Suggestions for Sustainable Building Materials

[j00nasmariaa]

Hi everyone,

I am currently researching sustainable building materials for a new residential project in Houston. Given the hot and humid climate here, I am interested in options that offer both energy efficiency and durability.

Could anyone recommend materials or technologies that are particularly effective in our environment: ?? I’ve heard a bit about cool roofs and insulated concrete forms but I’d love to hear your personal experiences or any innovative solutions you’ve come across,..

Additionally, any advice on local suppliers or contractors with expertise in green building would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help:...🙂

Maria

 

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[Purdueenginerd]

On 7/24/2024 at 4:59 AM, j00nasmariaa said:

Hi everyone,

I am currently researching sustainable building materials for a new residential project in Houston. Given the hot and humid climate here, I am interested in options that offer both energy efficiency and durability.

Could anyone recommend materials or technologies that are particularly effective in our environment: ?? I’ve heard a bit about cool roofs and insulated concrete forms but I’d love to hear your personal experiences or any innovative solutions you’ve come across,..

Additionally, any advice on local suppliers or contractors with expertise in green building would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help:...🙂

Maria

 

powerapps

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Wood framing, so long as its grown from agricultural forests is your most 'sustainable' product. But it also has poor longer term durability so there are trade offs involved in it. My next home is likely to be steel frame, which on the front end is more expensive both from a carbon standpoint and labor standpoint, but longer term will drive down the maintenance costs of the home as long as the building envelope is well detailed. A lot of architects in the residential market do not detail building envelope and do not hire a subconsultant for it which contributes to contractors contributing to problems on the structure shortly after construction. 

cool roofs are viable to control the heating/cooling costs of the building, but it would be better to design your roof for a solar array and have localized battery system. 

Increasing window thicknesses and R rating of the windows. Solar films on the windows increase reflectivity and lower energy costs. Sun shades over the window can also improve performance of the building if that can be incorporated into architectural design. 

The door between garage and house is often fire rated but should be well insulated as well, if the garage is an unconditioned space. Pay attention to the r-rating of that door. 

Increasing the stud wall thickness on the perimeter can allow you to get a better r-rating. Ive seen this in some buildings already. Using 2x6s instead of 2x4s allows you to put more insulation into the wall. Furthermore, putting a brick veneer with an air-gap could improve it even further.  

In the attic, insulate heavily over the joists to improve the r-rating. Provide radiant barriers in the attic. 

For single family homes, please hire a MEP engineer who actually designs the HVAC system... often times thats done poorly by the contractor in that market and you can get a poorly designed system thats inefficient. The duct work should migrate from the AHU into the building envelope/or conditioned space as soon as possible. running your duct work in the attic is a great way to lose a lot of energy in the system.  Even better, if you can, put your air-handling unit inside the conditioned space. 

Install smart thermostats in the house. This is heavily user dependent but they can improve energy bills if the owner leaves the house on a regular basis. 

Evaluate heat pumps for the house (though I've yet to see this in Houston, would be curious if its viable here). 

Rain barrels are useful for the retention on the property and are beneficial for both water use purposes and flood control.