Show Faculty speak on need of new energy sources Jeff Dixon The Globe What thoughts come to home-buyers' home minds when they hear the term green building Some may be questions such as What do dothe dothe dothe the buildings look like Will they talk about us at church and So does this make us Democrats come to mind Far from being limited to straw-bale straw walls or construction using old tires packed with dirt green building is actually an approach to design that entails several key principles In bri brief f those include building structures to tobe tobe tobe be energy efficient or sustaining self-sustaining including the use of renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power using easily renewable or recycled materials throughout and sensitivity to the site The motives to build green are to reduce a buildings building's impact on both the immediate and global environment and to have a beneficial effect on the users' users physical health and long- long term finances Moreover its it's often impossible to distinguish between a green home and more traditional one Homes built implementing green materials and design can cost between two and ten percent percent percent per per- cent more than traditional ones The benefits are both for the residents' residents health the environment and if it incorporates energy saving systems a lower operating cost and eventual return on the initial cost More industry professionals are arc growing keen on green and have embraced or at least accepted the fact that conservation and energy efficiency in building practices are here to stay In years past the building and design have lagged behind other industries in the conservationist movement There are no patented patent patent- ed ideas for construction methods to establish brand identity or compete for tenants' tenants and owners owners' owners owners' owners owners' own own- ers' ers money The extent to which green building principles are applied depends for now on how green the designer and the consumer want to beIt beIt beIt be It can be as simple as buying or building an Energy Star certified home like the ones out at Daybreak in South Jordan said Jeff Plant and construction technologies technologies technologies gies professor As with many green technologies technologies gies gics there are likely to be more up-front up costs Faculty Faculty t Cont Cant on Page 8 Faculty Cont from front with the payoffs several years down the road Plant continued Natural gas prices have risen c considerably over last year and Utah Power will be able to raise its electricity rates next fall Unstable rising energy prices have been the driving force in the recent shift towards more efficient though not entirely green buildings California is far ahead of any other state when it comes to promoting efficient and even green building said methods Plant They offer tax breaks on homes that meet certain energy efficiency requirements They even have building codes for rammed earth and straw bale construction Daybreak is Utah's only example of the scale large-scale application of Energy Star certified certified fied homes The extent to which these ideas are implemented come down to one thing when youre you're considering the average home- home buyer and that's money said Plant Depending on what you use it can take seven to fifteen years to see the savings on energy saving technologies The main point is that professionals have the responsibility of informing a client on their material and methodical options for their building And us educators in turn are obliged ed to teach green building fundamentals to their students said Plant Currently most green building is optional We need technology to make some of these green-build green methods tors and mandatory so contractors contractors contractors designers will have to incorporate them into all of their plans said Kevin King architectural the program coordinator only way well we'll see the kind or of that's progress intended by all aU of this he con con- Architectural instructor believes Norm Nonn Clark we need to change gether our approach alt alto alto- 0 If only people could see the a compact house importance of said Clark These homes h are just for show huge they're flaunt aunt the o Owners Owner's s a way to themselves over's overs if money ti People COpl should h ask It its it's S really s something ome thi ng so b. b big Ig they y Sally practical t to 0 Ii live ve in In about what makes them really n need ed to think mo most comfortable |