Building Green Idea List

 

Cabinets, Built Ins, and Closets

  • Use wood that is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified

  • Use alternatives to solid wood that are formaldehyde free

    1. Formaldehyde free MDF (medium density fiberboard) – Made of recycled sawmill waste

    2. Wheat & Straw Board –an annually renewable resource (vs. 30 to 50 yrs for wood)

    3. Melamine – encapsulates other products such as particle board and reduces off gas

  • Use finish adhesives with low or no VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

  • Use recycled metal products for closet systems, utility and filing cabinets.

  • Use natural solid wood or reclaimed wood for face frames and door fronts ore entire cabinets for reusability, durability, and longevity

Fireplaces and Woodstoves

  • Replacing open flame fireplaces and woodstoves with free standing units or natural gas inserts

  • Install airtight glass doors in front of open faced firebox

  • Install or replace leaking dampers on fireplaces

  • Carbon monoxide (CO) testing, detector and alarms

Hardwood Floors

  • Bamboo hardwood floors

  • FSC certified wood flooring

  • Use of locally produced hardwood flooring material

  • Laminated or engineered wood flooring with low VOC finishes

  • Use reclaimed, salvaged, or previously used hardwood floors

Carpet

  • Bio-PDO (derived from corn sugar), recycled polyester or P.E.T. (polyethylene terephthalate), recycled nylon, wool, cotton and grass carpet material options

  • Recycling of carpet being removed

  • Reuse of salvaged/reclaimed carpet

  • Use of carpet tiles rather than rolls to aid in spot replacement and longer life

  • Careful selelction of fiber density and durability for heavy traffic areas

  • Use of colors and patterns that reduce wear

  • Low nap carpet that qualifies for the Carpet and Rug Industry (CRI) Green Label

  • Reduce the need for carpet by maximizing hard surface flooring areas

Tile

  • Tile made from recycled content

  • Tile for floors instead of carpet or vinyl for durability and ease of maintenance

  • Low toxic grouts and seal with low VOC sealant

Countertops

  • Use of durable countertop and backsplash surfaces including recycled tile and glass, stainless steel, and locally FSC certified wood (butcherblock), stone, brick, concrete and bamboo

  • Bio-composite (soy and recycled paper) materials (look like granite, but can be nailed and sanded like wood)

  • Use products such as Avonite, EcoTop, Bio-Glass, Paperstone, Squak Mountain Stone

Alternative Flooring Options

  • Cork tile flooring and cork underlayment

  • Natural linoleum or marmoleum

  • Locally produced brick and stone masonry floors

  • Sealed MDF underlayment

  • Low VOC concrete sealants

  • Finish concrete over slabs

  • Bio-composite materials in non-wet areas

  • Natural fiber floor mats

  • Recycled rubber flooring

Paint & Finish Options

  • Latex paint, low toxic, low/non VOC, and low/non biocide paints

  • Low toxic or low VOC clear finishes and sealers

  • Low VOC, water or plant-oil based stains

  • Recycled latex paint

Lighting & Electrical Options

  • Use of daylight by adding windows, skylights and solar tubes

  • High efficiency fluorescent lights, fluorescent tubes and dedicated compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)

  • Dimmers

  • Motion Sensors, photocell sensors, and occupancy sensors

  • Programmable timer switches

  • Replacing standard incandescent lights with screw base CFLs

  • Use solar power for exterior security lighting

  • Limit lighting area boundaries to reduce light pollution on neighbors and trespass of light to wildlife areas, wetlands and buffers

  • Sign up for renewable power options such as wind energy, geothermal or habitat friendly hydropower

Walls, Ceilings & Trim

  • Use FSC certified wood trim

  • Use minimum 12% recycled gypsum content drywall

  • Use finger jointed trim

  • Use formaldehyde free, exterior grade OSB and plywood for interior surfaces

  • Formaldehyde free MDF trim

Appliances

  • High efficiency Energy Star rated appliances

  • Reuse or recycle old appliances

  • Instant hot and point of use water heaters

  • Tankless water heaters

  • Energy Star rated office equipment

  • Horizontal axis washing machines

  • Install a permanent clothesline to reduce the need for using an electric dryer

Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning

  • Install timer switches on exhaust fans

  • Add or replace existing exhaust fans with new energy efficient exhaust fans (1.5 sones or less) and vent them outside – important in bath rooms, laundry rooms, pool and hot tub rooms

