What is Green Building

What is Green Building?

Simply put, green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency of your new home while also reducing negative impacts on the environment and your family's health.

A rather new practice in the home building industry, green building is not always clearly defined and can mean different things to different builders. For example, any builder can install energy efficient appliances, solar panels and low-flow plumbing fixtures and call their home "green". This happens because there are currently no required standards in place.

Youngquist Homes, however, worked on a local level with the Wake County Home Builders Association and three other local counties in developing a revised Energy Code and Green Building Code to improve voluntary efforts to build eco-friendly homes in North Carolina. Youngquist Homes is an official member of the four-county Green Building Council

Thinking Green Since the 1980's

You can be assured that Youngquist Homes hasn't just jumped on the green bandwagon. We've long been building our homes with an eye towards maximizing energy efficiency and safer construction material.

In 1989, Lance Youngquist was one of two homebuilders and 32 advanced degree researchers brought together by The Alternative Energy Corporation (AEC) to answer the question, "What is the optimum way to build a house in North Carolina." The team developed and co-authored an industry resource, "The Exemplary Home Builder's Field Guide."

AEC is a nonprofit organization established in 1980 by the North Carolina Utilities Commission in cooperation with North Carolina's major electric utilities to promote energy efficiency. Now known as Advanced Energy, the organization develops, tests, and delivers energy efficiency innovations and improvements for member electric utilities and their customers. Members include Progress Energy, Carolina Electric Cooperatives, Duke Power Company and others.

Levels of Green Building Certification

As part of our commitment to value and innovation, we're taking more dedicated steps to really becoming a recognized leader in North Carolina as a green builder. Youngquist Homes participates in the following programs:

• Green Home Builders of the Triangle
• ENERGY STAR® Builder Partner
• Progress Energy 5% discount for ENERGY STAR

Youngquist Homes is committed to providing our staff with formal green building certification training, and we're partnering with the largest sustainable energy services company in North Carolina. Southern Energy Management (SEM) provides Youngquist Homes with energy efficiency consulting and verification services to insure your new home will not only use less of our planet's precious resources, but will provide a healthier indoor living environment for you and your family.

Our Green Building Practices

Blown-in cellulose insulation, Sharkskin roof underlayment materials, zoned air conditioning, and upgraded synthetic windows with double-pane "Low-E" glass all contribute to energy efficiency and have long been standards in new home building for Youngquist Homes. More recently, our focus has turned to fine-tuning our practices to achieve green building certification through or partnership with Southern Energy Management and to build ENERGY STAR® qualified new homes.

Although practices for green building are still being formalized, most experts agree that there are several basics. Youngquist Homes incorporates these basics for a sustainable homebuilding methodology:

Site Selection

The selection of a new home site and the orientation of that home on the building lot involves careful planning to maximize natural sunlight and to make use of existing trees for shade in the summer and windbreak in the winter. The result is a home furnace and air conditioning design that works more efficiently.

Many homeowners search for homes near shopping for convenience, but did you realize that there are green benefits too. A home near shopping and other services reduces the amount of driving we do. Like our new homes at Tryon Villas, you might even walk when shops are close enough - a healthy advantage for both you and the environment.

Material Conservation

More efficient and engineered building practices adopted by Youngquist Homes over the years have helped us to save lumber and to conserve other building materials. Our careful planning has resulted in less trimming requirements and waste. Additionally, we select local products as often as possible to reduce the negative effects that long-haul trucking can have on our air quality and natural resources.

Low-maintenance exteriors are another convenience homeowners enjoy, but there are also green benefits to this building practice in the form of waste reduction. Longer life expectancies of many exterior siding and roofing materials create a positive effect on sustainable living.

Tighter Construction

Controlling the indoor climate of your home becomes easier when there is less outside air gaining entry. Add in the benefits of ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances that produce less heat and use less energy and your new home benefits from more controlled indoor air temperatures. The result is more comfortable living and lower energy bills.

Healthier Indoor Air

Tighter construction practices are great for energy efficiency, but they can make for polluted indoor air. Fresh-air ventilation to exhaust stale indoor air and to bring fresh air in is essential to a healthy indoor air quality. Further compromising indoor air quality are the chemicals found in new home construction products, including everything from paint to carpeting. Ask us about the products Youngquist Homes has carefully selected to minimize this impact and to create a healthier home for you and your family.

