This graph from the U.S.
Department of Energy and Livermore National Laboratory shows, on the left side, the relative proportion of energy sources in the United
States. Flowing to the right, it shows the uses of energy. The darkest flow on the right represents used energy services. The lighter gray on the right represents rejected
energy – that is energy output that was not used or wasted.
It’s not easy going ‘green’
By Scott Wilson
of the Leader
Living lightly on the
planet is increasingly the
goal of homeowners and
builders who want their
dwellings to have a mini-
mal impact. That concern
is so widespread that the
“green” building movement
is the most powerful new
force sweeping through the
building trades.
But homeowners – and
builders – must be diligent
when studying the many
green claims made for hous-
ing. In many cases, “green”
is more a marketing slogan
than tangible engineering,
materials or techniques.
That fact has led to new
scrutiny of green building
12 ❖ 2010 home improvement
claims, also known as “gre-
enwashing.” It’s not suffi-
cient to give a green hue to
materials that might have
some recycled content but
are largely made of toxic,
off-gassing materials, noted
Alex Little, project manager
for Little & Little Construc-
tion of Port Townsend.
WhAT IS ‘gReeN’?
Green building incorpo-
rates principles, techniques
and materials that conserve
natural resources and pro-
tect the environment, ac-
cording to Little.
Another popular term is
“sustainable building.” That
defines materials and prac-
tices that take an integrated
approach to addressing the
environmental impacts of
building. It accounts for the
impact of building from a
life-cycle perspective, go-
ing beyond the moment of
construction and beyond
the immediate site of the
building. Instead, it looks at
the life of the home and the
long-term impact on the
building site.
Little is taking a nine-
month course offered
through Olympic College
in Kitsap County that will,
when completed, award
him with certification as a
Sustainable Building Advi-
sor. That training is offered
by the National Sustainable
Building Advisor Program.
What Little has learned
points to many factors that
“I like the simple definition that
says the idea behind green
building is to meet the needs
of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their needs.”
Alex Little
Little & Little Construction
must be taken into account to use construction materi-
for a building or a building als that are not damaging
project to be considered sensitive forest ecosys-
truly green. tems either in the region
or across the world. Certain
mATeRIAlS forest products are certi-
Building materials are a fied as having come from
prime consideration. a carefully managed forest.
Green practices call for
homeowners and builders See GREEN, Page 14▼
The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
 green
▼Continued from page 12
Another technique is to use
recycled materials.
Various industry councils
have been established to
monitor forest products. One
that Little likes is the Forestry
Stewardship Council (FSC),
which maintains an FBI-like
“chain of custody” review of
timber from its source in the
forest through its process-
ing and delivery. “They make
sure the wood comes from a
managed forest, not a slash-
and-burn operation,” he said.
“They make sure it is milled
in sustainable ways” and that
it is delivered as a certified to
its end location.
Attention is also paid to
how far lumber or other ma-
terials must travel. The most
environmentally sensitive
practice is to get lumber from
sources as close to home
as possible to minimize the
fossil fuels burned to deliver.
Bamboo is exceptional ma-
terial, Little said, “but it has
to burn a lot of fossil fuel to
come from China.”
Fortunately, Little said,
some local suppliers – he
mentioned Carl’s Building
Supply and Edensaw Woods
– are experienced wholesal-
ers or retailers of FSC materi-
als.
Other materials and sup-
plies – fittings, some hard-
ware, cabinetry, some fur-
niture – can be purchased
from local manufacturers
or craftsmen, further reduc-
ing the carbon footprint of a
home.
CleAN mATeRIAlS
Products or materials with
extensive off-gassing have
become one of the primary
targets of the green build-
ing movement. Many prod-
ucts, from carpeting and
14 ❖ 2010 home improvement
This chart shows how much energy is used by buildings – both residen-
tial and commercial – based on all energy usage in the United States.
other flooring to furniture
and even adhesives in wood
products such as plywood or
particleboard, can contain
gasses that release into the
home over time.
Homeowners must con-
sider the indoor environ-
ment after the job is done,
said Little.
“Don’t choose materials
that are going to off-gas,” he
said.
It’s wise to try to avoid
materials with significant
formaldehyde content, he
said, which can include
some lumber products.
New furniture, cabinetry,
flooring and paint should all
be scrutinized to minimize
later off-gassing. Some man-
ufacturers now promote
products that are formalde-
hyde-free, said Little.
There are also materi-
als that can hold too much
moisture, resulting in prob-
lems with mold and mildew.
A household heating system
is capable of pushing mold
throughout the house, he
noted. That leads to the con-
cept of a “sick building,” one
that fosters illness.
eNeRgY eFFICIeNCY
Terrific attention is paid
to energy efficiency as part
of the green construction
ethic.
