Tips For A Green Renovation – Part One

Creating a renewable and sustainable building and home environment is an issue close to my heart and one that I feel we can constantly improve on. Here are some tips on how we made our gut renovation as green as possible, which I will write in installments. This edition focuses on reusable resources and power conservation. 

1)      Reuse supplies and materials as often as possible – this might seem like a given, but construction generates so much waste that anything that can be reused, should be. Here’s an examples of how were reused when gutting our 1890’s townhouse. We cut many of the floor joists to create new stair openings and to reinforce our wood frame house with steel. All of the joists were made from fantastically sturdy yellow pine, so whenever possible we reused the cut joist to frame out stair, window and door openings that did not require steel reinforcement.

2)      Find a local green building supplier – In New York City we have a place called Build It Green! NYC, a huge warehouse in Queens full of donated and used building supplies available at a fraction of their new cost. BIG! helps the environment by reducing trash and recycling materials. They are also a great bunch of people to work with--very helpful! You can find donated supplies from large development sites, some very high end fixtures and appliances that have never been used! You can also find gently used supplies that can be spruced up a bit to make them look like new. Building green never helping your wallet out so much! There are Build It Green type non-profit organizations in many locations. Also think about donating used yet reusable supplies to these types of organizations.

3)      Plan ahead to purchase and install energy saving appliances and features - While this might require an initial investment, in most cases you will recoup your money in a short time while helping the environment. Make sure all new purchases are certified by the federal Energy Start Program, which can cut household energy use 25% to 50%. Kiplingers recently published a list of that cost and recoup time for various energy efficient items:

Programmable thermostat: Cost - $40; Annual Savings - $100; Payback - 5 months

Compact fluorescent bulbs: Cost - $30; Annual Savings - $50; Payback - 7 months

Furnace: Cost - $500; Annual Savings - $400; Payback - 1 year, 4 months

Clothes washer: Cost - $300; Annual Savings - $50; Payback - 6 years

New windows: Cost - $600; Annual Savings - $90; Payback -6 years, 6 months

Central air conditioner: Cost - $400; Annual Savings - $35; Payback - 11 years, 5 months

4)      Explore options for clean energy sources – Many power suppliers are now offering price plans for green power (part hydro-electric/part wind power) and 100% wind power. While these power options might add a bit of money to your electric bill, they can help decrease your environmental footprint. In New York City, both of these power options are offered through Con Edison and they estimate green power will add an average cost of $3.50 per month while wind power will add a cost of $8.75. 

5)      Insulation whever possible - Using Insulations in between floors and on all exposed sides of your house is absolutely paramount.  This can help decrease noise transfer as well as keep heat in during the winter and cool in during the summer.  Double paned windows will also help with insulation a great deal. 

Feel free to leave your own green renovation tips in the comments!