Green Building & Design

Good Design starts with Green Design starts with Green Energy

By Joshua Zinder, AIA, LEED AP

Green, green, green. This is the mantra that is playing over and over around our country, state and community. It is a chant akin to the drone of Charlie Brown’s teacher from Peanuts (wah woh whaaa). For those people who know me and have read the articles, you can tell I am a big proponent of green and think it is important to incorporate sustainability into aspects of everyday life. In the same breath, we must be careful. Green washing, or mislabeling items and services as sustainable to increase mass appeal, is ubiquitous. There are many things you can do to green your home and business while avoiding green washing, but the biggest impact on the dollar comes from modifying your daily energy usage.

There are many places to start with this discussion. I would like to focus on systems that modify energy usage by reducing consumption while saving you money. This does not mean there will be no cost for installation, but with the incentives and rebates now available, total expense is becoming reasonable. Some options to consider are geothermal, solar - photovoltaic and hot water, occupancy sensors and other electronic control devices, and hot water recovery.

Geo-exchange systems, a rapidly growing market, encourage conservation of natural resources by drawing power from the Earth’s core. During the winter a geothermal pump draws heat from the Earth through piping installed underground and circulates it throughout your house. In the summer, the system reverses. The pipes draw heat out of your house and back into the Earth. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the use of geothermal heating and cooling saves 30-70% in heating costs and 20-50% in cooling costs. In addition homeowners can receive two tax credits for 30% and 10% of the total investment.

Solar energy, another renewable power resource, comes in two common forms - photovoltaic and hot water. Collectors not only can be installed in a conventional location, such as your roof, but also integrated into building systems like skylights and glass facades. Significant federal and state incentives work to minimize the up-front cost for materials and installation while the actual system provides energy savings that greatly depreciate energy costs. Further, the NJ Clean Energy Program allows homeowners using solar technology to resell the energy back to the utility provider for credit on future electric bills, rendering them one of the few groups of people to eagerly anticipate monthly electricity bills.

If you aren’t ready for such a complete overhaul of your energy systems, consider devices that monitor the energy you currently use, such as motion sensors that automatically turn off lights when you leave a room or timers on your bathroom fans. You can also borrow a gauge that checks your electrical usage from the public library.

Other devices have the potential to turn waste into energy. For example, a drain water heat exchanger captures the heat from greywater (shower drain) and stores its recovered heat for later use. These devices are less invasive and expensive than other, larger systems while still having the potential to shave a significant amount off of your electric and energy bills.

There are measures you can take to reduce your daily energy usage regardless of your budget. All of these solutions bring savings for both you and the environment. Consulting with a design professional before integrating any of these systems into your environment, as well as making sure the systems you purchase are LEED homes and/or Energy Star certified will help prevent green washing and ensure that you receive a significant return on your investment. Ultimately there are simple and clear steps that you can take to bring green design into your home and business, and it all starts with green energy.