Top Benefits of Using a High-Efficiency HVAC System

Top Benefits of Using a High-Efficiency HVAC SystemAs mentioned in a previous blog post, we are green builders because of the building methods, materials, and products we use. We strive to create homes that will continue to save energy after completion. One way we accomplish that is through the heating and cooling systems we install in our homes.

Over half a home’s energy goes toward heating and cooling, so your HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) system will have an effect on your wallet and the environment. When replacing or installing a new system, we choose high-efficiency HVAC systems because of their superior performance.

For seven of the top benefits provided by high-efficiency HVAC systems, read our list below.

1. Financial savings

Many older systems operate on a low efficiency, usually around 65% of your system’s annual fuel usage efficiency. With a high-efficiency system, you can save thousands of dollars in energy usage every year. Most of the new systems have a fuel usage efficiency of over 90% per year. With your financial savings, your new system can pay for itself in only a few years.

2. Greater comfort

High-efficiency HVAC systems usually come with programmable thermostat systems, which allow you to control the temperatures in specific areas of your home. New technology produces superior heating and air flow, as well as better humidity control. Maintain the temperatures you desire, whether you’re at home or away. Use your pre-programmable thermostat to save energy and heat/cool your home based on your schedule.

3. Peace and quiet

Unlike your older system, you’ll be hard-pressed to hear when your high-efficiency HVAC system kicks on. The high-tech materials in the new systems absorb operating noise and prevent the loud rumbles you’re used to.

4. Increased health

Your HVAC system treats your air to remove contaminates, such as fungi, mold, dust particles, and bacteria. With a high-efficiency system, you’ll have less allergy and asthma issues, less mold and mildew-caused illnesses, and better respiratory health.

5. Longer operating life

When properly maintained, high-efficiency HVAC systems typically require fewer large repairs. These systems minimize on-and-off cycling, which allows them to last longer than older, low-efficiency systems.

6. Environmental impact

These newer systems use one-third less fuel and save more energy than older models. This saves you money, but also creates less waste and conserves more natural resources.

7. Increased resale value

When your home has a new, high-efficiency HVAC system, it will be more attractive to potential buyers. New homeowners will have the guarantee of a high-performing system that won’t need replacing for several years, as well as cost and energy savings. These systems can raise the value of your home and possibly help it sell faster.

Do you have a high-efficiency HVAC system in your home? How has it worked for you?

The Greenwashing Con

Greenwashing_Integrity Remodeling & Custom Homes
Photo Credit: Tavis Ford

As one article said, “Green is the new black.” Whether looking at house cleaning products, building materials, or the sheets you use on your bed, you are sure to find a brand that is proudly declaring it’s new green products.

If you feel like the green movement is out of control and too good to be true, you’re not the only one. In fact, the labeling of “green” products and the relentless pushing of the green agenda has its own name: Greenwashing.

Greenwashing occurs when companies label their products as green to encourage more consumers to purchase them. Although some companies might truly be trying to protect the environment and lessen the damage their products cause, others are simply trying to make more money.

In the building industry, we often see more emphasis placed on green products than on green practices. When this happens, the big picture is often overlooked. Builders may use green roofing materials and bathroom countertops, but their houses waste water and energy.

Green building materials are effective if used with systems and practices that save energy, use fewer resources, and lower the home’s overall carbon footprint. This can be accomplished by using framing products made from scrap lumber that would otherwise be thrown away, instead of purchasing a “green” product made of organic materials.

Location can also be a factor in creating an environmentally friendly home. Choosing a site that doesn’t interrupt watersheds or destroy habitats can lower the impact your home will have on the
environment. Orienting your house to take advantage of the sun’s positioning and heat can help save energy.

Once your home is built, you can continue to keep it eco-friendly by keeping up with the maintenance and making sure your home is performing at its environmentally friendly best! Contact Integrity Remodeling & Custom Homes for more information on greenwashing and building a truly green home.

How have you encountered greenwashing? Has this article changed your view of green building?

Green Building: Our Methods

Green BuildingWhat makes our building methods “green”? Is it the materials we use? Is it the way we construct our homes or the location we choose? Is there really an easy answer?

The short answer is no. There’s not one method or product or choice that can make a home truly green. Instead, it’s a combination of decisions, such as reusing scrap lumber or reducing energy consumption, that allow the builder and the homeowner to lower the impact of the home’s carbon footprint.

Our founder, Rich Moriarty, explained it this way:

“We are using recycled materials, saving trees, reducing our energy and water consumption, all the while saving money. Green building is the assembly of multiple systems, products, and improved building practices that create a longer lasting, less energy consuming, and healthier home.”

