Energy Efficiency and Comfort Levels

Several factors can affect the comfort level and energy efficiency of a home. In reality all existing homes have a significant opportunity for improvement, especially those that were built 20 years ago when no or minimal research was being conducted on energy efficiency of buildings. Today energy conservation is an important issue due to rising energy prices and the possible effects it may have on our environment. In today’s world, home builders have a better understanding of what affects the energy efficiency and comfort of your home. We at Go Green California are making an effort to keep up with the latest technologies, construction methods, and scientific findings that can potentially have negative effects on energy consumption. Our goal is to understand our customer’s goals and concerns, educate them on how we can help them achieve a more energy efficient and comfortable home, and work together to find solutions .Not only does improvement increase comfort but it can also increase the resale value of your home.

           

            Good recommendations cannot be given without a proper inspection of the property. Inspection should start before visiting the property and identifying the climate zone in which it is located, important if it’s your first time visiting the area. The person who is conducting the inspection should also familiarize himself with local markets such as energy prices, construction methods, wages, etc. He should also attempt to get in touch with the local building department to see if he may acquire information regarding the drainage, age, additions, and type of construction of the property.  Inspections in home should be carried on by a well trained individual who has knowledge of construction practices and who understand what can affect the energy efficiency and comfort of a home.

Impacts on energy efficiency, health, safety, durability and comfort may result from duct leakages, air infiltration, insulation, moisture management, and building envelope air tightness. A building envelope is the insulation and building materials that surround the conditioned areas of a building and which help maintain the temperature of the conditioned area. An important action when trying to create an air tight building envelope is to identify potential sources of air leakage and take the appropriate means to seal them. Air ducts and pipes are sources where air leakage may occur and depending on what they carry they could have negative effects on comfort and health. Several homes suffer from seasonal issues such flooding, mold, and odor which could result from improper pipe drainage and duct leakage. Proper ventilation is also required in order to maintain good air quality. A tight building envelope helps keep the proper temperature inside a home but it does not help maintain proper air quality, in fact it may create problems such as high CO levels, moisture, and particulate dust. Therefore it is important to provide good ventilation where the amount of air entering and exiting a house is controlled, derived from clean, dry sources, and which helps maintain good air quality and healthy living.

Tired of Conventional Roofing? Try Green Roofs for a Change!

Roof gardens are more popular in urban environments especially in the last ten years. They are frequently used as, social, symbolic, and contemporary space. Roof planting provides food, temperature control, hydrological benefits, architectural enhancement, a habitat for wildlife, and recreational opportunities. 

Studies have shown in the past that plants have the ability to reduce the overall heat absorption of the building which then reduces energy consumption. Another great benefit is to reduce the overall heat buildup in cities like Los Angeles, the absorption of solar radiation by roads and by buildings. Plants however do not raise more than 5 F degrees above the ambient and are sometimes cooler. This in fact cools the environment up to 20 F degrees less. Roof garden cooling abilities become more necessary in warmer areas. 

Other benefits are reduction of carbon dioxide impact, reduction summer air conditioning cost, and reduction winter heat demand lengthen, and remove nitrogen pollution in rain fall naturalizing acid rain and finally provides songbird habitat. This is according to the study in the University of Cardiff. 

We will be at AltBuild Santa Monica again this year, come see us and other great companies that support sustainable building and healthy living!

Green Gardens for Earth Day!

A green sustainable garden can be achieved by incorporating several ideas into your design or simply becoming more aware of what can negatively affect our environment. When we talk about a sustainable garden we are referring to a garden that is able to maintain long-term well being, for both humans and the environment, and at the same time its resources are well managed to minimize consumption and obtaining the most out of them.  As we all know, we need to eat, including wildlife. By hanging feeders or introducing native shrubs or fruit/nut trees, your garden will become a five star restaurant for wildlife, that’s if you enjoy the presence of wildlife. One of the best ways, probably the least expensive yet most ignored way to make your garden more sustainable, is by conserving water. Other ways your garden can become more sustainable is by reducing resources and or using renewable ones, taking responsibility of your gardening practices, reducing the amount of chemicals used in a garden especially when nature can solve the problem, and by growing your own organic foods.

                Water can be conserved in many ways. Having clean access to water is a privilege and not many people in the world enjoy such privilege. Although some ways of conserving water may require more effort than others, the intention to conserve it is worth it because water is not an infinite resource and it may not last forever like many of us think. For example, instead of using a hoe to clear out your driveway use a broom to conserve water. Reducing resources and using renewable resources also helps reduce the impact in our environment and makes our gardens greener. Not all plants are created equal and not all plants are able to survive in the same medium, since soil composition tends to vary. By informing yourself on plants needs and requirements, you can pick plants that prefer the type of soil that’s already available in your garden, at the same time you are reducing resources. When using plastic in a garden, try and use high recyclable plastics with low VOC. Some plastics leech chemicals into the environment and using plastics with little or no VOC’s helps reduce environmental pollution.  Creating a sustainable garden may also involve responsibility. Taking responsibility of your garden practices is also important if your goal is to create a sustainable garden. Some positive gardening practices may include collecting rain water in rain barrels in order to use that water to water your garden. Rain water tends to be better for plants and you are also helping to reduce run off which tends to wash pollutants into your local water shed, not to mention you are also conserving water. As a responsible owner you can take on more responsibility by finding ways to avoid the use of harmful chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides, alternate ways such as implementing biological pest management practices. Growing your own vegetables and fruits will also make your garden more sustainable and at the same time save you money.

Energy Upgrade CA

Go Green California became a participating contractor in the State of California’s new program, Energy Upgrade. As part of the program, Go Green was required to attend and receive training in the latest home performing standards in order to be considered a qualified contractor for the basic upgrade package. The required measures for a basic upgrade include: air sealing, attic insulation, duct sealing, hot water pipe insulation, thermostatic shower control, combustion safety testing, and smoke/co detectors. As part of the training process, some of Go Green’s employees attended a two-hour orientation about the program and a three-day building science basic training about building envelope elements.  All participating contractors are trained to provide the highest level of service from nationally recognized home performance and green building organizations.

The Energy Upgrade Program is a program that provides assistance to qualified individual who are looking to upgrade their homes in order to increase their energy efficiency. As part of the program qualified individual might be able to receive up to $4000 in utility incentives, $500 in federal tax credits, eligibility for weatherproofing services, energy efficient appliances, and various local city and county rebates depending on the area in which you live. At the same time individuals will be receiving energy education which might range from how to conserve energy to reduce your utility bills, improve air quality, conserve resources, reduce green house gases, and most important how to make your home comfortable in all seasons. For more information you can visit www.energyupgradeca.com, www.cpuc.ca.gov or contact your local utility provider. For information regarding the weatherization process, qualification criteria and a list of local service providers visit www.csd.ca.gov. The price of energy has been steadily increasing and educating yourself about energy efficiency is important in order to maintain your bills low and to educated people about the importance of keeping our planet clean and conserving resources.