You Cant Buy Green You Must Do Green and what is green, anyway

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You Cant Buy Green You Must Do Green!
(and what is green, anyway?)

• Pat Huelman
• - Cold Climate Housing
• - University of Minnesota Extension Service

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Cold Climate Housing Program

• Since 1986, we have been promoting a systems
  approach to high-performance houses.
• with a focus on energy, durability, and healthy
  air.
• We use building science as our compass and
  research as our guide to ensure total building
  performance that will
• improve occupant comfort and satisfaction,
• reduce operational costs, callbacks, repairs, and
• enhance long-term home value.

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Building a Better House with B.S.

• Study of the physical forces that act on houses
• gravity, wind, etc.
• heat transfer
• moisture transport
• airflows
• Using that knowledge to make houses that are
• structurally sound,
• comfortable and efficient,
• durable and long lasting,
• healthy to live in, and
• friendly to our environment.

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What is Total Building Performance?

• Energy efficiency
• Costs for space and water heating, cooling,
  lights, etc.
• Moisture management durability
• Life of major structural components and products
• Healthy indoor environment
• Air quality, pollutant management, and
  ventilation
• Reduced environmental impacts
• Light footprint and low long-term costs

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Kermit Its not easy being green!

• I personally believe that to be absolutely true.
• However, I would argue that if you are a builder
  or an architect being green has been pretty
  easy up to this point.
• You simply add a couple of products that have
  been dubbed green by the environmental
  community or by the manufacturer or by whomever
  or whatever.
• Voila you now have a green building.

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What is Green?

• Green Criteria Standards
• LEED
• Green Globes
• NAHB Model Green Building Guidelines
• And many others
• Some Important Questions
• Are they right technically?
• Are they using the right approach?
• Are they addressing the right problem?

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You Cant Buy Green You Must Do Green

• Green is not about the products you buy.
• Doing green requires a systems approach
• Optimizing multiple objectives simultaneously
  with a wide and comprehensive knowledge base.
• Doing green is keeping our eye on the prize.
• While process is a critical first step.
• The proof is in the performance

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So What is the Prize?

• If its not energy efficient how can it be
  green?
• Is there one thing you can do to make it
  efficient?
• If its not durable how can it be green?
• Is there one thing you can do to make it
  durable?
• If its not safe healthy how can it be green?
• Is there one thing you can do to make it healthy?

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Curly (City Slickers) The One Thing

• Personally, I dont believe there is only one
  thing.
• But if there was one thing that can absolutely
  impact energy, durability, and indoor air quality
  in our homes, what would it be?
• Air Flow Management Airtightness Ventilation
• How prominent is that in our green buildings
  guidelines, criteria, and standards?
• Not even mentioned in most of them!

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Pats Marketing 101

• You are looking for a new it that will make you
  a millionaire with limited risk.
• What characteristics would it have.
• Loads of charm
• No accountability (or consequences)

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Buildings Charm Accountability

• Charm Accountability
• Energy Not! Measurable
• Durability Not really Consequences
• IAQ Perhaps Yes No
• Green Absolutely Not really

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Now for the Provocative Part

• Has green building been a movement created to
  take our eye off the prize?
• Is it possible that it has diverted our attention
  from what is really important?
• Could it be a way to make ourselves feel better
  while ignoring the real problem?

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An Analogy Paper or Plastic?

• You are standing at the counter which one will
  you pick?
• Would be useful to know
• How did each one get there? (inputs and
  outputs)
• Where will each one go? (reused, recycled,
  discarded)
• With a smug smile you pull out your own bag.
• But does it really matter, if you drove 5 miles
  to get the loaf of bread you forgot earlier in a
  vehicle that gets 10 miles per gallon.

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Can We Talk?

• For the past two decades, the home building
  industry has aggressively resisted efforts to
• Make serious improvements in the energy
  efficiency
• Address important and well-known IAQ issues
• including carbon monoxide, radon, VOCs
• Embrace effective and efficient ventilation one
  of the fundamental tenants of efficient, durable,
  and healthy
• To change product practices for long-term
  durability.
• And consumers have let them!

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So

• If energy, durability, and healthy indoor air are
  fundamental to the overall performance of a
  house
• And they clearly establish the homes impact on
  our health, economy, and environment

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Then

• Why is the building industry solidly behind the
  green building movement?
• Could it be charm without accountability?
• And why are consumers buying it?
• Could it guilt-free excess?

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We Have Two Choices

• Use our resources to redirect attention back onto
  the right stuff and stuff we know that
  matters.
• Not an easy or fun or fun place to be.
• And we will still need to sell it to the
  consumer.
• Or do we take advantage of the current green
  building momentum and marketing, and
• Redefine green to embrace energy, durability,
  IAQ
• Refocus green on priorities that have known
  impacts
• Remeasure green with emphasis on accountability
  through performance

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Theres Some Heavy Lifting to Do

• We Know What to Do
• Energy efficiency
• Building durability
• Indoor air quality
• We just need to do it!

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We Must Do Healthy Indoor Air

• Prevent CO
• sealed combustion equipment
• air tight barrier between house and garage
• Radon Resistant New Construction (RRNC)
• Pollutant reduction
• Quality managed ventilation
• Source-point strategies for effectiveness
• Centralized systems for efficiency

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We Must Do Durability

• Dry foundation
• Airtight from the inside
• Watertight from the outside
• Quality managed ventilation
• Whole house dehumidification

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We Must Do Energy Efficiency

• Reduce space conditioning by 40 or more
• Reduce water heating by 25 or more
• Reduce lighting appliance loads by 30
• Quality managed ventilation with heat recovery
• We can do even better than that, if we are
  willing to reduce square footage and the toys.

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The Challenge

• The green label shouldnt go on unless
• We have systematically through design,
  specification, and execution delivered the most
  efficient, durable, and healthy house possible.
• We cant buy green
• we must do green!

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