To help you understand how we, Integrity Remodeling & Custom Homes, accomplish this sometimes daunting task, we’ve listed some of the main systems that truly impact a home’s carbon footprint. We focus on these systems to accomplish some of the green building practices that are going to make on impact on your home.

High efficiency HVAC system

About half of your home’s energy goes to heating and cooling. Using a high efficiency HVAC system saves money, provides better heating and cooling, and lasts longer than older systems. If you’re planning on selling your house in the future, a high efficiency HVAC system can raise the value of your home and may even help it sell faster. They use one-third less fuel than older models, which helps conserve natural resources, and creates fewer damaging emissions.

InsulationInsulation Comparison

There are two types of spray foam insulation that can help your home be more energy efficient. While both have advantages and disadvantages, these insulations perform consistently well and can help prevent air and heat from escaping through holes and openings in your home. We’ve included this comparison chart to the right to help you understand the differences between closed cell and open cell spray foam.

Efficient windows and doors

Using energy efficient windows and doors can lower your lighting, heating, and cooling bills and save the energy that would be lost otherwise. As with most green decisions, there are several options for efficient windows and doors. One option is to use windows and doors that have argon-insulated glass. Another is to use glass coated with a transparent metallic oxide coating, which prevents heat from transferring through the glass. Aluminum-clad wood also prevents hot outside air from entering the home and consuming more energy.

Recycled materials

Recycled materials are being used in building homes and are superior to conventional lumber, which significantly  impacts our environment. By using materials such as Trex decking (recycled plastic used to make boards and railings in lieu of traditional lumber) and framing materials made from scrap lumber that would normally be discarded, we are using engineering to manage our resources better.

Contact us today to discuss ways we can help you to utilize energy efficient systems and incorporate green building practices in your home.

Building Green

Humanity has been building structures to protect themselves from the elements for thousands of years. We make roofs to stop the rain, snow, and heat. We use walls and insulation to regulate the temperature. Our floors — whether wood, tile, linoleum, or carpet — keep us from the dirt, stones, and mud.

Yet, even as we build to protect ourselves from the environment, we are affecting the world around us. We use energy, materials, and water to place our homes and buildings on the land we’ve chosen. We use natural resources and create pollution that harms people and the environment.

Of course, we can’t stop building. We need our homes to support our growing world population and to keep us safe where we live.

We can, however, build in a way that is better for the environment. We can build green.

The U.S. Green Building Council defines green building as “the planning, design, construction, and operations of buildings with several central, foremost considerations: energy use, water use, indoor environmental quality, material section and the building’s effects on its site.”

Home builders can use these considerations in their building by using materials that are recycled, renewable, or reused. Green practices can also be used in the methods used to build, such as creating buildings with little pollutants or designing landscapes that limit water waste.

Green building can be used in the creation of large corporate and industrial buildings, as well. When On Earth created a list of their top ten green buildings around the world with the coolest design, including:

The Crystal, London, UK Photo Credit: When On Earth
Photo Credit: When On Earth

The Crystal in London, England.

“Siemens, one of the leading and top-most companies in the United Kingdom has built The Crystal, an urban sustainable landmark that draws thousands of visitors each year. Aside from its striking structural design, The Crystal is one of the greenest buildings ever built by mankind. This building uses natural light, that is, natural daylight is availed of entirely during the day. It also utilizes smart lighting technology, wherein electricity is mainly powered by photovoltaic solar panels – the building is illuminated by an integration of LED and fluorescent lights which are switched on and off depending on the bulk of daylight present.”

The Bahrain World Trade Center in Manama, Bahrain.

Bahrain World Trade Center, Manama, Bahrain
Photo Credit: When On Earth

“The Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC) is a 50-floored, twin tower complex that was built in 2008 by the world-renowned architectural firm Atkins. BWTC is set to conquer the world as it is the first ever skyscraper in the world to have incorporated wind turbines into its blueprint.

The two tower are interconnected by three sky bridges, each of which are holding 225 kW wind turbine. These turbines supply up to 15% of the twin towers need, in other words, it helps in reducing the building’s energy consumption and carbon discharge.”

The ACROS Fukuoka Foundation Building in Fukuoka, Japan.

ACROS Fukuoka Foundation Building, Fukuoka, Japan
Photo Credit: When On Earth

“Considered to be a top attraction in Fukuoka, ACROS Fukuoka Foundation Building was opened in April 1995 and considered to be a good example of the perfect fusion of native greenery and architectural concept, often referred to as eco-architecture. What makes this building a sustainable one is that its interior design features a colossal atrium, immersing the entire space with natural lighting thus saving a lot from energy consumption.”

The green building movement, which began in the 1960s and ‘70s, was formally established through the creation of committees, groups, and educational material in the 1990s. Research into green building continues to produce helpful insights for building practices and more buildings are built green every day.

Have you visited any green buildings? What did you think?