“Reducing energy con-
sumption is the biggest
thing you can do to reduce
the environmental impact of
a home,” said Little. A long-
term view of your home
and its impacts is an essen-
tial part of a green building
ethic, he said.
“You want to reduce the
energy consumption for the
life of the home,” he said.
“You want to have a really
well-insulated shell so the
energy consumption is low
for many years.”
For that reason, those
building or renovating
homes should seriously
study the costs over the life
of the home, not just the
initial construction costs
or those of the first few
months.
“You may spend an extra
$10,000 to get a better heat-
ing system and insulation,
and the payback may take 10
years,” Little said. “But you’re
going to be in that home for
50 years.”
Sufficient insulation,
storm windows, blocking
drafts – all have a role to
play.
Insulation technologies
and techniques have im-
proved dramatically in re-
cent years, and new homes
can be incredibly energy
efficient. In fact, one of the
issues for owners of new
homes is to be aware that
their entire house is a sys-
tem, and as a system, its
parts must be mastered to
get the most out of the de-
sign and materials.
For example, an en-
ergy-efficient home that is
extremely tight against the
weather can prompt one
resident to open the win-
See GREEN Page 17▼
‘Green’
is the word
By Scott Wilson
of the Leader
Interested in a “green” home?
Todd Hulbert, president of Tollefson Builders,
believes the word at the top of the “green home” list
is nothing new: insulation.
“The best thing you can do is to make sure the
home is tightly sealed as far as air gaps, windows,
electrical outlets, etc.,” Hulbert said. “Probably the
most environmentally friendly thing you can do is
make the house energy efficient.”
That perspective takes into account the lifespan
of a home. “The impact of construction is minimal
compared to the overall cost of energy use over the
lifespan of a home,” he said.
The goal: “Keep the energy you’ve bought in the
house to reduce the amount of energy you need.”
From that starting point, here are Hulbert’s other
best “green” practices:
-- Solar-assisted hot water heaters make it easy to
heat your water.
-- A geothermal heating system that relies on
the earth’s steady temperature to preheat water is
extremely reliable and extremely inexpensive once
its hundreds of feet of tubes are in place, about 6 feet
under the home. However, Hulbert added that such
a system is quite expensive to put into place. “It will
pay off in 20 to 30 years,” he said.
-- Photovoltaic power generation allows a
homeowner to “spin your meter backwards” at least
during summer months.
-- Energy-efficient light bulbs use far less energy
and last longer than standard incandescent bulbs.
Hulbert noted that alternative power sources,
especially solar, are advancing by long strides, and
new capabilities are being offered with each passing
year.
Other locally based companies can help
homeowners or remodelers get “green” with clean or
energy-efficient products and services.
SolAR PoWeR oPTIoNS
Power Trip Energy, based in Port Townsend, is one
of the area’s leading providers of solar panels for
homes. Frederickson Electric also does this work, as
do other providers.
Jeff Randall of Power Trip noted that using solar
power does not just mean using panels. Use of
See WORD, Page 16▼
The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
green
▼Continued from page 14
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Little & Little has been in
the quality home construc-
tion business for a long time,
and Alex Little has a bit of a
smile when discussing green
building. People focused on
a quality construction job for
a home they expect to live
in for a long time have been
using green techniques long Heating • Air Conditioning
before there was a word for it, Since 1967 your local Coleman Dealer
he said.
“Some customers want to Design, Repairs & Maintenance
build green,” he said. “Oth- Heat Pumps, Oil, Electric, Propane
ers just want a good-quality
home. We educate them to Furnaces & Boilers
know that a good-quality,
well-thought-out home and a We Service All Brands
green home are pretty much
the same thing.” Factory trained, EPA- and State-Certified
For example, Little recently Style for any Budget HVACR Electricians
completed a home on Mar-
rowstone Island.
Cabinets.Counters. LICENSED & BONDED
W
Windows.Doors.Mouldings.
“The customer was set on Decorative Hardware
making really good choices, Bens Heating Service, Inc.
not because they wanted a New to
green home but because, Sequim 163 Otto Street • Port Townsend
when you think about, it just 360-385-3600
made sense.” DesignsXThomas.com
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See GREEN, Page 18▼

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader 2010 home improvement ❖ 17
 green
▼Continued from page 18
Gold Certified by the Nation-
al Green Building Standard,
a monitoring partnership
between the National As-
sociation of Homebuilders
and the International Code
Council. That means an in-
dependent third party veri-
fied that the home achieved
a level of quality that makes
it, in many categories, three
times more energy efficient
and environmentally safe as
a home that simply meets
the building code.
