Oregon Green Construction That Is Truly Green
For the majority of people building green homes in Oregon there are two components that make the home green. The first is the finishing features of the home and the second is the design and process. What most people don’t know is that although these homes in Oregon are green based on conventional building methods the truth of the matter is that most of these homes could be greener than what they are.

Let’s take a look at what most people consider green.

• FSC (Forest Steward Certified) Lumber – This is local lumber that comes from responsibly managed logging.
• Eco friendly paints
• Energy efficient appliances (Energy Star Rated)
• Energy efficient heating and air with programmable thermostats (Energy Star Rated)
• Tankless water heaters
• 2 x 6 exterior walls to allow for more insulation.
• Capture and reuse of storm water and gray water.
• Low flow or dual flush toilets
• Solar power
• Renewable resources such as bamboo flooring, blinds
• Solar lighting tubes
• Awnings to protect windows and entries from extreme sun exposure
• Energy efficient windows and doors.

Here are the ways that the architect and contractor design and build a home to be considered green.

• The actual design of the home to minimize waste of materials.
• The design of the home to utilize space for energy efficiency.
• Positioning of the house on the property on an east/west axis.
• Materials used i.e. renewable, green, recycled, improve energy efficiency.
• Methods of construction to minimize impact of the land.
• Methods of construction to minimize waste of resources such as power, gas, water, material, and man power.
• Methods used to minimize waste ending up in landfills such as donating to unused materials to Habitat For Humanity stores, recycling metal and plastic and recycling wood to mulch operations or wood waste energy plants. 

While these methods of construction are green and good for Oregon they are overlooking two major areas in the home construction. These two areas are the framing and insulation. These two areas are responsible for as much as 80% of heat transfer in a home.

The solution to this problem is simple. Replace wood framing with steel. Use a radiant barrier sheathing. And then create an air tight envelope around the home using continuous ridged insulation. These three things combined can reduce utility bills by as much as 60%. Now that is truly Oregon green construction.