Mother Earth is crying! Her pristine body has been abused, bruised, and damaged. Her capability and strength to fight and be immune to threats of pollution and global warming have deteriorated. It is definitely time for some life-support if we wish that she lives.
Simple green building techniques
Providing a shot in the arm are modern, eco-friendly ways of building shelters that assist Mother Earth and also help us to save time, energy, and money. Going green reduces our bills and ensures that green bills stay with us longer!
1. K-Tect insulated wall system helps conserve energy
k_tect panels
A big winner from the K-tect Sustainable Building Systems, the K-tect insulated wall system uses a pre-fabricated structural metal stud building system, which is light weight yet strong and 100 percent recyclable. The wall, at its core, uses expanded polystyrene (EPS) which has been 'Greenguard certified' for air quality and child safety. EPS contains no chemicals and being a polymer, will not breakdown over time. This durable polystyrene is fire proof and water proof and provides resistance against mold, mildew, moisture, rust, and insects.
The floor, roof and, walls being made in Las Vegas and Brownsville are ideal for residential buildings. The insulated wall system eliminates thermal bridging and thus makes it a comprehensive system providing the best thermal efficiency and noise control, better cost savings, and improved durability.
2. Let the sun shine through your roof to save both energy and your bills!
sun shine conserve energy
The Wal-Mart store in Aurora, Colorado, discovered that it could go green and save $23,184 annually. The star of the Greenbuild 2007 exhibition, SunTrackerOne is a huge, elegantly designed dome containing mirrors that adjust themselves to beam maximum natural light into a room. It also has a built in automatic lighting control that gets activated whenever necessary, thus saving 10-35 percent power for a building. Throughout the day, beginning from when the sun is at about 10 degrees in the horizon, the mirrors adjust themselves to maximize light intake while the dual thermal barrier ensures that no heat leaks through either ways. So, you can have the joy of light without facing the heat!
3. Automatic solar shading for an eco friendly building
solar shading
How about producing all the energy needs of a building within the building itself? The Devonshire building, designed by the Dewjoc architecture firm can make all other buildings go green with envy by coming very close to this dream. The six storey building has an inbuilt intelligent system that controls the many solar panels on its southern elevation. So the blinds adjust themselves to regulate and allow the right mix of light and heat. This adjustment is not only tuned to the time of the day but also to the seasons of the year!
The roof houses solar modules capable of generating 25 kW of power. Apart from its impressive solar capabilities, the roof has a rainwater harvesting system that feeds the 20 000 liter underground tank which further overflows into a 40 000 liter geothermal tank. This water is also used to cool the building.
4. Weatherization technicians save homeowners big bucks in energy costs
Weatherization Techniciques
The Devonshire building idea may not be economical for a normal home owner. For all the calculative investment geeks out there here is a smart venture. Weatherizing is the process of insulating your home against possible energy leaks. It definitely costs (from an average $2000 to about $10,000 for big homes) but pays off sometimes within an year. After that, it is only savings as you see your energy bills dropping to all time lows. The best part is that though weatherizing a home requires know how and time, there are quick certification courses that you can take so that you become an insulation technician yourself. So, apart from a smart venture, it could turn out into an exciting adventure as well.
5. Green roofs energy saver
Green Roofs
And now we come to the most natural, elegant, economical, and greenest way of going green - with plants! Technology seems to have gone a full circle to arrive at a 'primitive' idea. A green roof helps in bio-diversity, has a wonderful visual appeal, prevents from the intense heat of summer and preserves the warmth of a winter. Do you need any more reasons to go for a green top? If you do, well here they are. A green roof reduces pollution and increases the availability of oxygen. It is cheap and can be installed for as low as $10 per square foot.
A green top increases the life of the roof membrane and reduces the dependability on electric heaters, coolers, and air conditioners. They are more viable because of the increased availability of strong sub-structures and waterproofing materials in the market.
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