Reduced Water Consumption

From water-efficient new home appliances to water-saving fixtures in the kitchen and bath, your new home will help to conserve the earth's dwindling supply of fresh water. Today's low-flow products have greatly improved technologies, free of the concerns that once caused many homeowners to resist earlier generations of these fixtures. One such improvement is the addition of airflow, giving faucets and showers that same strong feel often associated with pre water-conversation fixtures and appliances.

Energy Efficiency

Enjoy Improved Home Comfort

In building a green home, one of the easiest places to start is with energy efficiency. Most homeowners instinctively think of ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances. You've probably seen the ENERGY STAR sticker on refrigerators, washers, dryers and other equipment in your local appliance or home improvement store. But, did you know that the certification can also apply to lighting fixtures, compact fluorescent bulbs, and ventilation fans.

But before Youngquist Homes can install the most highly efficient appliances in your home, we must first build a tightly sealed home. Sealing holes and cracks in the home's "envelope" and in the heating and cooling duct systems helps reduce drafts, moisture, dust, pollen, and noise. Heating and cooling systems are quieter, reduce indoor humidity, and don't need to work as hard to heat and cool your new home. For roofing, Youngquist Homes prefers Sharkskin roof underlayment materials because unlike felt, Sharkskin is made of 100% polypropylene; a durable laminate sheeting which will not disintegrate. A tightly sealed home improves comfort and indoor air quality while reducing utility bills and maintenance.

Properly Installed Insulation

In addition, properly installed and inspected insulation in floors, walls, and attics provides for even temperatures throughout the house. In select homes, Youngquist Homes uses cellulose insulation in common walls and ceilings. Cellulose insulation is made from recycled wood fiber, primarily newspaper. One hundred pounds of cellulose insulation contains 80 to 85 pounds of recycled newsprint. The remainder is made up of Borax and Boric acid, both non-toxic fire retardants. Cellulose insulates better than fiberglass. It is sprayed or blown into the walls conforming to your home to completely fill walls and seal every crack and seam, creating a monolithic thermal barrier and reducing your utility costs.

Beyond energy efficient qualities, cellulose is nontoxic, non-corrosive, dust free and it doesn't itch. It eliminates irritating, abrasive, airborne glass fiber particles, providing you with peace of mind regarding your indoor air quality. It contains no formaldehyde, no asbestos, and no fiberglass.

Understanding Low-E Windows

Finally, energy-efficient "Low-E" windows offer thin protective coatings that help keep heat in during winter and out during summer. These windows also block damaging ultraviolet sunlight that can discolor carpets and furnishings. The "E" stands for emissivity and is used to measure how well a material reflects rather than radiates energy. A material that performs well has a low emissivity; therefore the lower the number, the better the window works at reducing radiation.

Indoor Health

Understanding Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

To improve energy efficiency, builders must construct tighter homes. Although this has a positive impact on your utility bills, it can create issues with indoor air quality. We want you to know that Youngquist Homes takes great care in making informed product selections to reduce the negative effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are gases emitted by a wide variety of products including paints and lacquers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials, decorative furnishings and more.

Some VOCs may have adverse health effects and can persist in the air at elevated concentrations long after home building is complete. Indoor health is just one reason Youngquist Homes chooses to use select green products in our new homes including low-VOC carpet, padding, paint and surprisingly for many people, prefinished hardwood floors.

Prefinished Hardwood Floors

Youngquist Homes proudly offers a healthier and higher-quality choice in wood flooring.

You may be interested to know that 70% of all flooring now sold in the Wake County new home market is "prefinished." Contrary to what you may believe, prefinished wood floors are not a cost-cutting avenue - they are, in fact, costlier to install, but ultimately save homeowners in maintenance and repair. Finishes can last up to 25 years.

Same Quality as Site Finished Wood Floors

Further, the product used by Youngquist Homes offers the same quality as site finished floors including

• same 3/4" thickness
• same tongue and groove, blind-nail installation
• made by the same manufacturer of "site finished" flooring
• can be refinished

These floors include a 15-20-year warranty and resist our area's moisture issues such as shrinkage and cupping.

