This is the beginning of a series of articles describing the design decisions and details of an energy efficient single family home for the Chicagoland area. The end result will be a set of specifications or a recipe of the elements required to create a house that will conserve natural resources and save you money. That, to me, is a win win situation.
Am I a tree hugger? Do I put on green jeans every morning? Maybe. Here”s a thought I have often had. Perhaps you”ve had it too. Have you noticed that planet Earth is but a small spec of dust floating in a vast Universe? And only on this little rock called Earth, in all of the zillions of miles of space surrounding us, does there exist life capable of supporting us humans. What are we going to do if we turn our home floating in space into a noxious, toxic wasteland? Move to Mars? Mars is a dead lifeless rock. We have to be responsible stewards of our planet. Is it responsible to consume our natural resources as fast as we possibly can and spew pollution all over the land, sea and air? All the talk about “sustainable” or “green” design seems like common sense to me. Would you rather live in paradise or Mars?
OK, so there”s my rant about the environment. What I can more directly see that shocks me are my monthly utility bills. Wouldn”t it be nice to to utililize construction materials and methods that will reduce my costs and reliance on the utility companies? I sure think so.
I would like to close this article with a quote from David Johnston and Scott Gibson, who are co-authors of several excellent books on sustainable building. “What we alternately call green building or sustainable building is a way for people to make a positive difference in the world around them-if not reversing, then at least reducing the impact of humankind on the planet. Not coincidentally, it has its own practical rewards on a scale that all of us can immediately understand. If becoming model citizens of Planet Earth is too much to get our arms around, living in healthier, more comfortable houses that are less expensive to operate and last longer is certainly an attractive idea. Who wouldn”t want to participate in something like that?”
In the next article I will be going over the general planning considerations leading to the design of the house.
Ron