  • Humidity control systems

  • Install activated charcoal air filters

  • Install whole house ventilation systems with 24 hour timers for fresh air intake and exhaust

  • Install HEPA (High Efficiency Particle Arrestance) filters on furnace

  • Install pleated media filters with a MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating of 12 or better

  • Install high efficiency heat pumps with gas furnace backup

  • Install geothermal/ground source heat pumps

  • Install ductless mini split heat pumps

  • Install zoned radiant heating systems with independent thermostat controls

  • Install zoned heating systems with rooms zoned separately according to usage and size

  • Install or relocate ductwork in conditioned spaces

  • Entire duct system cleaning

  • Pressure guided duct and house sealing

  • Advanced duct sealing to meet Office of Energy requirements for tax credits

  • Seal all accessible ducts with a fiber reinforced or low toxicity mastic

  • Seal inaccessible duct leaks internally using aerosol based duct sealing technology

  • Install forced air gas furnace with air conditioning meeting a minimum of 12 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating)

  • Install a high efficiency gas furnace (90% or better) or sealed combustion furnace

  • Install zoned hydronic radiant heating systems

  • Locate furnace inside conditioned space

  • Proper sizing and optimizing of HVAC equipment according to ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America)

  • Balancing and testing HVAC system for optimal energy performance

  • Optimizing of new duct design using ACCA Manual D

  • Install heat exchangers or heat recovery systems

  • Install Energy Star ceiling fans

  • Power vent combustion furnaces

  • Install externally vented garage exhaust fan with timer linked to garage door

  • Install smooth ducting or replace corrugated metal ducting to lower air flow resistance

  • Install variable speed air handling units

  • Separate combustion heating exhaust from fresh air intake

  • Externally vent central vacuum system

  • Perform blower door and duct blasting tests

  • Decommission or remove heating oil tanks when new furnaces are installed

Plumbing

  • Grouping plumbing fixtures for shorter pipe runs

  • Waste water heat recovery systems

  • On-demand hot water recirculation pumps

  • Whole house are at the faucet water filtration systems

  • Insulating water pipes

  • Grey water conversion, storage and irrigation

  • Retrofit or install low flow shower heads and faucet aerators

  • Replace old toilets with low flow toilets (1.6 gallons per flush) or water conserving dual flush toilets

  • Install heat pump water heater to meet Office of Energy tax credit requirements

  • Install electric high efficiency water heater, or a “lifetime” electric water heater, with an Energy Factor (EF) rating of .93 or higher for 60 gallons or less tanks, or an EF of .91 for more than 60 gallon tanks

  • Install solar panel water heating system

  • Install a natural gas or propane high efficiency water heater of .56 EF or better for 40 gallon tanks, or .60 or better for larger tanks

  • Install instantaneous natural gas tankless water heater

  • Install whole house water filtration system

  • Locate new bathrooms near water heater

  • Install chlorine filters on showerheads

Insulation

  • Insulated concrete form systems

  • Spray foam to seal any electrical or plumbing penetrations

  • Air, vapor and moisture barriers

  • Rigid board insulation

  • Homasote fiber board for sound deadening

  • Cotton and denim cotton batt insulation

  • Cellulose (recycled paper wasted) loose fill insulation

  • Insulation baffles

  • Mineral wool

  • Polyurethane foam

  • Radiant barriers

  • Weatherstripping

  • Insulate attics to a minimum resistance value (R-value) of 38

  • Insulate vaulted ceilings to R-30 or better

  • Insulate ducts to R-11 or better

  • Install floor insulation to R-25 or better

  • Install recycled content formaldehyde-free fiberglass batt insulation

  • Insulate and air seal attic opening

  • Install polystyrene rigid foam insulation

  • Spray-in-place foam insulations such as polyurethane and polyisocyanurate with no chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or reduced hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)

