What in the "Green" World Can I Do?

When Hennessy built the Woodland Corporate Center Office Building in Tampa, we “earned” a Gold LEED Certification on the project, and even won the 26th Annual Hillsborough County Community Design Award in the Green Projects category. Certification is “earned” by following certain criteria to improve our environment on many different levels. The criteria includes many things, from choosing the right location, taking into consideration the materials used and how they are to be utilized in the project, using the latest technology to effect a water-efficient and energy-efficient facility, to selecting safe finishes for a healthy interior, and on and on . . .

Then Hennessy contracted to perform a renovation of the historic 1925 Jordan School building in South St. Petersburg, which is also a LEED project. At Jordan School, many “green” issues were addressed, including solar energy panels, solar water heating, a Cool-Kap roof, and even recycling the bricks on the existing building! Yes, they removed what bricks they could, cleaned them, and reused them!

And then along came another project containing “green” elements - the Pinellas County Public Works Emergency Responders Building in Clearwater - which houses state-of-the-art equipment for our County’s intelligent transportation system, as well as Pinellas County’s emergency operations center, and consolidates several highway division administrative and operational functions, light manufacturing, and warehousing in a facility that has been designed to withstand 190 mph winds. Those of us who were here during the storms of 2004 (what was that - 4 major hurricanes in 6 weeks?), think this facility is a very good idea!

Well, in my small corner of the Commercial Construction World here at Hennessy, with all of the conversation containing more and more information about the economical and environmental advantages of building “green,” it has got me to thinking about my personal environment . . .

I have lived in my home since we moved to St. Petersburg in 1973. It is paid for. I do not plan on moving and, at this stage of my life, I certainly do not plan on building a new, “green” home. However, I have been checking and have found that there are some things that I can do to make my personal environment healthier and more efficient. Since the power bill in my home is one of the most expensive line items in our budget, I will begin with the HVAC system.

• Change (or clean) air conditioner filters on a regular basis. A dirty filter hampers the airflow and costs me more to run the air conditioner.
• Adjust the thermostat to accommodate the changing temperatures outside or invest in an automated thermostat. The programmable thermostats are worth the cost, and what I spend, I will get back over time in lower energy bills. I can save 6% of our air conditioning costs for every degree we raise the thermostat in the summer and 3% of our heating costs for every degree we lower it during the winter.
• Invest in a high-efficiency heat pump air conditioner or an HVAC system that is Energy Star certified to reduce the utility bills. Look for a product with a higher SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficient Ratio) rating, which means the product meets strict government criteria to be deemed “energy efficient.” The standard is 13 SEER, but many heating and air conditioning products have a rating as high as 18 SEER.
• Call Progress Energy for an “energy audit” in your home and make a list of what needs to be done to get things up to “green par.” Hire the work to be done OR, if feasible, purchase what’s needed for the improvements and make this a family project! You can also do an Online Energy Check at http://www.progress-energy.com/. I did this a few years ago and received a complete analysis of our energy use including an automatic download of our actual electric billing history. I also received customized recommendations on what to do to begin saving energy.
• Install more fans. Exhaust fans pull unwanted heat and humidity from the attic, bathroom and kitchen spaces during the summer months. Ceiling fans can help reduce air conditioning during the summer and can even push heat down from the ceiling in the winter.
• Insulate your home. Doors and windows are two of the most obvious areas of concern when it comes to home energy conservation. At my home, we have those old Florida windows that crank open. We need to replace them with a new energy-efficient, wind-rated product. The new 2007 Florida Building Code window requirements are not cheap, so we may have to do one window at a time! But I am sure we will notice an immediate cost savings and in a few years they will probably pay for themselves!
• Insulate the attic. The attic is the easiest place to add insulation to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home. No matter what kind of insulation you currently have in your attic, one quick way to determine if you need more is to look across the span of your attic. If your insulation is just level with or below your floor joists (i.e., you can easily see your joists), you should add more. If you cannot see any of the floor joists because the insulation is well above them, and the insulation is distributed evenly, you probably have enough and adding more may not be cost-effective. Insulation levels are specified by R-Value. R-Value is a measure of insulation's ability to resist heat flow. The higher the R-Value, the better the thermal performance of the insulation. The recommended level for most attics is to insulate to R-38 or about 10 to 14 inches, depending on insulation type.
• Consider window tinting to reduce the glare of the sun. It will reduce heat gain during our Florida summers, eliminate up to 99% of damaging ultraviolet rays and reduce the fading of fabrics and furnishings in our home.
• Insulate your hot water heater. Most standard water heaters are on all the time. Adding some extra insulation will save more energy than you would think and knock up to 15% off the cost of heating water. Reducing the temperature setting of the water heater will also reduce costs.
• Plug everything into a power strip. And when you're not using the power, turn off the strip. This keeps your turned-off appliances from stealing energy from the outlet, thus saving you money and decreasing your carbon footprint.
• Replace all standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. These energy-smart bulbs use 70%-75% less energy than the incandescent kind and last up to ten times longer. For example, by using a 26-watt, compact fluorescent light bulb (equivalent to a 100 watt incandescent), I can save up to $59 dollars on energy costs over the life of the bulb, which can be anywhere from five to seven years. And that’s just one bulb. No need to go broke buying the compact fluorescent bulbs - just replace the old incandescent with the compact fluorescent kind when the incandescent bulbs fail.
• Light colored tile roofs outperform shingle roofs when it comes to decreasing temperatures in the attic. If you are due for a new roof, and can afford it, consider white tile, which has properties that help reduce heat gain to your attic.
• Install a motion detector outside to replace the outdoor lighting. Outdoor lights left on all night waste energy and disturb wildlife. Light fixtures activated by motion sensors or a timer will keep the area well lit and save energy and money.
• Check for leaky faucets and running toilets and get them repaired as quickly as possible. Use cold water when laundering clothes and adjust the clean threshold if you can . . . can those jeans be worn a few more times than usual before washing? Can the pool or bath towel be dried off at least once more before putting it through a washer and dryer? Set a good example by teaching your children how to turn off the water while they brush their teeth or take a quick shower. Installing low flow showerheads and water-saving toilets can also cut down on water usage to save energy and lower the water bill.

