The Barbini Green Offering
The Many Green Advantages of a Barbini Home
At Barbini Homes going green is a given. Having already mastered architectural and design excellence in our homes, we became motivated to bring the same high standard to interior air quality and the environmental footprint of our product. To us, building a home without considering the actual interior and exterior environment seemed to fall short of the ultimate goal of client satisfaction. Comfort to us starts with the air we breathe, both inside and ouside a home. Committed to the ENERGY STAR program, Barbini homes now incorporate many high-end systems that collectively result in our homes being rated well above the current ENERGY STAR qualification system.
Listed here are the green features you'll find in a Barbini home:
1. Energy Monitoring System
A state-of-the-art energy monitoring system lets owners know their daily consumption of electricity and can help them to reduce costs by up to 20% through effective energy management. Owners can also add an alarm signaling the approach of peak loads and a device that counts greenhouse gas emissions to further support their desire to reduce resource consumption.
2. Higher Efficiency Window Systems
These windows are constructed of dual layers of advance LowE squared glazing filled with Argon gas that perform 6 - 10% more than the best ENERGY STAR rated windows. This superior performance protects furnishings and art from sun damage while minimizing condensation and delivering a higher level of comfort throughout the home.
3. Programmable Thermostat
Owners can save up to 10% on annual home heating and air conditioning expenses by setting their home's temperature to match their own schedule and comfort with the benefit of an ENERGY STAR rated programmable thermostat
4. Dual Flush Toilets
The dual controls on these toilets allow owners to regulate the amount of water in each flush - more for solid waste and less for liquid. Using the dual flush system has been proven to save over 25% of water consumption.
5. Insulating from the Ground Up
Underslab insulation on the basement level improves home comfort and can reduce heating costs by up to 20%. Produced from recycled plastics and vegetable-based oils, the new underslab insulation products represent new environmental choices.
6. Garage Ceiling Insulation
Heat loss through garage ceilings make many homes less comfortable in cold weather. Spraying in polyurethane foam provides a greater volume of insulation than other methods while reaching and sealing all the nooks and crannies. Using the proper insulation saves on heating costs and while increasing overall home comfort.
7. Attic Insulation
The ENERGY STAR standard ensures more insulation in the attic than is required under the Ontario Building Code. With the rate of heat loss substantially slowed, heating bills are reduced.
8. Sealing to Prevent Energy Leakage
With more than a hundred ways for air to leak out of a home, correct application of the appropriate products at each stage of building is critical to achieving the high levels of air tightness under the ENERGY STAR program. Employing polyurethane foam, acoustical sealant and high performance adhesive tape and accurately applying them ensures minimal air leakage in this home while saving on heating and cooling expenses.
9. Recovering Energy from Drain Water
Approximately one third of home heating costs originate from heating water and 90% of that energy goes down the drain. A Drain Water Heat Recovery System (DWHR) can recover up to 80% of the lost heat from a home's warm drain water. By recycling it into usable thermal energy, a DWHR can reduce hot water heating costs by as much as 40%.
10. Recovering Energy from Air Exhaust
An Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV) system recovers energy from both the heat and moisture in the used air being exhausted from a home. This system offers superior ventilation and humidity management resulting in a healthier living environment inside the home while making additional energy available for recycling.
11. Reducing Indoor Air Contaminants
Indoor air quality is further improved by the installation of a [xxxxx] (HEPA) system to control air contaminants inside that can often be two to three times worse than the air outside.
12. Heating Hot Water As Needed
Installing a Tankless Gas Water Heater (TGWH) allows owners to heat water only on demand so energy is never wasted on repeatedly heating a tank of water that may not be required. Compact and efficient, the TGWH eliminates cold showers while providing unlimited hot water for all your needs.
13. Recycling Rain Water
With Municipal water costs poised to rise sharply, a Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) System can save money and provide water for irrigation during times of municipal restriction. A RWH system collects high quality rain water and stores it for later use as needed. The harvested water can also be pumped into the house where it is purified and made available for use in dishwashers, laundry and even toilets at the owners' discretion as well as to supplement landscape watering as needed.
14. Water Conscious Landscape Design
Xeriscape design techniques focus on creating outdoor environments that don't require supplemental irrigation. By selecting plants that are ideally suited to the local climate and incorporating water retention strategies on the property, xeriscape plans save water that would normally run off or evaporate.
15. Engineered Floor Systems
The engineered flooring product in use today provides much greater strength and design flexibility while consuming far less of our valuable forests. For owners who are conscious of their environmental footprint, engineered floor choices are the ideal choice.
Links to our Green Building Associates and Suppliers:
Lifebreath, indoor air systems - www.lifebreath.com
Enerworks, solar water heating - www.enerworks.com
Carrier, air conditioning, hesting and refrigeration systems - www.carrier.com
Quietside, HVAC products - www.quietside.com
Renewability Energy Inc., energy recovering products - www.renewability.com
VanEE, ERV's & HRV's - www.vanee.ca
Honeywell - thermostats - http://yourhome.honeywell.com/Consumer/Cultures/en-US/default.htm