  • Install or upgrade wall insulation to R-13 or better

Pools & Hot Tubs

  • Install high efficiency natural gas or propane water heating equipment

  • Additional insulation to hot tub

  • Add pool or hot tub covers

Decks

  • Recycled plastic or plastic/wood composite lumber

  • Avoid using wood treated with chromium and arsenic or CCA (chromated copper arsenate) or reuse pressure treated wood for posts and landscaping borders

  • Use naturally pest and rot resistant wood, especially FSC certified cedar or redwood for exterior moisture prone applications

  • Use low toxin, low VOC, water or plant oil based exterior stains

Landscaping

  • Design landscape for energy efficiency, solar orientation, wind shielding and shading

  • Installing a compost bin

  • Use of native, adapted and low water-use plants that don’t require irrigation to reduce the need for supplemental watering

  • Use slow-release organic herbicides and fertilizers

  • Remove invasive plants

  • Use plastic or composite lumber for edge borders of walkways and beds

  • Protect non grading areas and limit grading and soil disturbance to within 10 feet of the building footprint

  • Preserve topsoil and trees during construction

  • Protect stockpiled dirt during construction

  • Provide vegetated protected buffer zones near sensitive features like streams and wetlands

Walkways, paths and paved surfaces

  • Use paving materials that allow natural filtration of water

  • Limit use of impervious materials (asphalt and concrete)

  • Use recycled asphalt and concrete with fly ash

Water Management & Irrigation

  • Use water-efficient drip irrigation systems

  • Install on site infiltration systems for roof drains

  • Install rain barrels or other on site storage for rainwater to be used for irrigation

  • Disconnecting downspouts and rerouting rainwater for on site use

Foundation

  • Use 20% or more fly ash content in concrete

  • Pour monolithic slab (slab on grade) foundations

  • Insulate foundation with rigid foam

  • Use non petroleum based form releasers

  • Use recycled concrete, asphalt or glass for pipe bedding and drainage when backfilling

  • Use steel forms or reuse wood forms

Framing

  • Frame with FSC certified lumber, reclaimed lumber, or hemlock/fir

  • Use advanced framing techniques, or intermediate framing (stud spacing at 24” on center), to reduce amount of required building materials

  • Design to standard dimensions for walls and floors

  • Install extended eaves or extend the tails of the trusses

  • Use FSC certified wood for sheathing and decking

  • Use engineered wood products, such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL), finger jointed lumber, I-joists, trusses

  • Use ICFs instead of lumber for wall framing

  • Separate garage from house or install an air barrier between them

  • Use structural insulated panels (SIPs) to replace 2x6 walls

  • Preserve existing structure rather than demolishing it

  • Use cut packs (bundles of pre-cut lumber) and central cutting areas

  • Use detailed take-offs and provide as-cut lists to framer

Roofing

  • Install photovoltaic (PV) solar roof panels or shingles

  • Install 40 year or better composition roof shingles

  • Install tile roofs made of cement or clay

  • Install 50 year composite wood and plastic shingles

  • Install steel roofing with a minimum 20 year warranty on the finish

  • Install 40 year recycled synthetic, plastic and rubber shingles

Siding

  • Install FSC certified wood siding

  • Install cultured stone masonry or natural stone from a local quarry

  • Install 50 year fiber cement siding

  • Install engineered wood siding

  • Install 50 year vinyl (polyvinyl chloride or PVC) siding

Windows & Doors

  • Install backer rod (closed cell foam), chinking or insulation around windows before trimming

  • Use FSC certified wood for windows and doors

  • Install insulated fiberglass (foam core) or steel doors at exterior openings

  • Install proper head flashing on windows where frame sticks out past the siding or trim

  • Install reflective film on south and west facing windows to reduce solar heat

  • Install high efficiency windows with U values of 0.32 or better

  • Replace existing windows and install wood clad, vinyl or fiberglass frame windows that are U-0.35 or better,

  • Install windows with recycled, reclaimed or finger jointed materials in frames

  • Install windows with solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of less than 0.40

  • Face windows and doors in order to take advantage of passive solar heating