• Speaking of that dryer, Line-dry your clothes. If you live in an apartment, get a drying rack. If it's not a breezy day or if you dry your clothes indoors and your clothes and towels become a bit stiff, when they're almost dry, put them into the dryer for five minutes to soften them up.
• Organize a “stop a leak day” where everyone in your family tightens, insulates, replaces, caulks or does whatever else is necessary to make your home as leak-proof as possible.
• Live by the Four Rs: Refuse what you don't need. This means do not buy products that are not recyclable and/or will live in a landfill somewhere (and probably beyond our life span), including disposable items and products in elaborate packaging. Reduce what you think you need. We are a people of excess and can do quite well with a lot less. Reuse what you can't reduce. Recycle what you can't reuse. Rebuy (buy recycled) whenever possible.

There is also another benefit to making these improvements in my home. While most of our homes lost value during the recent economy turn, eco-friendly homes have held their value, even appreciating in price. Come sale time, a “green” property typically appraises for 10% to 15% higher than comparable conventional homes, depending on the region and which upgrades were made. In fact, “green” homes are expected to account for 10% of new home construction in 2010, up from 5% in 2005. Of course, what qualifies a home as “green” will vary by consumer, neighborhood and home builder, but whether I use recycled materials in our flooring or install a water-saving toilet, every little bit helps.
I am sure you can think of many other great ideas to make our homes more environmentally friendly, as there are literally thousands of ways to improve the health, efficiency, and economy in our own personal environment.

Environmentally responsible homes require thoughtful choices. As Kermit the Frog sings, “It ain’t easy being green!” But it should be worth our while to give it some thought.

Posted by: Penny Santner

For nearly twenty years, Penny has been a fixture at Hennessy Construction Services. As both Office Manager and Corporate Secretary she handles a wide variety of duties including, any paperwork associated with an Owner contract from Notices of Commencement to Certificates of Substantial completion and everything in between. She also takes care of the phone systems both internal and mobile. However, as anyone at Hennessy will tell you, her most important responsibility is being the keeper of the candy jars.