The science of green homes

The March for Science in Downtown Las Cruces on Earth Day was a wonderful demonstration of support for science, and appreciation for all the benefits it has brought us. There is a still-developing branch of science most of us haven’t heard about called building science.

Building science is the body of scientific knowledge and experience that focuses on the physical phenomena that affect how well buildings “perform;” i.e., provide comfort, safety, health, energy efficiency, water conservation and overall functionality. Building science promotes advances in technology to improve building performance in the best interests of people and finances, while conserving natural resources and preserving the planet.

Buildings are actually very complex systems with many components interacting together to affect how well the building functions, or performs. When the systems in a building are not designed or built correctly, or when something changes and they become out of sync, the building could develop serious problems that negatively affect the people in them, or the finances of the building’s owner.

The principles of building science and technology apply equally to homes. Clearly, not all homes perform the same. Homes can be uncomfortably hot or cold, or even develop an unsafe indoor environment, as when failure to control moisture results in mold. And sometimes homes consume so much costly energy they become unaffordable.

Today, it is the green home movement that is carrying the banner for building science. It's really a movement toward higher quality, better performing homes.

The organizations that develop standards for green homes are expanding the body of knowledge and experience related to building performance and applying it to develop standards intended to promote better quality homes with measurably better performance than the typical home.

Typical homes are built to existing codes. Codes are generally developed based on building failures that have happened in the past, but don’t keep up with new designs, technologies, or building materials. New homes must meet the energy codes required by the jurisdiction they are in, which for us is the 2007 International Code.

By comparison, green homes are designed and either built, renovated or retrofitted to meet higher standards in providing comfort, safety, health, energy efficiency, water conservation and overall functionality.  In addition, a green home not only has to meet higher standards, but the actual performance is evaluated and verified by an independent third party before the home can be certified.  This provides homebuyers with valuable consumer information about the home they are about to invest in, giving them much better information and greater confidence in their decision-making.

There are several organizations offering certification for green homes, including the U.S. Green Building Council, which develops the well-known LEED standards, the National Association of Home Builders, with its Green Build Program, and the New Mexico Home Builders Association’s Build Green New Mexico program.

All of these standards require a rating of energy performance that tells prospective homeowners not only how energy efficient the home is, but also estimates the energy costs over the course of a year.  This is extremely important, because the cost of energy can be the second largest monthly expense, right after the mortgage payment. Certified green homes are much more energy efficient than homes just built to current code, and can save their owners hundreds, even thousands of dollars in energy bills.

Since we just celebrated Earth Day, lets take a look at how building science might benefit the planet.

First, we need to outline the problem. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, buildings account for 48 percent of all energy consumption in the United States. This amount is more than the energy consumption of either the industry sector, at 24.4 percent, or the transportation sector, at 28 percent. And buildings account for 45 percent of the carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. According to these numbers, our buildings are the biggest contributor to the problem of global warming.  It is likely we cannot continue at these levels of energy consumption in buildings without causing irreparable harm to the planet.

Building science has and continues to develop solutions that reduce energy consumption in our buildings while actually improving comfort, safety, and health for the people who occupy them. These solutions apply to buildings of all sorts, including our homes.

How can we take advantage of building science in our own homes? Consult one of our local energy professionals to find out how energy efficient your home is, and let them identify the top three to five most cost effective improvements you can make in your home. The improvements we make in our homes’ energy efficiency do make a difference for the planet, and will improve the comfort and health of our indoor environment, and may even reduce our energy bills.

P.S. Adding clean, renewable solar power can easily reduce your home’s electricity consumption to net zero. And with solar prices coming down, it is more cost effective to go solar than not!

Renee Frank is an EcoBroker with certifications in energy efficient and environmentally responsible features of real estate. She may be reached at renee@reneefrank.com or 575-496-7727. Read her blog at smartlivinglc.com.