes more complex as the number of chemicals used in a household furnishings, products, and building materials continues to expand. As houses become more tighter, they are more likely to trap chemicals in the air we breathe. In fact , air quality can be much lower inside where we spend almost of our time than it is outside.
*Green-building strategies for improving air quality include appropriate mechanical ventilation and air filtration. It should also include a broader apparition for the kinds of hazards we may encounter and efforts to eliminate them where possible.
*Contaminants can be either chemical or biological in nature.
*Mold spores, which are impossible to eliminate, can blossom into growing colonies when moisture is not controlled.
*Chemical hazards include the likely culprits-solvents, paints, vehicle exhaust, certain adhesives, pesticides-as well as ordinary households products and building materials that off-gas formaldehyde and others potentially hazardous compounds.
*Radon, a naturally occurring gas, is the second most frequent causes of lung cancer in the U.S after smoking.
All of this may seem overwhelming but each step is a basis for creating homes that are self-reliant, and versatile. The scale of environment changes facing us is enormous and unperdictable. It is only common sence to begin making our homes right for the world we really live in. Future-proofing your home is one of the smartest investments you can make today. Peart Signature Homes will be there every step of the way.
