Let’s face it - the toilet is an important fixture in our homes. Not only is it a necessity but, according to MotherEarthNews.com, we could save approximately 900 billion gallons of water each year if everyone in America replaced their toilets with low-flow ones.

In 1992 federal law set new requirements stating that new toilets meet a 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) standard—a dramatic reduction from the old 5 to 7 gpf toilets. People had a hard time believing that a 1.6 gpf toilet works just as well as a 5 gpf toilet. But a lot more goes into the functioning of a toilet than the amount of water used per flush. Let’s take a look at some low-flow toilet industry standards that both meet peoples’ expectations and their water conserving benefits can be put to use! Also, it is helpful to know the terms associated with toilet performance so as to make your decision a little bit easier. Lastly, we will discover who is on top in the toilet trade.

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Love the sun and warmth that skylights provide, but wonder what part they play in an energy efficient home?

Skylights can provide you with some energy saving benefits, but there are many things to consider in avoiding some common skylight slip-ups.

Skylights allow sunlight into our living spaces from above without compromising privacy. In delivering abundant daylighting, skylights can reduce energy consumption used for lighting, particularly in interior rooms that do not have direct access to exterior windows.

So, which features should you look for to enjoy the benefits and minimize any negative side effects that skylights can have? Consider the following when evaluating skylights to ensure that they are a bright feature in your home.

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Today, the word “green” can mean anything from the description of a product to the description of a lifestyle. However, many surveys exist claiming to have ranked the top greenest cities in America despite this term’s lack of definition. So, how can the top “greenest” cities be numerically ranked when the “green” concept is still so sweeping?

With so many lists claiming to have identified the “top” greenest cities in America, it is unclear which is “the” list. But each survey taken usually consists of different measures of greeness. As you might have noticed, there are various shades of green because each person places importance on different issues regarding our environment. These surveys are no different.

One poll may measure the amount of public transportation a city has and not necessarily the actual use of public transportation. So how different are the outcomes when disparate factors are used to measure a common idea? Below is a comparison of three “top” lists. Each has slightly different criteria and, in turn, slightly varying results.

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As we become more aware of how our homes affect the environment surrounding us, it may be time to take a look outside. Your driveway has a bigger impact than you think.

Rainwater that falls onto paved driveways, sidewalks, and roads has no place to go except straight to drainage systems or the nearest pond or stream. Soap from washing the car, pet waste and fertilizer can all contaminate runoff when it doesn’t go through the ground’s natural filter.

When evaluating driveway material, consider a permeable one, which will have a reduced need for drainage systems to redirect water and fewer contaminants washing into our streams. While permeable driveways may not be ideal for high-traffic areas, they are typically sufficient for residential use. We will discuss three common types of permeable driveways, one of which may suit your needs best.
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Windows are important to the efficiency of our homes and often account for a significant portion of our heating and cooling bills. New technologies are beginning to address common issues, such as solar heat gain and insulation, so that we can expect more from our windows in the future.

What is a SHGC?

Windows allow sunlight into our homes. Sunlight is composed of short and long wavelengths. The short wavelengths represent the visible light that makes our homes bright and sunny. The long wavelengths produce the heat we feel from that sunlight. This heat is also known as solar radiation.

The amount of solar radiation transmitted through a window is represented by the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), a number between 0 and 1. A window with a high SHGC allows a lot of solar radiation into your home. The heat provided can be welcome in colder climates, but provides unnecessary heat in warmer climates. A window with a low SHGC blocks solar radiation, which reduces the need for air-conditioning in summer but is not ideal for cold climates.

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LEED has made quite an impact in the green building world and more buildings are beginning to receive recognition for their designs. But how does LEED determine which buildings get to don the highly recognized plaque? They use a consensus-based point system that determines a building’s level of sustainability and ranks it accordingly.

LEED’s ranking system may not be an exact measure of sustainability, but it provides the structure necessary to evaluate the construction and operation of a building and its environmental impacts. The ranking system is built from six categories that are used to evaluate a design. Each category has a maximum amount of points that can be earned. Below is a description of these categories:
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Last week I took a tour of NEXUS, Boston’s Green Building Resource Center. An very knowledgeable employee of NEXUS, Shoshana Friedman, showed me around their new space on 38 Chauncy Street in Boston.

NEXUS is more or less the epicenter of green building resources for Boston, MA. It has a product showroom, a material and resource library, space for events, and provide a place for people studying for LEED certification. You can also take a tour of the building from their friendly staff!

I was curious if other similar green building centers exist. They’re a little hard to find—a quick search I did turned up one in Atlanta and one in Santa Monica (which is actually co-sponsored by Global Green USA). Let us know if your searches turn up other green building centers in different parts of the country.

In addition to serving as an educational resource to the building community, NEXUS is a working example of green products in use. They are currently in the process of being LEED certified under the Commercial Interior (CI) bracket. Here are a few “green” features that I found interesting:

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Part of building a home with renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, is deciding whether or not it should be connected to the electrical grid. There are numerous considerations — namely practical, economic, and environmental –involved in making your decision.

However, this choice can be difficult without a good understanding of what the terms grid-tied and off-grid actually mean. A grid-tied home is connected to power lines which transmit electricity to the home, mainly from power plants, yet can also produce power on-site using renewable energy systems. An off-grid home is not connected to power lines and, therefore, it relies solely on renewable energy systems to produce electricity and storage systems such as batteries to mediate the supply.

As we examine the practical implementation, cost, and environmental impact of each, we’ll see how being connected to the electrical grid is typically more beneficial than being completely detached from the predictable source of electricity and storage it provides.

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Imagine going outside in the dead of winter without a warm coat—what happens?

Your body loses a lot of heat and has to work really hard to keep you from freezing. Wearing your coat makes it so your body doesn’t have to work as hard to churn out the BTUs.

Insulation offers similar benefits by keeping valuable air from escaping from your home. But what makes one insulation different from another?

Understanding the properties of insulation, such as R-Value, installation method and its part in controlling air-infiltration, can help you make more informed decisions when choosing insulation.

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New products such as, bamboo flooring or structural insulated panels are making it possible to build healthier, greener homes.

Impact resistant windows are just one of the advances that can make a significant difference in protecting our homes.

Leaving your home vulnerable to hurricane force winds and other damaging conditions can affect the health and life span of your home.

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