One of the greatest advantages relates to personal comfort and health. Site finished floors can be unhealthy due to volatile organic compounds that are released into your home's breathable air. The primary agent, formaldehyde, is a key chemical ingredient in urethane and other carbon-based sealants used to coat wood flooring. The chemical has been linked to respiratory problems and certain cancers.

The quality prefinished wood floors selected by Youngquist Homes are sealed in a dust-free, factory environment. If you have ever had wood floors installed, refinished, or repaired in your home, you are very likely aware of the inherent dust issues that affected your quality of life. Improving indoor living and providing a high-quality product are reasons why Youngquist Homes chooses prefinished wood floors.

Water Filtration

North Carolina is one of three states known as the kidney stone belt due to a high mineral content in the water. These minerals have been linked to the occurrence of kidney stones.

Having experienced kidney stones himself, builder Lance Youngquist began to drink and cook with distilled water following the advice of his physician. Realizing the health benefits, today each Youngquist Home is pre-plumbed for a distilled water dispenser at the kitchen sink and distilled municipal water at the ice maker. Customers who choose to complete this option will have a 50 gallon stainless steel tank installed in the garage or basement. The tank includes an ultraviolet light filter to ensure the elimination of bacteria and a particle filter to remove any other impurities in the distilled water. Youngquist Homes prefers Le Bleu as our distilled water provider, and also offers other water filtration options including reverse osmosis and water conditioners.

Tour A Green Home

Youngquist Homes features an ENERGY STAR and green building demonstration Home in Tryon Villas.

We've selected Tryon Villas, our luxury townhome community in Cary, for this demonstration home because the community is inherently green. Clusters of homes naturally preserve open land and require less energy. And as a pedestrian-friendly community, Tryon Villas allows residents to walk rather than drive to nearby shopping and restaurants at Tryon Village.

When and Where

The Green Home Tour is a self-guided tour that enables potential homebuyers and other interested individuals to experience a variety of green building features in homes of all price ranges and styles. Youngquist Homes focuses on green building products and practices that offer affordability and a greater return on investment.

When
Saturdays: 10 am to 6 pm
Sundays: 12 noon to 6 pm

Where
Tryon Villas
Visit our Model Home page for more information and directions.

See, Touch and Experience

Visitors can see, touch and experience our environmentally-friendly homebuilding green products and practices. An exhibit for indoor air quality will include information on low VOC carpets, prefinished and engineered wood flooring as well as low VOC paints and sealants used in the construction of our Tryon Villas townhomes.

We hope you will consider green building and the positive environmental impact it can have when choosing your next new home. Just one ENERGY STAR qualified new home can keep 4,500 pounds of greenhouse gases out of our air each year. Youngquist Homes is dedicated to championing responsible home building practices and doing our part for a greener and more healthy planet.

Learn About Reducing Air Pollution

You may be surprised to learn that 16 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are generated from the energy used in houses nationwide. This means your home could be creating more pollution than your car!

As an ENERGY STAR 100% Builder, Youngquist Homes has made a commitment to building 100% of our homes to ENERGY STAR performance guidelines. We were recently recognized for building eight (8) ENERGY STAR qualified homes in 2007. According to ENERGY STAR that is the equivalent of:

• Eliminating the emissions from 5.60 vehicles
• Saving 3,072 lbs of coal
• Planting .80 acres of trees
• Saving homeowners $3,576 on their utility bills

Depending on source, energy use in our homes can contribute to smog, acid rain, and global warming. This is because homes use energy produced by power plants that emit pollutants. Your home can make a positive impact on our environment simply by reducing air pollution generated by energy use. Youngquist Homes incorporates best practices in insulation, mechanical systems, and window sealing, just to name a few, to reduce required energy use.

Water Saving Ideas and Products

Precious natural resources like water can and should be used wisely for conservation of our water supply. Water-saving appliances such as ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers use at least 41 percent less energy than federal minimum standards and use much less water. Further, they use less hot water compared to conventional models.

Homes with high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and appliances save about 30 percent of indoor water use and yield substantial savings on water, sewer, and energy bills.