Environmental Challenges

Let me preface this topic by stressing that I am not an environmentalist nor do I agree with the politics surrounding the Kyoto Protocol. I believe global warming IS happening, but I also believe it WILL happen regardless of human activity. That said, there are a number of options available that we, as homeowners, can choose to lessen our impact on the environment. There is no denying that more trees, cleaner air and less pollution are good things, and being "green" may even help us keep some green in our wallets.

Straw Bale Construction

The story of the three little pigs does not hold water here. Straw is a sustainable resource and has many advantages over conventional building materials.

straw bale house

Benefits

Sustainable, renewable resource. Lessens pressure on forests.
Comparable in cost to conventional construction.
High R-value (typically in the range of R-40. Cheaper to heat and cool. Saves fossil fuels. Saves money for the homeowner in the long term.
Straw bale walls are less expensive than conventional wood framed walls.
Construction cost of a straw bale house is often less than a comparable wood framed house. Quite a bit less when you take the R-value into consideration.

Resources

The Ontario Straw Bale Building Coalition

Camel's Back Construction: Ontario, Canada construction company offering services for every phase of straw bale construction. (Photograph of straw bale house is from Camel's Back Construction's website)

Hydronic Heating

Otherwise known as hot water heating, the system consists of a boiler unit and baseboard or panel radiators, in-floor radiant heat tubing, or a combination thereof. This type of system is much more expensive than a forced air furnace and ductwork, but offers several advantages over the long term.

Benefits

Water retains heat longer than air. Rather than blowing hot air through ductwork, hot water is cycled through dedicated plumbing and radiates warmth through radiators or through the floor. In the case of in-floor heating, heat is achieved through radiation. In the case of baseboard rads, heat distribution is achieved through both radiation and convection.
Rather than large bulky ducts, a hot water system utilizes copper piping , mostly 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. The main advantage to this is less encroachment on living space, especially head room in the basement.
System is easily zoned. An example of a two zone system would be a main floor and a second floor. Each would be served by its own thermostat. If the temperature in a zone falls below what the thermostat is set for, a signal is sent to the pump and hot water is cycled to that zone. The boiler will only fire when the temperature of the water falls below a certain temperature. Overall, a zoned system makes it easy to maintain comfortable temperatures throughout the house, or to only heat an area of the house that is being used
A hydronic system does not blow dust throughout the house. There are no ducts for funky bacteria to grow. The result is cleaner air and less concern about allergies and illnesses.
Without air being blown through ducts, the living areas of the house will be much quieter.
A boiler can last as long as 30 years, while furnaces typically have a life expectancy of 15 years or less.
No duct work means no annual duct cleaning saving the homeowner money.

Resources

Search Google for "Hydronic Heat"

Tankless Water Heaters

Storing large amounts of water in a tank and keeping it heated around the clock is a concept somewhat unique to North America. Despite being available here for about 25 years, tankless hot water heaters have only recently been starting to gain wide-range acceptance.

Benefits

No bulky water tank taking up space in basement or closet.
Water is only heated as it is needed, resulting is lower operating costs and the highest efficiency rating.
Hot water supply never runs out.
Past concerns about flow rates have been addressed by models that can provide hot water to two large demand fixtures (example, shower and washing machine) simultaneously.

Drawbacks

A tankless heater only fires on demand, but it requires quite a bit of gas when it does fire.
The water is still running while the heater is firing. You may actually end up using more water.
Because you never run out of hot water, you may have a tendency to take a longer shower, thus using more water and more gas.
Tim Carter has an excellent article on this subject on his Ask The Builder website:

Tim Carter (Ask the Builder) on tankless water heaters.

Resources

Do a Google Search for "tankless water heaters"

Indirect Water Heaters

Water is circulated through the heat exchanger of the boiler and the heated water is stored in an insulated tank. The household potable water is treated as a separate zone.

