We came across this article on www.greenbuildingadvisor.com that discusses long term air quality issues resulting from a poorly designed and installed exterior envelope in a Green building in Belgium.  In reality, all of the individual components used in creating the high efficiency home design, worked in theory, but in practice, and under poor supervision these products did not work well together.   The most important thing we have learned over the years has been how critical proper ventilation is to a healthy home.  Indoor air must move, and needs to move enough to evacuate built-up moisture in the home.  Properly insulating a Custom Home, or a renovation  is always tricky, but we have found that proven materials, installed properly always work. 

 

Here is the full article from GreenBuildingAdvisor.com: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/belgian-passivhaus-rendered-uninhabitable-bad-indoor-air

     Custom Builders are constantly asked questions about green construction, and sustainable or environmentally friendly products.  There are two distinct sides of the green construction concept.  Firste ther are green products, which are generally from renewable or sustainable resources, and also products that are healthy for the indoor environment.  Second is green building technology which consists of advanced insulation and waterproofing techniques, and high efficiency, or sustainable heating, cooling, and power generation systems.

      Our experience over the last several years has taught us that despite the innovative technology used in developing many of these products, many of these products and techniques are still unproven. The Green Building movement is still in its infancy, and there have been several problems with moisture, mold, and building envelope failures over even a short period of time.  At REEF, we have taken the time to assess and evaluate many of the current and future green building concepts, and we have found proven, yet highly efficient and safe products that work. Our team of experts prides themselves in staying current on Green trends and techniques.

     There are several Green Building concepts that we really like.  As a matter of fact, 3 years ago, REEF invested in photovoltaic solar panels on our own office building here on Cape Cod, and the results have been fantastic! 

Here is an interesting article from Risk Magazine that highlights some of the current problems with green building products.

http://www.natlawreview.com/article/inexperience-and-unproven-products-risks-sustainable-construction

   Congress has taken action to promote energy efficiency by banning incandescent lights.  Despite the initial costs, and apprehension towards the new CFL or LED light bulbs, this mandate has caused the market to respond with some incredibly innovative products.  Some of these new light bulbs consume less than 10% of the energy used with incandescent bulbs, and have a working life that is dramatically improved.   Here is an article from Architectural Record and a slide show that highlights some of the new products that meet the energy efficiency standards: http://archrecord.construction.com/products/ProductFocus/2012/1202-Light-Bulbs/

  With the rising cost of energy, and the push towards high efficiency building and mechanical systems, we are always looking at innovative technology.  Often times, new products and systems may not be ideal in their infancy, but they are indicators of trends in the marketplace, and give a glimpse of the types of things that will become commonplace in the near future.  We came across this heating system by the Steffes corporation that uses a type of heat sink to store electrically produced heat during off-peak demand hours, and then releases that heat to the home over the next 24 hour period.  This takes advantage of the lower electricity rates charged by many utility companies at night. Although this system may not be ideal for every scenario, we like the concept and think we will see more of it in the future.  Here is a link http://www.steffes.com/off-peak-heating/forced-air-furnaces.html

Honda also has a very interesting heating system which uses a cogeneration concept to produce electricity and heat from a single fuel source.  It is called a Climate Energy Micro-CHP system, which has been used in Japan for the last several years. It is a combination of a conventional furnace, and single cylinder internal combustion engine.  There is a substantial (30%) savings in heating and electrical usage in homes with this type of unit.  Here is sime more information on this unique concept: HONDA

 

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