High Performance Home Green Building Council
High Performance Home Green Building Council:
The High Performance Home Green Building Council and its five sub-committees are open to all HBAGC members and prospective members. The HPHGBC meets on a monthly basis, with all meetings posted on the HBAGC calendar. If you are interested in learning more about the newest "green" techniques, technology and initiatives are encouraged to become active in this Council.
- Co-Chair Ed Hoffman, Castlewood Builders
- Co-Chair Pat Coveny, Arch Construction
- NAHB Green Building Program Implementation Sub-Committee Chair Bill Seeger, Ecohabitat, LLC
- Marketing & Communications Sub-Committee Chair Patrick Coveny, Arch Construction Management, Inc
- Governmental & Lending Incentives Sub-Committee Chair Sholeh Saedi, Bank of America
- Education Sub-Committee Chair Bill Styczymski, Styczymski Walken & Associates
- HBAGC Green Building Council By-Laws Sub-Committee Co-Chairs Bill Styczymski, Styczymski Walken & Associates and Tom Stephani, CCC, Inc
What is Green Building?
A sustainable building, or green building is an outcome of a design which focuses on increasing the efficiency of resource use — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building's lifecycle, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal.
Green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:
- Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
- Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
- Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation
The related concepts of sustainable development and sustainability are integral to green building. Effective green building can lead to 1) reduced operating costs by increasing productivity and using less energy and water, 2) improved public and occupant health due to improved indoor air quality, and 3) reduced environmental impacts by, for example, lessening storm water runoff and the heat island effect. Practitioners of green building often seek to achieve not only ecological but aesthetic harmony between a structure and its surrounding natural and built environment, although the appearance and style of sustainable buildings is not necessarily distinguishable from their less sustainable counterparts.
Why Build Green?
1.) Energy Savings.
Because of increased water and energy efficiency, you have the potential of saving thousands of dollars over the life of your home.
2.) Indoor Air Quality.
Green homes feature superior indoor air quality, which improves their overall livability. Green builders reduce pollutants and improve ventilation so your family can breathe easier.
3.) Peace of Mind.
Green homes are built with the environment in mind. From energy and water efficiency, to reduced construction waste and the use of renewable materials, you can take pride in the fact that your home has less negative impact on the environment.
Fact of Fiction?
Green building is complicated.
The term "Green building" is somewhat ambiguous, and applies to various levels of conservation design planning, energy efficiency and material use. Some people go to great lengths to build green by generating their own renewable power. Others build green by installing extra insulation or energy efficient appliances. Choose the level that works for you, and enjoy the satisfaction that comes from knowing that the changes you made are good for your customers, your business and the environment. Build as Green as your customers are willing to pay for. Need consumer demand.
Green building is expensive.
Many green building techniques can be applied at little or no additional cost. Plus, when operational costs, such as heating, cooling and water use are factored in, green buildings often provide home buyers with a savings over time. It is important that home buyers understand the potential long-term savings associated with many green building techniques, as this can be a selling point for your homes. Thanks to the green building movement, structures built today are typically twice as energy efficient as those built 30 years ago. Dishwashers use 40 percent less water, the amount of energy needed to run a washing machine has dropped 45 percent, and toilets use 1.6 gallons of water per flush compared to four in the 1970s.