Benefits

Storage tank does not require any venting so there is very little heat loss. One of the most efficient water heating systems available.
Tank does not require an additional gas connection.
Indirect tanks typically have a much longer life expectancy than the common direct hot water tanks.

Passive Solar Water Heating

Have you ever noticed how hot the water gets in a garden hose when it is left in the sun for a while? Solar panels harness this heat and transfer it to the potable water supply.

Benefits

During the summer months, this system can supply most or all of the household's hot water needs for the cost of running a small pump.
During the winter months, this system may still provide half or more of the household's hot water.

Drawbacks

Finding someone with knowledge to service this kind of system may be difficult..
Roof has to support weight of the solar panels.
It may be difficult to find a roofing company willing to deal with the panels when it comes time to replace the roof.
Pipes must be run to the panels on the roof. Not only is there significant material cost, but depending on the size and style of the house, accessibility to the pipes may be an issue, and a fair amount of damage can result in the event of a leak.

Geothermnal Heating and Cooling

Regardless of seasonal fluctuations in the air temperature, the temperature four to six feet below the ground surface remains fairly constant year-round. A geothermal system takes advantage of this constant temperature. Using a waterbased solution circulating through an underground loop, energy is transferred to heat your house in the winter and cool it in the summer. In the winter, heat energy is extracted from the ground and compressed by the geothermal unit to deliver heat to your home via a traditional duct or radiant system. In the summer, the system is reversed and basically acts as a giant refrigerator, transferring the heat from the house to the ground outside. The layout of the loop can be easily customized for new construction and retrofit applications.

Advantages

Lower energy consumption. Claims of 300 to 400% energy efficiency have been made. This means lower overall energy bills.
Eliminates the noisy outdoor air conditioner unit.
No risk of carbon monoxide emissions as no fuel is burned in the operation of the unit.
Endless supply of energy compared to a system relying on fossil fuels.
Lower maintenance costs. Geothermal unit lasts approximately 20 years. Pipes in the loop will last roughly 50 years.

Drawbacks

Initial cost is several times more than a more traditional system. However, this cost is offset by real energy savings that will be seen immediately.
Landscaping costs resulting from the installation of the loop.

Resources:

NextEnergy is a leading designer and marketer of innovative green energy solutions for the North American market including geothermal systems for the home.

Alternative Flooring Materials

In North America, we love our wall to wall carpets and hardwood floors. Recently, laminate floors have gained in popularity. Laminates are much thinner than hardwoods and therefore use less material. They can be a very affordable option for the do-it-yourselfer and are easy to install. A word of caution, however. Recently it has been noted that laminate floors may actually decrease the value of some homes, especially if the buyer wants genuine hardwood floors.

Other flooring materials are starting to gain more acceptance in North America: cork and bamboo. Cork is a common flooring material in the UK and offers durability and resistance to water, insects, and fire. It looks good, and is warm and easy on the feet. Cork is a rapidly renewable resource that can be harvested with minimal impact on the environment. No cork trees are cut down, only the bark is harvested. However, because cork is soft, it does dent and mark easily, but it does offer some resilience.

Bamboo is also a rapidly renewable resource. It is a grass that matures to a height of 20 meters in only four years. Harvesting the bamboo does not affect its root system and it can rapidly regenerate. Bamboo floors are comparable to hard wood floors in terms of appearance and durability. From a carbon footprint point of view, however, one must also take into consideration the energy and other environmental factors that go into the manufacture of these "greener" alternatives. For example, China is the main exporter of bamboo and not only is their environmental record poor, but the product still has to be shipped. Hardwood flooring from one of our managed forests in North America may not have much more of a carbon footprint when all facts are considered.

Duro-design Cork and Bamboo Flooring is a Canadian company specializing in these two products. Their website is excellent and contains many pictures that illustrate the limitless potential of these two materials.

