Green Building for Building Professionals

A few months ago I mentioned that I attended a green home seminar at the Home & Garden Show. Last week I was able to further my green building education by attending the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) University "Green Building for Building Professionals".

The course was offered here in Columbia through our local Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia and was attended by both local and out-of-state professionals in the home building industry.

The instructor for the course was Tom Stephani of Custom Construction Concepts Inc. of Crystal Lake, IL.



The main topics of the course included building science principles, site development and design, building envelope and durability, resource efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor air quality, remodeling considerations, effective operation and homeowner education, & marketing and selling green. Each of these topics was discussed in detail. Here are a few highlights I noted:

• The "whole house" approach means every system must be considered in relation to every other system in a house to build an efficient, more comfortable, safer, and more sustainable home.


• Energy efficiency is one of the biggest components of green homes under the NAHB Green Home Building Guidelines. A third-party review plan is required during construction to verify design and compliance of the energy efficiency guidelines.


• The typical household spends over $1,500 per year on energy bills. ENERGY STAR appliances can help homeowners save up to 30%.

And speaking of ENERGY STAR, a few stats:

1. ENERGY STAR clothes washers use 50% less energy
2. ENERGY STAR does not label clothes dryers because most dryers use similar amounts of energy.
3. ENERGY STAR refrigerators use at least 20% less energy than required by current federal standards and 40% less energy than conventional models sold in 2001.
4. ENERGY STAR freezers use at least 20% less energy than required by current federal standards.
5. ENERGY STAR dishwashers use 25% less energy

Hosted by the Green Building Council of the Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia, the Green Building course provided me with another level of compentence within this growing field of the building industry.

You can contact me at 803-260-7546 or by email to find out more about green building in the Columbia & Lexington areas of South Carolina.

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In Home Intercoms

In home intercom systems have come along way. There are many varieties on the market with varied bells & whistles. No longer does the main station in the kitchen or master bedroom have to be over powering on the wall. Along with the improvements in technology, the price of in home intercom systems has also lowered over the years.

As is usually the case, a great time to wire for components such as an intercom is during new construction while all the walls are open and accessible. We have had the Greyfox (now OnQ/Legrand) intercom system installed in several of our houses. This system, like many today, uses Cat5 wiring from a structured wiring panel to each room that will have an intercom station. The room stations themselves are only the size of a two-switch panel. The main station is the size of a three-switch panel. These small sizes and the traditional looking face plates allow the intercom to blend well on the wall along with your other electrical switches.

One of the best features of this intercom system is the monitor which allows any room station to be monitored from the rest of the house. This is great for a baby's room, when someone is sick in bed, or even for an elderly person that is not easily mobile.

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