Homes are rated on sever-
al standards, including lot de-
sign, minimal waste, energy
and water efficiency, indoor
environmental quality and
building owner education.
A similar rating system
is available for commercial
buildings through the LEED
(Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design, de-
veloped by the U.S. Green
Building Council) process.
The new Northwest Mari-
time Center is near the end
of its LEED review.
For the Marrowstone
home, Little noted that even
how the home was situated
on its forest lot was a key
criterion. Siting a home has
major environmental con-
Two heads form Terrapin Architecture
Terrapin Architecture
is a new collaboration of
Port Townsend architects
Richard Berg and Eric
Kuzma.
With their combined
professional expertise,
they will provide better
design solutions, greater
individual attention, and
building designs reflect-
18 ❖ 2010 home improvement
Alex Little
siderations, such as disturb-
ing the surrounding forest
as little as possible, preserv-
ing natural runoff patterns
as much as possible, and
creating stormwater sys-
tems that are efficient and
environmentally sound.
Other features in the
home include highly effi-
cient appliances, including
toilets that use only a frac-
tion of the normal water for
flushing liquids.
“I like the simple defini-
tion that says the idea be-
hind green building is to
meet the needs of the pres-
ent,” said Little, “without
compromising the ability of
future generations to meet
their needs.”
ing the most current envi-
ronmental and energy-ef-
ficient design strategies.
The new firm is located
at 719 Taylor St. in Port
Townsend, formerly Rich-
ard Berg Architects.
This new collaboration
brings together a passion
for timeless architectural
design, whether modern
Tax credits available
for energy upgrades
The American Recov-
ery and Investment Act
of 2009 provides energy
incentives for both indi-
viduals and businesses.
Check www.irs.gov for
more details.
Through Dec. 31, 2010,
homeowners can claim
a 30 percent tax credit
on eligible energy-sav-
ing improvements, up to
a maximum tax credit of
$1,500 for the combined
2009 and 2010 tax years.
The cost of certain high-
efficiency heating and
air conditioning systems,
non-solar water heaters
and biomass stoves all
qualify, along with labor
costs to install the items.
The cost of energy-effi-
cient windows and sky-
lights, doors, and qualify-
ing insulation and certain
metal and asphalt roofs
also qualify for the tax
credit, though the costs
of installing those items
does not count.
These improvements
or traditional, Berg and
Kuzma said. Both archi-
tects share special expe-
rience in historic preser-
vation as well as the use
of exposed timber as a
structural and decorative
element. Terrapin Archi-
tecture also specializes in
utilizing energy-efficient
design and construction
must be done to an exist-
ing home and a principal
residence. New construc-
tion and rentals do not
qualify.
There is a second tax
credit for homeowners
choosing to “go green” that
is designed to encourage
investment in alternative
energy equipment. The
residential energy-efficient
property credit equals 30
percent of what a home-
owner spends on qualifying
property, such as geother-
mal heat pumps, small wind
turbines, solar hot water
heaters, other solar energy
systems and fuel cell prop-
erty. Generally, the credit
includes labor costs. There
is no cap for the amount
of credit available on these
items, except in the case of
fuel cell property, which has
a limit of $500 per .5 kW of
power capacity. Tax credit
qualifications for these
products expires Dec. 31,
2016. Existing homes and
new construction qualify, as
strategies that make good
economic sense, placing
less emphasis on trendy
“green” fashions.
The firm’s design for the
new Quimper Unitarian
sanctuary and addition on
San Juan Avenue will re-
sult in Jefferson County’s
first Built Green commer-
cial structure. Additional-
long as it is a principal resi-
dence. Rentals and second
homes do not qualify.
Not all energy-efficient
improvements qualify for
these tax credits, so hom-
eowners should check the
manufacturer’s tax credit
certification statement be-
fore buying or installing any
products.
The IRS cautions that the
manufacturer’s certification
is different from the Depart-
ment of Energy’s Energy
Star label. Not all Energy
Star-labeled products qual-
ify for the tax credits.
Eligible homeowners can
claim both of these credits
when they file their federal
income tax return. Because
these are credits, not de-
ductions, they increase a
taxpayer’s refund or reduce
the tax he or she owes. Visit
www.irs.gov for proper
forms to fill out, and for the
most recent tax credit in-
formation. Again, check for
specific guidelines before
you buy.
ly, Terrapin designer Jesse
Thomas was recently certi-
fied by the Passive House
Institute. He brings knowl-
edge and analysis tools for
energy-efficient construc-
tion to the design studio.
Contact Berg or Kuzma
at 360-379-8090 or through
the website at www.terra-
pinarchitecture.com.
The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader