Green building & new bldg code

[maud gonne]

I understand a new, more restrictive building code will become law in May. We were planning on building a permitted small house (ohana) and want to use bamboo, utilize wind & sun, etc. Insulation is NOT my idea of green building. That pink stuff is toxic. We don't want to use insulation at all - is it normally considered part of "green" building? Any ideas of how to get around the insulation? Any recommendations for a draftperson who could help us design and submit house plans fast- we might have to get plans approved before May.

[Rob Tucker]

Not sure how to get around the new energy codes - haven't fully seen them yet.

But insulation does not necessarily have to be viewed as bad. Metal roofing is common here and metal, on a 85 degree day, can get up to 130 degrees in the sun. This heat moves into the building and (on most building designs) results in people investing in ceiling fans. Ceiling fans have electric motors which take energy to run. Therefore the thinking is that an insulated roof will reduce energy demands and lower your costs.

Insulation does not have to be the pink fluffy stuff either. There are rigid foam insulation that are very durable and don't shed fiberglas fibers since there is no fiberglas involved.

My company- Castleblock, has for years been selling structural insulated metal roofing panels that are cooler in the sun and quieter in the rain. These also can eliminate the need for rafters and have a prefinished white underside to serve as ceiling. Anytime you can accomplish four things at once you are becoming efficient. Most all our residential roofing is r-20. R-values are available up to r-50 but those are mostly for cold storage facilities. We have wall panels too.

Meanwhile I do have doubts about requiring double glazed windows (I do not know do a fact yet that they will be required). I probably haven't closed my own windows expect rarely over the years. I wonder about the need for windows at all. I could point out that single glazed windows may now be, or may soon be, more expensive than double glaze. The reason for this is that the world's manufacturers are making single glazing special order and double glazing standard.

You might be able to escape window energy codes by simply not specifying windows at all. I am not sure that windows are required by code. What is required is a minimum area for natural light and in some rooms emergency fire escape. Openings accomplish that, screens optional. But if you prefer a feeling of locking up a home then openings won't give you that feeling.

[Hawaiibound]

So if I read this right, it is possible to permit a home with say 4-5 foot walls and screened in the rest of the way? I didn't think this was possible but is certainly my preference!

[Rob Tucker]

It may be possible. I haven't examined the new code yet. If someone at the building department told me I had to have windows I would ask them to put that in writing. My understand is that, as stated above, a certain amount of natural light and air is minimum as is a certain amount of emergency egress from sleeping quarters.

If you specify a window they may be able to call out minimum standards for that window. No window, no minimum specification.

[whalesong]

The following link will provide everyone with the different County Depts phone number, email, fax and hours for each office and the services provided by each department. Great list to have on hand. You can email the Director of Planning http://www.hawaii-county.com/permits/permits.htm to get the new regulations. http://www.hawaii-county.com/countycode/chapter05.pdf
My brother in Atlanta, GA, said they now have police efficiency officer, that come to check your home to see if you are abiding by the new laws. If you refuse to allow them to check your appliance, etc, they will arrest you on the spot. I suppose that, this will happen in the future here too.
IMHO, I think this an invasion of privacy.
http://www.hawaii-county.com/email.htm

[Hawaiibound]

Very helpful, thank you Whalesong

[maud gonne]

Thank you Rob! So informative. I'm very interested in your foam roof product. Yes, I concede that roof insulation is pretty important. But we really don't want or need wall insulation. In fact, when I visited the bamboo display house recently I noted that it had plywood single walls, no insulation - just what I want.Hopefully the county will allow that.

[Hawaiibound]

I'm in agreeance with you Maude, and also Mahalo to Rob for the info too I cannot believe I left that out last post!

I am all for non insulated walls.

[hotinhawaii]

Here is a draft copy of the new building code which will take effect in May, 2010. http://bcap-energy.org/files/Hawaii-Stat...6-IECC.pdf

Walls must be insulated to a factor of R-13. No exceptions.
Roofs must be either insulated with R-19 or be certified as a cool roof. This can be done using radiant barrier or a white roof material which meets certain requirements. Every house I have built in the last 6 years in Hawaii meets this code with no fiberglass insulation.
In any case, all of this will now need to be calculated by an architect or engineer. Pricing for stamping plans are sure to rise. There will also need to be more inspections--insulation, radiant barrier.

There are some changes for windows. Jalousies must now meet a code for air infiltration.
In rooms with no air conditioning, ventilation openings must now total 14% of the square footage of the room. This means more or larger windows than before.

Single pane windows are still allowed. (A minimum fenestration U-factor of 1.2 is required. Single pane windows have a u-factor of around 1.04)

Bedrooms and living rooms must have electrical boxes installed for ceiling fans.

Replying to Maud: Why do you think that fiberglass is toxic? Do you have any valid scientific evidence to support your assertion? I am curious.

[maud gonne]

Hotinhawaii: I have only anecdotal evidence that fiberglass is toxic: (1) Workers always need to wear gloves & masks when handling or installing (2) Houses built for environmentally vulnerable people (mega-allergic) avoid the use of fiberglass (3) I and my family members have had terrible lung reactions - as well as hives & itching - when working around it.
Once it is installed and covered by sheetrock it is supposadly safe, but I would prefer not having it in my house at all. Also, in Hawaii, I really don't want sheetrocked walls either - they tend to mold & mildew and I like utilizing the prevailing breezes & the sun for heating & cooling.
I guess I need to research what is meant by "green" building.
By the way, in an article in the (now defunct) Whole Earth Review many years ago, the author, after consulting thinkers & doers in many fields, came up with the top ten inventions of all time. One of them was the ceiling fan (low energy user, relatively simple method for keeping homes cool, used extensively in third world countries). Interesting...
P.S.As an edited addition, here's a link to a discussion of the possible toxicity of fiberglass - comparing it to the effects of asbestos. Here'a a quote from the site:
"If you think it's a reasonable proposition that inhaling microscopic shards of glass coated with phenol-formaldehyde and urea-formaldehyde resins can cause disease, then this site will make sense to you."
http://www.sustainableenterprises.com/fin/