Where to Now? Inform the Next Generation of Sustainable Design & Construction
Green Retrofit for Your Home
1. Green Retrofit for Your Home
• Green Roundtable
• September 12, 2009
• Mark Price
• Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
2. LEED AP + Homes
Single Family – Custom
Gut Rehab / Deep Energy Retrofit
Multi-Family
Public / BHA
Consulting / Zero-Energy
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
3. I assume:
• You Have a home
• You can (are authorized to) make changes
to your home
• You want to conserve:
– Resources
– Money
– Energy
– Carbon
– Your home
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
4. What is Green?
• “The practice of increasing the
efficiency with which buildings
and their sites use and harvest
energy, water, and materials, and
reducing building impacts on
human health and the
environment, through better
siting, design, construction,
operation, maintenance, and
removal.” - Wikipedia
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
5. What is Green?
• Efficient
– Use of materials
– Use of energy/water
– The greenest building is the one you don’t
have to build
• Thinking of impacts beyond cost
• Healthy/Safe
• Good Building
– Best practices
– Smart
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
6. Climate Change
• Source: US EPA
• www.epa.gov/climatechange/science
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
7. Top 7 Environmental Impacts:
• 1. Cars and light trucks
• 2. Meat and poultry production
• 3. Fruit, vegetable and grain production
• 4. Home heating, hot water and air conditioning
• 5. Household appliance and lighting use
• 6. Home construction
• 7. Household water and sewage
• From The Consumer’s Guide to Effective
Environmental Choices, Brower and Leon, Three Rivers
Press 1999
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
8. Minimize demand for water /
chemicals
No invasive species
Low water Landscaping
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
9. Reduce local heat island effects
Reducing/Shading of Hardscapes
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
10. Use rainwater or reuse
greywater.
Water Re-use
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
11. Minimize water demand for
landscape irrigation.
High-efficiency Irrigation System when used
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
12. Minimize water demand for
indoor use.
•Toilets: 1.3 GPF
Showerheads: 1.75 GPM
Faucet aerators: 1.0-.5 GPM
Efficient Indoor Water Use
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
13. Increase the service life of the
building – durability planning
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
16. Minimize air leakage into and
out of conditioned space.
Blower Door Test
• Depressurizes the
house
• Measures how well
the house contains
pressure
• Find the leaks
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
17. Use high performance windows
For comfort, durability, and energy savings
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
18. Minimize leaks in heating and
cooling distribution systems.
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
23. Minimize lighting & appliance
energy demand.
ENERGY STAR labeled fixtures & appliances
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
24. Use renewable electric generation
system.
Renewable energy
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
25. Use framing materials
efficiently.
2 strips of plywood
4 feet wide and
1 strip 2 feet wide
2’-10”
9’-7”
16’-2” *
19’-2” *
Plywood
soffit
4’
grid
4’
16”
ch
-in
’
2” vent
4
24
strip
4’
4’
16” 16” 16”
4’
8’
Cut plywood
4’ sheet into equal
4’ strips for soffit
assembly. Paint/
seal upper and
lower surfaces
of soffit as well
as edges.
* The 2"
dimension
comes from
assuming
that 1" thick
insulation
sheathing is
installed over
framing.
Efficient framing techniques
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
26. Use environmentally preferable
products
• Luan plywood is considered tropical!
– Cabinets, hollow-core doors, floor
underlayment, pull down stairs
Tropical Hardwood FSC-Certified
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
27. Minimize leakage of combustion
gases
Combustion Venting
Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
