Posts Tagged ‘indoor air quality’

Home Depot is on the Green Bandwagon

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

The great big box store has a fantastic new commercial, but is it enough to get people to start really doing things?

Doing a little detective work work, are you, Home Depot? The smartest “more saving- more doing- that’s the power of Home Depot” slogan is even more powerful than “You can do it, we can help.” Whoever they have as their marketing team is – sigh- impressive and smart and well- sigh again- on the ball. They even have a whole line of eco-smart products now… good job Home Depot. The newest commercial for this big box giant played five times in a two hour period on HGTV over the weekend. Yeah. Judge me. I was watching Sandra Rinamato. I have a thing for her and that Holmes guy- he’s pretty awesome and she calls people on their crap. I love it. So, over the course of a Property Virgins, Holmes on Homes marathon, shall we call it. I was forced to listen to the smart marketing of Home Depot and as much I love the fact that they are getting into the empowerment of the general public to do all of the things that they can (on their own- for the most part) to get to energy efficiency the question is, are they really getting people to energy efficiency.

They can supply the products, but they don’t supply the know how, and the education. People need to know what they actually need to be doing to get their home to that energy efficiency standard that they are being told that they need to achieve. If the folks who are going to the big box stores haven’t had the proper guidance, they might be creating an environment that is not the healthy indoor air-quality that they are hoping to achieve. In fact, it is possible to over tighten a home to the point that mechanical ventilation is needed. Most people aren’t going to really be able to achieve this on their own- but the “more saving, more doing” mind-set folks who hang out in big box stores might get it into their heads that they need to really seal things up- beyond just the typical air sealing and weather stripping that can provide a generous cost savings for the energy efficiency they want.

At what point do you call in the professional? It is good to get a diagnostic at the beginning, if you feel your home is having major leakage issues. It is good to call in a professional if you’re just not sure how to go about doing a project so that you make sure you are getting your home taken care of properly. If you want to start doing some simple diagnostics on your own. Certainly check out our DIY Home energy audit series that we did over the course of the summer, and then head to the Home Depot, or your favorite big box store to take action. If you ever want additional assistance once you get started… remember what their original awesome slogan used to say- you can do it, we can help- right… Someone was really good at putting inspirational action words together. I want to hug them.

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DIY- Home Energy Audit- The Benefits

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

It took some time, but now you have gone through your home and done your audit. So why did you do it? Check out the benefits.

You know the tools you need, the safety equipment you need, what it means to have a building as a system and what the different elements of the mechanical system are. You’ve waled through how to audit your attic, basement, crawl space and how to manage moisture in  your home. You’ve done it;  we have walked you through the process and you have given your home a basic level home energy audit.

We hope you are thinking about all of the benefits you are going to be able to reap now that you have taken care of the issues you were able to find through this scavenger hunt of a home inspection. So, why did you do it, anyway?  Below are some of the benefits and payoffs for doing your own home energy audit.

Was it for your health? Had you found that you were getting sick all of the time because there was some musty smell in the basement or all over your home for that matter? Getting moisture under control in your home will enable you have a healthier indoor air quality which will contribute to your overall health in general. With asthma at an all time high in our country, having the moisture levels in your home in check and more solid surfaces, rather than carpet and rugs for mold, and dust to get trapped in, the healthier you can be inside your home.

Was it for comfort? Had you been finding little pockets of cold in your house where your toesies were not too comfortable, or where you felt like you needed to wear parka in the middle of the winter, in the middle of your house? That wasn’t comfortable was it? Finding those holes and fixing them will give you the comfort that you need to stay warmer in the winter an cooler in the summer. Don’t you want to live in a cozier home?

Was it for the moolah? Did you do the audit because you wanted to have lower operating costs? Had you been noticing your energy bills escalating and could you literally see dollar signs floating out of your non-weather-stripped windows and doors? That isn’t efficient, is it? Finding those holes in your home and sealing them up will give you the higher performance advantage and energy savings that you had been lacking before. Many homes that go through a home energy audit will see upwards of a 30% return on their energy bills. That’s mighty fine.

Was it for the earth? Were you just one of those folks who wanted to make a difference in the environment? We do exist, you know? Using appliances in our homes accounts for 20% of the green house gasses according to the EPA, so trying to reduce your impact is an admirable thing. Look for Energy Star appliances, compact fluorescent or LED lighting and higher performance mechanical systems that are properly sized for your home will reduce your home’s impact on the environment.

