Building Green to Save Money and the Environment

By: William Donegan Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Today building "green" is a burgeoning industry that's quickly becoming the new wave of the future, and also one that offers many varied benefits, not only for homeowners, but for the precious environment as well. As energy costs continue to raise steadily right along with growing reports of global warming and air pollution, more and more of us are looking for active ways of making a change for the better and for our children's futures.

Building new homes or commercial establishments accounts for a large portion of all greenhouse gas emissions with most reports estimating this number as high as thirty percent. Greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane all have a highly detrimental effect on the atmosphere by trapping heat and contributing toward air pollution. Thanks to these startling facts, building green is becoming more common, which is beneficial both for the planet and our uncertain economy.

As we know, the price of both heating and cooling our homes has risen significantly just in recent years alone, spawning a bevy of more efficient options to consider such as harnessing and utilizing solar power. Water furnaces and heaters powered by solar energy, although a bit more expensive outright, have the potential to save a considerable amount of money throughout the course of just one year as well as lessening our dependency on natural gas and our environmental impact.

Using windows with low-E (low emissivity) coatings along with specially constructed glass with protective layers in between the panes can greatly lower your cooling and heating costs as would installing special roof shingles that are heat resistant.

Lumber for building materials that's harvested by environmentally responsible growers along with engineered woods and wood fiber composites are becoming more and more popular in the green building industry for walls and flooring. OSB, or Oriented Strand Board, is also used in the majority of homes and buildings constructed today instead of the usual materials we've used in the past helping to cut down on the number of waning forests around the world.

Recycled materials and wood such as bamboo are great alternatives to traditional flooring options and either can cost either the same or less than the usual hardwood floors. And, the use of soybeans to create a spray foam insulation is a far better alternative than the chemical filled insulators we've relied upon before.

Going green should also apply to the outsides of our homes including certain landscaping techniques that will help to lessen our environmental impact such as correcting damaging drainage issues, using turf grass and native plant life, or eliminating the use of harmful, chemical laden pesticides and fertilizers.

Although experts agree that implementing green building practices into your next project has the potential to add ten percent to the overall cost, the money you'll be able to save throughout the years is immeasurable, not to mention doing your part for helping the world around us to become a healthier, better place to live.

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About The Author: William Donegan is the president of Merrimack Building supply Inc. Merrimack Building Supply is a distributor for commercial and residential building products since 1985. They have established distribution centers at NH, ME, MA & CT. Commitment to quality and service is their proof of success. www.merrimackbuildingsupply.com