The initial driving force behind our interest in building Green Homes was purely economic. For our customers, paying a large utility bill just didn’t make sense. One way to cut down on these bills was to build more efficiently. This also saved on the overall cost of construction. Through “value-engineering” (an early form of Green design) and focusing on building a well-insulated home, the customer saved money up front and continued to see these savings throughout the life of the home. Paradime Construction, Inc. has always used “value-engineering” principals as both the designer and the builder. Through our years of experience in both fields, we are able to save our clients money right from the start, beginning with our design process. Also, by utilizing resources that use less waste and more renewable products whenever possible, significant savings can be seen in both construction costs and home maintenance expenses.
With the introduction of the approved standards by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Green Homes were clearly defined and all aspects that go into their design and construction are now measurable and verifiable by qualified third parties. For Paradime Construction, Inc., implementation of this program was both logical and simple, as we were already using many of these techniques in several aspects of our business, and they can now be verified by a third party and receive the seal of approval from the home-building industry.
There are varying degrees of Green when it comes to new homes. You can achieve both a well designed and energy-efficient home with small but deliberate steps. There is also the extreme option of an off-the-grid home that provides its own energy. Most Green Homes fall into the middle of these categories. People want Green Homes for various reasons and that is why these programs allow the homebuyer to customize the level of Green they are looking for in their new home.
Paradime Construction, Inc. is pleased to provide these services to our clients. Planet Earth has only a finite amount of natural resources. Through Green design and construction, today’s homes can do their part to conserve both energy and resources. At Paradime Construction, Inc., new construction is the perfect place to take advantage of the ever changing technology and products that allow our Green Homes to outperform other standard homes, easing the impact on both the wallet and the environment.
- Contributed by Stan O'Brien of Paradime Construction, Inc. Stan is an Executive Committee Member of the Green Building Council of Greater Columbia.
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3 comments:
I think it is fantastic how we are using renewable energy and going green in so many ways. I think we also need to do things like reducing our energy usage, like installing geothermal heat pumps to replace high energy heating and cooling systems.
Hello Stan and thanks for your comment. The Build Green Greater Columbia program does allow extra points for geothermal systems in homes and they are certainly a viable way to go for heating and cooling. The flexibility of our program is a great feature, allowing standard building practices while encouraging the use of other innovative practices at the same time.
I must point out, however, that no matter what heating and cooling system you use on a home, the building envelope MUST be in tact and not allowed to leak energy. Even the most effecient systems can't beat holes in the envelope.
Along this line of thought, a homeowner would not even need a high-end HVAC system to heat and cool if their envelope is uninterrupted... less energy leaked out equals less energy used going in.
Yeah, its really fantastic and amazing. Having this green building is really an environment friendly and energy saving at the same time. Excellent!
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