Here are 5 quick tips you can do to reduce your impact on the environment, save money in your home and live a healthier indoor air quality lifestyle:

  1. Keep your thermostat set at or below 68 degrees F.
  2. Install low flow faucets and shower heads throughout your home.
  3. Caulk and weatherstrip windows, doors, cracks and holes.
  4. Change your air filter regularly- use a pleated media filter if possible.
  5. Use live plants and air filters in your home; they are not only beautiful, but help keep your home healthy.

No matter what the reason behind your choice to go through with the DIY Home Energy Audit program that we put together for you, you have done it now, and no doubt, you have some questions or concerns. We’d love to be able to help. If you think you may have some deeper issues with your home that you need some diagnostic testing for, give us a shout and we’ll see what we can do to help solve your issues.

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Habitat for Humanity Ivy City DC Takes On LEED

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

Habitat for Humanity DC takes on the daunting task of taking 8 existing  homes in the center of Ivy City and renovating them to the stringent LEED for Homes Standards with the help of the EarthCraft Virginia team.

Project manager, Teresa Hamm and her eager crew of volunteers and Habitat for Humanity DC core members see the eight rehabilitation homes at Ivy City as a labor of love. Set as in urban infill project, this LEED for homes project seeks to create a standard of living for the new homeowners that not only lessens the impact on the environment, but also brought opportunity to the area for sustainability, and health and wellness for years to come.

Going above and beyond the call of her job is not something unfamiliar to Teresa, as she has worked on EarthCraft projects before, but this LEED for homes project taking on multiple builds in one fell swoop is something a little bit different for her and the team. This time around, the whole project went under one checklist, which would make it seem a little bit less challenging; however, that means that the standards for the project as a whole get thrown for a loop or heightened, so to speak. Teresa was kept on track by the Earthcraft team throughout the process and with the help of her amazing staff and volunteers who aided in the detailed data collection process and on site verification through scheduled site visits and LEED green rater feedback. This project incorporated both renovation and new construction projects which were aiming for LEED Silver ratings.

This infill development project is in close proximity to parks, transit, community resources and has immediate access to open space; items which are all key to the LEED for homes rating system. The site met basic landscaping design requirements to lessen the impact on the environment and of course, the urban heat island effect. Water efficiency and indoor air quality were paid very close attention to on the Ivy City projects as well as the use of environmentally preferable products. This sort of project is so important to the low income housing community because it truly is a sustainably built development. We’ve recently been discussing the need for sustainably built housing the the low income community and how we see that there is a definite trend upward for sustainably built properties for lower socio-economic families in rental markets with the lower operating costs for the developers and owners, but this makes just as much sense for the low income owners, too.

It is fantastic that this project and the team has put so much work into the LEED for homes program, but they are also shooting for EarthCraft Virginia rating as well! These homes are going to have very high standards set for the area and the homeowners should be very happy with the comfort levels, energy bills and health that they get to experience once they are inside of their homes. We’re looking forward to being a part of another Habitat for Humanity DC project in the near future!

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Low Income Housing and Sustainability

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Those who live in the low socio-economic sector of our communities need sustainably built homes just as much as anyone, if not more.

Sustainable projects strengthen your economy. They strengthen your community. They brighten futures, and ensure a cleaner, healthier environment. That is a very powerful set of statements right out of the gate, isn’t it? Well, yes. Those are some pretty powerful things to say. Power is something that people of lower socio-econonic status don’t often have, but it is something that they deserve through a sustainably built community. The power to know that they live in a healthier home that is going to let them live a longer life, in a community that has been enriched with more jobs and lower operating costs.

We are seeing more an more sustainably built communities in Northern Virginia because the government offers wonderful programs with incentives to create more options for green built communities. Take into consideration the Virginia Housing Development Authority’s program to work with EarthCraft to certify homes are more energy efficient to gain more funding to build more units. Developers gain the option to build in a sustainable way for those who wouldn’t have had the ability to live in one of these healthier, more energy efficient units, had the developer not chosen to work with VHDA and this innovative EarthCraft program.

Another low income housing partner who has chosen to build in a healthier more energy efficient way in Northern Virginia is Habitat for Humanity. Both Habitat for Humanity of DC and their Arlington counterpart are working with EarthCraft Virginia to create affordable housing developments for low income families which are sustainably built and healthier for these families. Habitat for Humanity DC has even gone so far as to work toward LEED certification and a very high standard of indoor air quality.

Doesn’t it just make sense that families whom are on the lower level of income would want to have a home which has lower operating costs and would provide for a healthier environment? This way, once they are living inside their home, the opportunity for illness becomes lesser, and the opportunity to save money becomes greater! Low income housing and sustainability go hand in hand.

We hope to see more and more developments that utilize smart growth plans and sustainable development options for the low income families in our communities for years to come so we can see the enduring benefits.

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