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Overview
Discover the many features found inside and outside an Earth Advantage® home. Take a tour and learn how you can build a home that is designed to be better for you and the environment. Scroll down to see the details. |
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Low-Formaldehyde Building Materials
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Building materials low in or free of formaldehyde glues are used in the floor underlayment, cabinetry and elsewhere to protect the indoor air quality. These materials provide little or no long-term toxin other than the required sealer. Although once thought of as a good preservative, formaldehyde can be a lung irritant. |
Less Toxic Carpet and Pad
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Natural fiber wool or cotton carpeting is toxin-free making it ideal for individuals with chemical sensitivities while also improving indoor air quality. Carpet yarn may also be spun from recycled pop bottles, with every 500 square yards of carpet diverting 20,000 plastic bottles from the waste stream. |
Less Toxic Paint
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Low-VOC paints are low toxic and reduce indoor-air contaminates. Runoff from washing of tools with these paints presents minimal risk to the environment when done in moderation. Organic wood finishes such as linseed oil provide a low-toxic wood finish and stain in one step. |
Fresh Air Ventilation
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The function of whole house ventilation is to enhance indoor air quality, a priority in the Earth Advantage program. A dedicated exhaust fan circulates the fresh air in and removes the stale air. Controlled by a timer, this system will operate intermittently for a total of eight hours a day. You can control when, where and how much you want to ventilate. |
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Built-in Recycling Center
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The added features of a recycling cabinet with 3 to 6 bins and hardware that supports a daily separation of waste products increases the value of a home and reduces the solid waste stream for the full life of the cabinet. This area can be located in the kitchen or the garage. |
Construction Site Recycling
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Recycling construction waste by separating wood, drywall and other materials and taking each to the appropriate recycler is resource efficient and embodies the essence of a sustainable system. One of the goals of a waste management plan is to divert 80 percent of the home construction waste from landfills. |
Site Preparation
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Topsoil is the most valuable soil for landscaping and gardening. Through site preparation and planning, existing topsoil and vegetation can be preserved. Mature trees help shade the home in the summer, keeping it cooler and more comfortable. |
Naturescaping
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Selecting native and hardy plants to match the soils, weather, water and sun conditions of a region will improve the landscape and reduce the amount of water required for irrigation. Planting at least one tree for every 1,000 square feet of lot is optimal. Trees supply shade, windbreaks, land stabilization and habitat for wildlife. |
Roof Drains
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By installing roof drains and a dry well on the home's lot, clean roof water can slowly filter into the ground. This relieves pressure on the storm sewer systems and avoids the creation of drainage pathways on site caused by accelerated water flows. |
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Ducting Tightly Sealed
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Duct sealing reduces indoor air contaminates, prevents outdoor pollutants from entering the home, and fully separates indoor air from crawl space and garage contaminates. It helps the furnace use less energy by limiting the volume of air being treated or heated. |
Higher-efficiency Windows
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Super-efficient windows have a special coating combined with argon gas to make them highly energy efficient. The coating prevents the sun's UV rays from entering thought the outside of the glass and stops heat loss from the inside. Vinyl frames eliminate weather-related maintenance, reduce wood consumption and may be reusable in future applications. |
Sun Tempering
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South-facing windows capture heat from the winter sun. A house's energy efficiency improves when 50 percent of its windows face south. |
High-efficient Gas Furnace
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High-efficiency gas furnaces are 90 percent or more efficient. New features of the high-efficient furnace include electronic spark ignitions, condensing and pulse furnaces, and automatic vent dampers to further enhance performance. |
Heat Pump
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A super-efficient heating system that extracts heat from the air provides indoor comfort year round. Modern high-tech systems have variable speed fans as well as different stages of performance. |
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Composite Wood Joists
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Composite floor joists are made of industrial waste, recycled wood, short growth forests and off-cuts from the milling process. This dramatically reduces the demand on forest timber. Stronger and quieter, they eliminate many of the problems of natural wood joists. |
Insulation With Recycled Content
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Cellulose insulation uses recycled paper shredded into fibers and treated with fire retardants. This material embodies very little energy as compared with its mineral counterpart, fiberglass, which requires the melting of silica. Unlike fiberglass, cellulose is organic, and with treatment can last the life of the structure. |
Interior Trim
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Both hardwood and the softer conifer woods provide a low-toxin material for base, casing, railings, and other trims. Trim can be made from recycled wood, preserving forest resources. When wood is oiled or waxed with natural materials, air pollution is kept to a minimum and the wood's natural character shows. |
Resource-efficient Walls
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Structural insulated panels, made from chipboard, require much smaller logs in their manufacture.This reduces the demand for old-growth timber. Advanced framing reduces the amount of lumber used, increases insulation cavities, and minimizes heat loss and gain through the structure. Modern foam block systems used in basement walls support waste-free design and keeps on-site waste to a minimum. |
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