Alternative Roofing Materials

Asphalt shingles are common in North America. Unfortunately, while more affordable than other roofing materials, they only have a limited life expectancy. The best asphalt shingles will last approximately 30 years, most only last around 15 to 20. And you can never count on shingles lasting as long as they are rated for... factors such as roof slope and exposure to direct sun can shorten their life. On the other hand, slate or clay tile roofs can last more than a century, but may be cost-prohibitive for many homeowners. In recent years, rubber shingles have been introduced. The rubber is generally made of recycled materials and is made to resemble slate, but at a lower cost (though still more expensive than asphalt). A rubber tile roof is usually warranted for 50 years. Another alternative is metal roofing, which is now offered in styles resembling tile, shake, or shingle. Again, the warranty is in the range of 50 years.

The less often that a roof needs to be replaced, the better for the environment. And given the longer life expectancy of these alternative materials, the homeowner will save money in the long run, by not having to replace the roof again.

In the near future, asphalt shingle recycling should become more common. It just doesn't make sense to continue sending roofing materials to the landfill if we can either use longer lasting materials in the first place, or at least recycle the used material at the end of its practical life.

Insulation

We all know how important insulation is to keeping a house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Consider the following: a 2x4 wall can be insulated to around R-13. A 2x6 wall can be insulated to around R-20. Foam board insulation will add another R-5 per inch of thickness. At the construction phase, or during major renovations, taking the opportunity to upgrade the insulation in the exterior walls, as well as the attic will save energy and money. And it goes without saying that caulking around windows and doors will also help.

Appliances and Fixtures

When replacing an appliance, consider one that is Energy Star rated. Energy Star identifies the most energy efficient lighting, appliances, heating and cooling and more. Consider the following example: a front load washing machine will use about half the water as a top load model. It will also require less soap per load, and, because there is no agitator, the laundry is not subjected to as much wear and tear so clothes may last longer.

Replacing incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs also saves money. The fluorescent bulbs use a fraction of the energy, and last much longer, thereby reducing waste. However, fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, which is very harmful to the environment. Check your local hazardous or chemical waste center for instructions on how to properly dispose of used bulbs.

Renovation waste

Home renovation generates a lot of waste. Not only is there the old material that is removed, but there is also the leftover new material. And we do-it-yourselfers probably generate more waste material than professionals because we are more apt to make mistakes and we have less use for any leftover or salvage material.

Measure twice and cut once. The more accurate we are, the less waste material we generate.
Leftover and salvage material may be sold or donated or used on a future project. Consider donating old fixtures and useable building materials to Habitat for Humanity.
Drywall can be recycled. Unfortunately, drywall recycling is not yet widely available. Like asphalt shingle recycling, this MUST be the wave of the future. In the meantime, however, we have little choice but to send it to the landfill.

Resources

Drywall Recycling

New West Gypsum Recycling Inc.: Canadian company successfully recycling drywall.

Habitat for Humanity ReStores: Donate your used or surplus fixtures and materials.

Final Words

When it comes to upgrading to energy efficient appliances or fixtures, there is a tendency to look for the length of time it will take for the investment to pay off. For example, if an Energy Star rated refrigerator costs $100 more than an equivalent lower efficiency model, but only saves you $10 per year in operating costs, then the payoff won't come for ten years. Most of us tend to think in the short term. We'd rather save the $100 now. Rather than looking for a payoff in a decade or less, we should consider the payoff for the generations that follow us. Just a thought (and probably the closest I will ever come to any kind of environmental activism).

I am far from a tree-hugger and I am definitely not an environmental doomsayer. However, even I believe that we need to lessen our impact on the environment. While I doubt that we will actually be able to change the weather, there is no doubt that less pollution, less waste, and less reliance on fossil fuels are noble ambitions. Besides, if I can reduce my energy consumption and reduce waste, I just might be able to save some money in the long run.

The "Resource" links on this page are intended to provide further information on the topics discussed. They are neither paid advertising nor should they be considered endorsements.