Erosion Control- Good SILT Fences Make Good Neighbors

I was at a new construction site today as part of an Energy Star/ NC Healthy Built Home Certification Inspection, when I noticed several building sites that had erosion problems from these late afternoon downpours we have been having. Now my dad used to tell me, 'if you don't live at the top of the mountain, someone's runoff will come across your property whether you like it or not'. But that does not mean you have to put up with excessive or silt filled runoff. Make sure that your site or your neighbors site is properly protected and will contain the silt on site. Areas of runoff must be slowed or stopped so that silt will sink and collect at the bottom of the ditch or silt pond and let the clean water flow out.

There are many eco friendly erosion control options other than the standard silt fence. There are mulch sox, Biodegradeable fabric wrapped around mulch. This will slow the runoff and allow the silt to settle, and when your done just spread the mulch. There are many other options, check with your local merchants, or go to the Western North Carolina Green Building Council website for mor information and a list of merchants and contractors that can help.

Not only will your neighbors be happy, but our creeks, streams and rivers will remain clear, clean, beautiful and full of life.

Sustainable Building means many things

Sustainable building means different things to different people, but the underlying principles all come back to a few core items.

•Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
•Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
•Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation
Green(sustainable) building practices aim to reduce the enviromental impact of buildings. Buildings account for a large amount of land use, energy and water consumption, and air and atmosphere alteration. Considering the statistics, reducing the amount of natural resources buildings consume and the amount of pollution given off is seen as crucial for future sustainability, according to EPA.The environmental impact of buildings is often underestimated, while the perceived costs of green buildings are overestimated. A recent survey by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development finds that green costs are overestimated by 300 percent, as key players in real estate and construction estimate the additional cost at 17 percent above conventional construction, more than triple the true average cost difference of about 5 percent.

Everyone has heard about most of the principles of Green or Sustainable building practices, but one is not discussed much is Universal Design. Universal Design techniques include ground level entry, wider interior doorways, low or no threshold showers, and many other design items that allow ease of use by all inhabitants regardless of age or abilities. This will allow the owners to 'age in place' and be able to grow old in their own home as opposed to a nursing home or other similiar type facility.

So as you can see green or sustainable building is not just about bamboo floors and recycled material in your carpets. Sustainable building is about how the home or building effects the enviroment from the idea stage through demolition, and how that home is used during its lifetime.

So if your building a new home or renovating the home your in now, look at how you will be able to use that home in the future and what your needs will be down the road. Make sure the decisions you make now take into account what you will need in the future, and how those decisions will affect your children and their children and so on.

Know how Energy Effecient a Home is Before you buy.

There are many things to consider when buying a house. Some are personal preferences that differ from person to person and family to family. Others are things that every buyer should take into consideration on every house. Is the foundation sound? Are there any major repairs needed now or in the near future, such as new roof, expensive repair or replacement of the heating and air conditioning system, any structural issues with the floor or roof. And one issue that is just as important is how Energy Effecient is the house.

An energy effecient home impacts the occupants lives in more ways than just saving money on utility bill. An energy effecient home is sealed better to keep conditioned air in the house and outside air(and the pollutants it carries) out of the house. This means better indoor air quality inside the home. Also , air leaking into or out of the house(depending on the season) will leave moisture in the walls. This happens when warm humid air passes through your wall, air will pass through the wall but moisture is trapped inside. The last thing you want is moisture in the wall, this can lead to many problems.

In an energy effecient home, the heating and air conditioning system will not have to run as much to keep the interior of the house at the desired temperature. This means a longer life for your equipment and less maintenace cost during that life.

Then there is the money saved each month on utility bills. This can be 20% to 40% for the average house. If the home averages $200 per month in utility bills, that could mean a savings of $40.00 to $80.00 per month.

An Energy Audit, performed by a certified professional(currently there are only 2 certifications in this area, BPI Building Analyst, and RESNET Certified HERS Rater) is required in about 12 municipalities throughout the country now. Quite a few more are looking at this type of legislation.

Every buyer should have an Energy Audit done along with a Home Inspection. You would not buy a car without knowing the MPG. Why buy a house with out knowing its MPG.

How to Really Go Green

We have been bombarded with Green over the last few years, some of the green products and advice are great, and the only green in some of the products and advice is the green going in someones pocket.

The first place we can start to Go Green, and encourage clients to Go Green is through Energy Effeciency. Reducing the energy use in a home has a multitude of benefits.

Most power plants in the southeast burn coal to produce electricity, less electricity use equals less coal burned equals cleaner air, lower electric bills.

Studies show that the efficiency upgrades that will give a homeowner the biggest return on investment are not very expensive to accomplish. Duct leakage from the heating and air conditioning system is one of the first things you want to check, your unit is producing conditioned air(hot or cold depending on the season) but all of that air is not getting into your living space. So your unit has to work longer and harder to get enough conditioned air in to bring it to the temperature you have set on the thermostat.

If your house is not properly insulated, it will not keep your living space at the temperature you have set for very long, so your heating and air unit kicks on again and again to keep dumping conditioned air in to maintain the temperature you desire.

Air leaks AROUND windows and doors and other areas of the house also let air and moisture in and out of the house when you don't want it to.

Resolving these items are the least expensive of all the energy efficiency upgrades you can do. Cheaper than a new heating and air unit, cheaper than new windows. But they will achieve the BIGGEST PAYBACK not only in money saved on your monthly bills, but your home will be more comfortable, usually eliminating hot and cold spots, your equipment will operate less, which will increase the life expectancy of your equipment and reduce the maintenance cost during that time and increase indoor air quality.

If you want to Go Green, Go Energy Efficient, have a professional Energy Audit performed by a RESNET Certified HERS Rater or a BPI Certified Building Analyst. These Auditors can perform duct blaster(Heating and air duct system leakage) testing along with a blower door test(finds where and how much air leaking into and out of the house).

You can help save your clients money, enjoy better indoor air quality and be more comfortable in their home.

Introducing Energy Pros

We offer Home Inspections that include Thermal Imaging, Commercial Property Inspections, Energy Audits, and new construction Green Certifications. We also offer consulting services for new construction and existing homes to help homeowners reduce unnecessary energy use in their homes and locate health hazards such as moisture and infiltration and leakage. We offer well testing, Radon Gas testing and Mold Testing.