ERHolz General Contracting

Thursday, 01 October 2009: Green architect and author of “Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies” discusses the true costs of green building.

Mr. Glauthier has served as President of TJG Energy Associates, LLC, a California based energy consulting firm since January 2005. From May 2001 to December 2004, Mr. Glauthier served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of the Electricity Innovation Institute, which was an affiliate of the Electric Power Research Institute. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Glauthier served as the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the US Department of Energy. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Glauthier served as the Associate Director for Natural Resources Energy and Science at the US Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President. Mr. Glauthier also serves on the boards of directors of Union Drilling, Inc., a NASDAQ-listed company, and EPV Solar, Inc., a privately-held company. Mr. Glauthier holds an AB in Mathematics from Claremont mckenna College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

IBS 2010: LP Building Products

Kogen Construction Company is dedicated to building green, environmentally friendly luxury homes, green renovations, and green construction / remodeling of kitchens and baths in the luxury home market. Owner Julie Miller-Kogen is personally involved in every detail, decision, and communication involved with each project. The Boca Raton luxury home featured in this green renovation video is located in Woodfield Country Club. Kogen Construction Company believes clients deserve an intense, hands-on approach to ensure the quality of the green construction product.

Discovery Channel Planet Green – Building The Future

An introduction to green building practices from energy savings to finish material with Natural Built Home store owner Rachel Maloney.

Using green building products can be a great way that you can help protect the environment and reduce land field expansion. If you are redesigning a kitchen or bathroom in your house then you need to consider using products that are designated green. These products in most cases will be recycled and then reused again. With so many people in the world and the population continuing to grow we need to find a way that everybody can go green.

Get Free: Green Materials Information

The first thing that you need to do is talk to a contractor who specializes in using only green products. You want to find a contractor that has experience doing this because you will get much better results. It is a good idea to get references from any builder or contractor you are thinking about using. You want to make sure that they know exactly what they are doing before they begin.

Save with: Great Recycling Tips

You should always educate yourself about green products so you know what is truly a good product to use. Some items claimed to be recycled but in reality they may not be. Also when you use a specialist who knows about these types of products you can feel confident that every item that is used is safe for the environment.

It is a good idea to visit your local builders store to find out what type of green products they carry. You should ask them as many questions as possible so that you understand what it means to go green. You may be shocked to find out that every item you use to build or redo your house can be a renewable product.

Remember that when you are looking for building materials you should consider using green items. The important thing to remember is that you are helping to save the environment.

Green building techniques aren’t just for new construction… they’re for every day home practice.  There are literally dozens of things the average homeowner can do to make his or her home a greener, more energy-efficient place in which to live, while at the same time saving money and helping the environment through reduced fossil fuel and electricity consumption.  And for the homeowner who’s about to undertake a new project or major appliance purchase, there are several easy green building techniques to be made aware of before getting started.

First and foremost, an energy efficient house begins with a good home building envelope.  The invisible seal between the inside and outside of a residence is also the wall between conditioned and unconditioned space, and this is where most energy loss occurs.  For every place that heating or cooling energy is escaping from a home, there’s an immediate opportunity to improve on the building’s envelope.  By sealing and caulking gaps or cracks in windows, doors, and attic structures, drafts can be reduced or eliminated.  Spray and expanding foam products are ideal for filling wall cavities between the inside and outside walls of a home.  Radiant barriers installed in an attic or home’s exterior walls can reflect thermal heat radiation, keeping heated air in during the winter and cool air in during the summer.  Foundation fabrics and waterproof membranes in the basement can keep moisture from penetrating the base of a building’s envelope.  These green building techniques are simple yet effective methods of sealing your home against energy loss, and they can be easily applied by anyone.  View dozens of other simple and immediate energy solutions at Green Building with Energy Star.

Other green building techniques are even easier, paying themselves quickly in utility savings.  Appliances purchased today all bear the Department of Energy’s yellow Energy Guide label with statistics and information about energy usage.  At the bottom of this label is usually the estimated annual energy cost for that appliance.  By comparing these figures against the features of each appliance, homeowners can educate themselves as to which models are greener and more energy efficient than others.

Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency created the Energy Star program to label appliances and home electronics that go above and beyond the call of duty in terms of energy savings.  Meeting the EPA’s strict guidelines for energy efficiency, models displaying the blue Energy Star logo are usually 10% to 50% more energy efficient than comparable models of the same type.  This green building technique saves the consumer money over the lifetime of the appliance, plus the reduced energy consumption saves fossil fuels and limits the greenhouse gases released into the environment.

As if that weren’t enough, the US government offers incentive programs in the form of rebates and tax reductions to consumers who purchase Energy Star model efficient appliances.  These rebates vary from region to region and state to state, but they can be checked by zip code on Energy Star’s own website.  Green building techniques in the form of choosing the right appliances for the home are a no-brainer these days.

From boilers to hot water heaters, furnaces to central air conditioning systems, refrigerators, washers, and even light fixtures, saving energy through green building techniques is good for the homeowner, good for the environment, and good for the planet in general.  Green building should always be considered before making any major appliance purchase or before beginning a new building or construction project.