Green building is the use of designs, products, systems, and materials to make energy efficient homes and reduce carbon footprints in Tampa Bay. The carbon footprint is the CO2 emitted by the energy burned to heat and cool a structure over its lifetime, the CO2 emitted by energy burned to generate power for the home and the CO2 emitted by energy used to manufacture the building components, products, and materials.

Remodelers are problem solvers; you come to them with your wants, needs, and concerns, and we will rise up to the challenge to produce designs that solve these problems and meet your needs. As your local remodelers, Greaves Construction in Tampa Bay has been using eco-friendly techniques for years. We rely on deconstruction (not demolition) of existing areas, reuse of existing materials for reconstruction, and we donate all usable building materials fixtures, cabinets, recycle debris after a job is finished.

Green building science studies the management of many components to make a structure’s systems work. The key elements are the management of heat, air, and moisture. Each of these affects energy efficient homes differently and together, reduce the homeowner’s footprint.

The house is a system, all components of this system work together.

Utilizing Green Building for Energy Efficient Homes

With the right green building practices, energy efficient homes can reduce water usage and energy costs without sacrificing comfort and style.

Energy Efficiency

The following elements are ways that a contractor in Tampa Bay can make energy efficient homes:

Reduce energy cost without sacrificing level of comfort desired
HVAC System
Higher efficiency systems
Sealed ductwork
Ducts and air handler in conditioned space
Reduce energy loss through windows and doors
Reduce heat gain through windows and doors
Increase insulation value
Install radiant barriers to reflect heat gain back out
Solar systems
Wind systems
CFL or LED lighting
Gas appliances, Energy Star appliances

Water Efficiency

To conserve water and reduce usage, green building contractors in Tampa Bay can install the following in energy efficient homes:

Low flow faucets, shower heads
Zeroscape landscaping
Drip irrigation
Grey water systems, use water twice before it goes to your irrigation system
Rain water reclamation
Tankless water heaters
Hot water re-circulation pumps

Boosting Durability and Environmental Quality

At Greaves Construction in Tampa Bay, we promote materials that feature high levels of durability and environmental quality. For durability, we use products that last and are made of recycled materials. For environmental quality, we aim to maintain the desired level of comfort while maximizing efficiency.

Improving Your Home with Green Building

Bamboo Floors. Bamboo is a renewable source that grows at an incredible rate of up to two feet per day!
Eco-Friendly Cabinets. While rare, but quickly becoming popular, many cabinets use wheat board made of straw instead of plywood.
Improved Efficiency. There is no such thing as totally ‘green’ house. Things like cooking and cooling require a lot of power, but utilizing Energy Star appliances can greatly reduce power usage.

New awareness of the age-old concept of green building is bringing new products to the market every day. This so-called “trend” will become standard building practice in Tampa Bay in the very near future. Do your homework, watch for green washing (products or services that are not really eco-friendly), reduce your carbon footprint, and be part of a combined effort to save our planet.

Green and Recycled Products

What makes a product or material ‘green’? A product is eco-friendly if it reduces impact on the environment through the use of materials that are renewable or sustainably harvested, or is harvested in a way that does not permanently deplete the source of the material. Eco-friendly products also reduce the use of water throughout energy efficient homes, lowering demands on sources and energy intensive infrastructure required to pipe, store, and purify it.

Green building products improve the indoor air quality or reduce chemical exposure within a home, thereby improving the health of the people who live there. This includes all products that reduce mold because mold can negatively impact indoor air quality.

For superior green building and energy efficient homes in the Tampa Bay area, call Greaves Construction at (813) 985-2739 or contact us online.