Structure

With new construction, you can get your fuel bills down to $30-$50 a month. With solar heating, you could even end up selling electricity back to the electric company. The U.S. Green Building Council establishes the standards for LEED certification. "LEED" stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design." Explore their website, www.usgbc.org.

Here are some considerations for green building:

ICFs

Don't even think about building without using insulating concrete forms (ICF) for walls. What are ICFs? ICFs are double styrofoam walls with concrete in between, kind of like a styrofoam sandwich. The average R-value (insulation value) of a standard 2x6 with sheathing and Tyvek is R19. The ICF wall is rated R32 to R40 and higher. You'll save 50-80% in energy usage.

Why don't all builders build every last house with ICF forms? You ask them. Why don't all building codes require ICF forms? Building codes give you minimum standards.

There are thirty five or more manufacturers of ICFs. The representative I heard speak was from www.rewardwalls.com.

Green advantages of ICFs:

tremendous energy savings
saves 14-15 trees per house
waterproofing membrane; water-tight; moldproof
zero air infiltration
LEEDS certification xxx
0-5% greater cost than traditional construction
inquire about energy mortgages (possibly StateFarm)
recycled slag plus fly ash
no hydrocarbons; less toxic than wood or plastic if burns
no VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

Question: Can I retrofit my existing house with ICFs?

Response: Alas, it is too expensive to retrofit existing houses. You'll have to approach energy savings from other directions.

Life cycle costing

This term should become more common. It stands for the cost of implementation of a particular measure divided by the amount that will be saved by the measure. By knowing the annual savings, you can figure the simple payback of the cost.

Windows

There is a huge heat loss with windows. A two-pane window has an R5. A triple pane has maybe an R8.

To minimize heat loss from windows, orient the house to a southern exposure. Have no windows or only small windows on the east and west side of the house.

On the south side of the house, have windows with high performance glass, which has an R-value of 8-14, with a calculated roof overhang (see below). On an existing house, install awnings to block out summer sun.

Roof overhang

xxx

Exhibits of green building:

Garmon Builders, near Clay, builds green houses.
The second weekend in September, there will be a demonstration of a green house in Fishing Creek Valley.

Attic

Tack foil bubblewrap to the bottom of rafters, leaving a few inches open at the floor and a 6"-1' gap at the top (by ridge vent) to reflect heat out.
The hatch is typically the biggest chimney inside the house. That is, a lot of heat can escape through the hatch. Take steps to insulate the hatch, such as using a few layers of blueboard insulation over it, screwed in with a gasket. Treat it like it's an outside door that needs to be weather-sealed.
Figure a way to insulation the opening at attic steps. Some new steps have 1" extruded foamboard inside them, which will help but not be a miracle.

Wall insulation

Spray-foam isocynene (xxx) insulation has the best R-value. Some brands are soy-based.
Another choice would be rigid blueboard extruded foam on the outside studs. That is, layers from the inside to the outside include: wallboard, insulation, plywood, blueboard, siding. Blueboard stops the thermal bridge which typically allows heat to escape at the studs, which have an R-value of about 1.
Insulate at the band joist, i.e., the area at the foundation between the top of the soil and the bottom of the first floor.
In a new house, the guy doing the wall insulation needs to come in before the plumber, or there won't be insulation behind the tub enclosure.

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Updated 3-25-09