LEED Construction Company.com

Promoting LEED-Certified and Green Building Construction Companies

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Member Logo       
Brought to you by Bob Moore Construction and General Contractor.com   
 
 LEED Construction Articles
 The Challenges of Infill
 Development to Deliver a Gold
 LEED for Core & Shell Project
 The LEED Rating System and
 U.S. Green Building Council
 The Rise In Green Building
 Trends Today
 Construction & Demolition Waste
 - Recycling in the Trenches
 Exploding the Myths of Insulating
 Concrete Form (ICF)
 Construction Technology
 Going Green with Construction
 - Insulation

 Search
 LEED Construction
 
 
 
More Information:
Visit us on Squidoo to learn more about Green Buildings, LEED and USGBC.

LEED Construction News
National General Contractor, Retail Construction Services, Inc., Expands it's LEED Building Operations
Construction continues on 9-story Piedmont Newnan Hospital
Design Build Construction Company The Korte Co. Architects New Website and Online Presence
George School Green Library awarded LEED Gold Certification
What is a LEED school?
Construction of region's first green hotel set to begin
SSCAFCA project gets top national certification
Swinerton & Pacific Ridge Aim for LEED for Schools Gold
RONA to Invest Close to $50 Million in the Construction of Two New Stores in Vaudreuil and Sainte-Foy
RONA to Invest Close to $50 Million in the Construction of Two New Stores in Vaudreuil and Sainte-Foy

 
 LEED Construction Company > LEED Construction Articles > Going Green with Construction - Insulation

LEED Construction Company Articles

Going Green with Construction - Insulation

By Zack Verde

There is a new trend in construction – building with environmental concerns in mind. In this article, we cover going green with insulation in a structure.

Insulation is one of the more urgent green issues in construction. Proper insulation can have such an important role in the reduction of energy waste in a home. The well insulated home holds in the heat and keeps out the cold. Today, with the wide spread use of air conditioning, the opposite is just as true and just as critical. Asbestos and vermiculite, compound containing asbestos, have been widely used as insulating materials. It was efficient and easy to install. It was flame retardant. There were many reasons that made it the popular choice. It was, however, highly toxic.

The story of asbestos insulation is a good example of the totality of the green construction movement. The concept is not about trade offs. We do not pollute our water in order to have more material goods from our factories. We do not foul our air to have less expensive automobiles. We also do not risk our health to have an inexpensive insulation, regardless of how efficient it might be or how well it prevents fires.

There are alternatives, and when we approach these alternatives from the perspective of totality, we often find they are better and less expensive anyway. In the case of insulation, one good example is insulation made from recycled cotton. The cotton insulation is 100 percent recyclable and it is non-toxic. The manufacturing process uses less energy than the manufacturing of asbestos products or even fiber glass insulation.

Another alternative insulation is vegetable oil based polyurethane. It is sprayed into the areas needing insulation and when it contacts air it expands filling in the space completely. This allows an extra tight fit that results in even better insulation than the more toxic insulations that it is designed to replace. These alternative insulations are free of VOC and CFC. These are volatile organic compounds (VOC) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) which are common toxic substances in older types of insulation.

Insulation is a major component of going green in construction. The conservation of heat and the reduction of wasted energy are important standards. Yet, green construction is not about trading off one hazard for another, nor reaching one goal by failing to consider its impact on other environmental areas. So, even though insulation is an important part of building green, selecting environmentally safe insulation is just as important. The good news is that, as is often the case, the right choice is not only the safer choice, but many times the least expensive option as well.

About the Author

Zack Verde is with GreenBuildingCompanies.com - providing green building information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Zack_Verde
http://EzineArticles.com/?Going-Green-with-Construction---Insulation&id=447488

Bob Moore Construction Company logo

Bob Moore Construction

This website was created to promote green building, LEED construction companies and LEED certification by Bob Moore Construction Company. Bob Moore Construction is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the first Platinum Level member of the USGBC north Texas chapter. The company is also a member of AGC, Tilt-up Concrete Association, and the OSHA Local Partnership Program. For more information about Bob Moore Construction visit

General Contractor.com

 

LEED
Construction
LEED Construction
Articles
LEED Construction
Links
Contact
Us

© 2008-2009 LEED Construction Company.com