The other day we printed off the checklist for the Central Washington Homebuilders Association “Built Green” program. Wow. I had seen this checklist displayed and filled out in some of the homes during last year’s Tour of Homes, so I wanted to look up what was involved with becoming certified.

It’s pretty interesting, with several levels of certification, some self-reporting by the builder, and some third-party certified. When looking through the list, however, my desire for any sort of certification reached nearly zero. It seems to be a lot of work, and frankly, I felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to consider. I think we will continue to put our energies into pursing the viability of a ground-source heat pump, good windows and insulation, low-VOC paint, xeriscaping, etc. I’d love to do absolutely everything, but financial considerations and the energy that birthing and caring for a new baby are going to be our priority.

I was doing some research the other day on types of roofing materials and the pros and cons to having a reflective roof in this climate. There are an abundance of reflective roofing materials, from shingles with reflective particles in them (that allow you to use darker colours but still have the heat reflection benefits), recyclable vinyl roofs, sheet metal roofs, reflective membranes/barriers of various types, as well as “paint on” types of products for existing roofs. Interestingly, my husband remembered that his mother’s business had applied one of those paint-on products years ago to the existing flat black roof and it made a big difference in the temperature (i.e., no longer melting his shoes to the roof!) when he went up to clean out the swamp cooler.

What I found out, however, was in this climate the advantage of a reflective roof would be minimal. The average “cooling degree days” (i.e., how many degrees a year you are cooling to get to 65 degrees F.) is 458. Compare that, with, say, Phoenix, that has nearly the same rainfall as we do annually (i.e., desert) but has 4162 cooling degree days! You can look up your heating/cooling degree days on this website.

There does still seem to be some benefit to having a lighter coloured roof in this climate, so we probably will go with that but perhaps not worry about the speciality products. I’m not sure what the cost comparison is between products, which would be the biggest factor, but it does seem to make more sense at this point to concentrate on high-quality windows and insulation, with a long-lasting shingle (reflective or not).

There is a fair amount of helpful information on roofing material types and benefits at the Roofing Contractor website.

Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency : ENERGY STAR.

Here’s the site with the requirements for the “green” federal tax credits.

Eternal hybrid: the world’s first and most advanced hybrid water heating system.

My friend showed me this product awhile back. This tank is a hybrid between tankless and old-school water tank systems. The advantages seem to be that water is hot more quickly because of the reservoir (although, you’ll still have the water that’s standing in the pipes be cooled down, so it won’t be completely instantaneous, I assume), then you have “endless” hot water as the tankless part kicks in. It also is cheaper to vent and you’re able to hook a waste-heat recovery system (like this) up to it, which intrigues me.

The biggest drawback seems to be the cost – depending on the model they run around $2500-3000, compared to a tankless that’s between $1000-2000. It does advertise the “green rebate” (30%) that many of these appliances are eligible for, but I assume a regular tankless would qualify for those, too. I’ll have to look that up.

Anyway, I like the possibility of pairing the waste-heat recovery system with it. That is a big plus to me. I also wonder about how the cost of installation would compare.

Traditional Home Designs.

We have our first meeting tomorrow for drawing up the plans! Off we go!

Fomo Products, Inc., manufacturers of polyurethane (PU) foam insulation, sealants, adhesives, and spray foam systems in pressurized packaging

Interested particularly in their eco-foam line of sealants.

Oasis Design: Grey Water Books, Ecological Design Information & Consulting.

Comprehensive resource for greywater systems. My brain is spinning…

Amazon.com: The New Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems – Includes Branched Drains: Art Ludwig: Books.

Recommended by the folks at Homegrown Evolution. I’m also interested in The Builder’s Greywater Guide.

US Floors: Natural Cork, Bamboo, Linoleum, Hardwood Floors.

Natural flooring resource.

I’m considering various rainwater collection devices and this Collapsible Rain Barrel from Lee Valley seems reasonably priced. I’m wondering how the vinyl would hold up after a few years, though, so perhaps a wooden or metal one would be better even though they’re more pricey. Any experiences?