What is ‘green’ building? Green building principles have many ‘shades’. Those ‘shades’ can include: clients who strive to be ‘off-the-grid’ to those who want to incorporate energy efficient appliances into their existing homes and any combination in between. Here at Hayward & Company we are here to assist you with incorporating as many green building principles into your new construction project as you desire.
What does ‘green’ mean to us?
First and foremost, it means constructing an energy efficient home shell with high performing windows and doors. Conservation of the energy put into the home for heating and cooling is a major step.
Secondly, we utilize High Performance Home (HPH) techniques when constructing your new house. These components work together to maintain home health as well as improve overall comfort and efficiency. Here are some HPH components:
- Not So Big House methodologies – How much space do you really need? When designing a home we think about the ultimate use of space and work to create a home that is sized accordingly.
- Tight thermal envelope – Our use of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) and insulated home shell sheathing provide our clients just that.
- Solar-smart design – Capturing solar heat in New England with proper house orientation is easy and free!
- Energy efficient heating and cooling systems – These systems can range from geothermal to fossil driven systems. Regardless of which system is chosen, with a tight thermal envelope and Energy Star© rated mechanical systems you will be conserving more of the energy you are putting into the structure.
- Indoor air quality – Proper ventilation eliminates mold, allergens and pollutants from your home.
- Water management – A simple on-demand hot-water heater can reduce energy consumption and subsurface irrigation systems save water by ‘dripping’ it at the root level instead of spraying it into the air.
- Energy-efficient lighting, appliances, and green products – These are limitless choices which are easy and relatively inexpensive to implement.
Finally, smart design and planning blends it all together and creates a structure which has low operational costs, is comfortable year round and improves the global environment for generations.
