| Is Oregon Building Green Or Just Partially? |
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Here are some startling facts: • According the National Home Builders Association the typical conventionally built home creates 3,500 pounds of wood waste during construction. • Deforestation accounts for 20% of CO2 emissions. • It takes roughly 3.5 loads of logs to build a 2,000 sq. foot home. • It takes between 100 to 150 years for these trees to grow. • Up to 65% of heat loss is through exterior walls and roof. The reason for these facts is simple. Regardless of how many green features you add to your home. Regardless of how green the contractor is. Regardless of how efficiently the home is designed. There are still major flaws in the construction process and the materials used rendering the home only partially green. It’s time to build an green home in Oregon. The two major flaws are the material the home is constructed from and the way the home is insulated. As far as the material used, the majority of green homes in Oregon today are still constructed with wood 2 x 4’s and 2 x 6’s. This method of construction poses many environmental, safety and efficiency concerns. Environmentally, wood framed homes have a massive impact on our environment as well as massive waste, as is evident from the facts above. There is a safety concern with using wood. The longer the home has been standing the dryer it becomes. The dryer it becomes the quicker it will ignite and burn. Secondly there are potential problems from pests and rot which could degrade the structural soundness of the home. Inefficiency is another factor in the fact that wood provides poor insulation. Secondly there is massive waste in both the material and the labor used to construct the home. The way most conventional homes are insulated creates major impacts on our environment as well. Not necessarily from the materials used but from the inefficiency of these materials to insulate the home. State regulations vary but in most cases you will be required to install insulation with an R rating of 21 to 35. This insulation is installed on all exterior walls between the framed studs. There are multiple problems with this. • First, as much as 1/3 of an exterior wall is covered in wood. Wood has an R value of 7 which is 1/3 to 1/5 the required insulation value. • Secondly an increase in moisture in the insulation of just 1.5% can decrease the effectiveness in the insulation as much as 35%. • Third, in parts of the walls where there is plumbing it is difficult to install the insulation which lends its self easily to heat loss and heat infiltration. • Finally the insulation does not do a good job in blocking radiant heat which is where 65% of heat loss and infiltration is derived from. It’s time to start building green Oregon. We are a timber state but the environmental benefits of steel are enormous. Think green and build green. |