Green Building Basic Terms – Godo Stoyke Raisingspaces

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Green Building Terms and Acronyms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Black water – waste water from toilets.

Biodegradable – Biodegradable materials are those that can easily be broken down into basic elements after a reasonable time period..

Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC)

Carbon Credit – A credit that can be purchased in exchange for carbon emission reductions. Individuals, companies, or other organizations may in theory offset, or compensate for their own emissions by paying for emission reductions elsewhere. Carbon credits come from renewable energy, energy efficiency, or tree-planting projects.

Caulking – A substance and process used in building to finish seams, leaks, and gaps in order to insulate, cut down on noise, and/or prevent water from entering an area.

Charge Controller – Regulates the current from solar panels to your battery bank. The charge controller ensures the batteries are not over-charged and provides protection from the current running backwards to the solar panels. (2007 http://www.arisetech.com/content/view/55/101/)

Compostable – A material is compostable when it can be broken down into its basic elements when added to a home or commercial composter.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – The term stands for a broad range of actions that a company can take to be a better corporate citizen and make a positive impact on employees, community members, and society. It typically includes basic worker rights protection, extra supports for workers like childcare and scholarship programs, and community giving programs like charitable funds or corporate volunteering programs.

Demand water heater – A water heater that heats water ‘on demand’ or only when it is required. Demand water heaters are more efficient than standard storage tank water heaters because they do not pre-heat and store water that continually loses heat.

Double-glazed – Glazing refers to the number of panes of glass in a window. The more panes of glass in a window, the higher the R-value of that window. That is, a double-glazed window has two layers of glass, and therefore has a higher R-value (insulation value) than a single-glazed window.

Earth ship – A u-shaped passive solar home built partially underground and made primarily from natural or reused materials like tires packed with rammed earth.

Energy efficiency – A measure of the relationship between the energy input required to produce an action or energy output. For example, a refrigerator that uses 450 kilowatt hours to keep food cool is more energy efficient than a refrigerator that uses 550 kilowatt hours to keep that same food cool. That is, the less energy required to produce a certain outcome, the higher the energy efficiency.
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Flyash – The ash generated from coal-fired electricity plants. It is mixed into concrete to replace 20-35% of the portland cement. It is beneficial when used in concrete because it replaces virgin materials and the energy and cost that would go into processing them, and it stays out of the waste stream.

Forest garden – A self-renewing ecosystem with seven different layers of edible plants: the canopy, smaller trees, shrubs, herbs, ground cover, roots, and vines.

FSC – The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, membership-based, non-profit organization that supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests. FSC Canada was founded in 1996 and is located in Toronto, ON.

FSC Certified – The Forest Stewardship Council certification on wood and paper products ensures that the certified product came from a responsibly managed forest. To learn more about the FSC and its standards, visit it’s Canadian web site at http://www.fsccanada.org/

Greenhouse gases – Gases or emissions commonly produced by the burning of fossil fuels that contribute to the greenhouse effect or, the warming of the climate.

Grey water – Water from the drains of sinks, showers, baths, washing machines, and dishwashers.

Infill Insulation – Insulation placed between framing members, timbers, or structural panels. Infill insulation itself does not have a structural purpose.

Inverter – An appliance used to convert independent DC power into standard household AC current. (http://www.arisetech.com/content/view/55/101/)

LEED – LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a rating system for judging buildings according to their environmental performance in the areas of sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Managed by the US Green Building Council, and now the Canada Green Building Council, LEED ratings classify buildings as Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. Professionals can also gain accreditation under the LEED rating system to bring a building project through the LEED building process.

Load-bearing straw bale building – Load-bearing refers to a home or structure where the bales themselves support and distribute the loads of the building. A non-load bearing straw bale building uses members or structural supports such as posts and beams or a stick frame (2 x 4 framing) to support the loads of the building. In these cases, the bales only act as an insulation material rather than structural members, or building blocks.

Low-E – Low-E or low-emissivity coatings are thin metallic coatings applied to glass to increase the R-value or ability of the window unit to prevent heat loss.

Masonry oven – A large typically wood-fired brick, stone, or clay oven. In green homes, efficient masonry ovens function as alternative heating systems, providing off-grid heat and cooking functions.

Non-load bearing straw bale building – See ‘Load-bearing straw bale building

Passive solar – Passive solar heat is created when the sun warms a space or object simply from shining on that space or object. No other energy is required to generate passive solar heat.

Phantom Power – see ’standby power’.

Photovoltaic (PV) – produces electrical energy when exposed to sunlight.

Photovoltaic array – a panel of multiple connected photovoltaic modules.

Photovoltaic module – a panel or collector made up of solar cells, or units that convert light energy to electrical energy.
Post and beam – A post and beam building is one where horizontal beams are supported by vertical posts commonly made from timbers or large logs. It is a popular structural design in straw bale building.

Precautionary Principle – A principle used to avoid a potentially risky or destructive situation by choosing actions that offer the best possible outcome. For example, given ongoing debate about whether climate change is real and caused by humans, applying the precautionary principle would involve taking steps to slow or mitigate climate change to avoid serious human and environmental losses.

Rainwater Harvesting – The practice of capturing rainwater from rooftops and other surfaces for reuse.

Reclaimed- Reused building materials, or ‘rescued’ materials that would otherwise have entered the waste stream. Also described as ‘recovered’, ’salvaged’, or ‘repurposed’.

R-value – R-value is the unit that measures how well a particular material insulates, or prevents heat transfer. The higher the number that follows the R, the more effective the insulator.

Sick Building Syndrome – Caused by poor ventilation, inadequate lighting, and indoor contaminants like indoor air pollution, toxic mold, and off-gassing chemicals, this syndrome causes a range of symptoms including headaches, eye and nose irritations, mood shifts, concentration difficulties, and respiratory problems.

Solar evacuated tube collector – An ‘evacuated’ glass tube, or a glass tube with a vacuum effect inside, contains a similarly evacuated copper heat pipe, and collects heat. It is known to be more efficient than a flat plate solar collector because the tube captures more of the sun’s rays and the vacuum effect lowers the pressure and boiling point of water inside the tube.

Solar tube – a tubular skylight that reflects and directs sunlight into a space.

Standby power – the energy consumed by an electrical device when it is not in use. Also referred to as phantom power or vampire power. Appliances such as computers, stereos, and even phone chargers draw electricity when not in use.

Stick-frame construction – Homes or structures built with this method are built with studs or 2 x 4 structural members to frame walls, generally spaced sixteen inches from center to center.Stick-frame construction is the most common residential building method.

Tankless water heater – see ‘demand water heater’

Thermal mass – The extent to which a material can absorb, hold, and release heat energy. In a passive solar home, thermal mass is needed to capture the sun’s heat during the day, and slowly release it at night.

Triple-glazed – see double-glazed.

Vampire power – see ’standby power’.

VOC – VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds are a group of chemicals found in paints, finishes, solvents, adhesives, and carpeting. They are known to off-gas or vaporize, contribute to indoor air pollution, and may cause health problems.

Weather stripping – Weatherstripping is the process of sealing openings such as doors, windows, and trunks from the elements. The goal of weatherstripping is to prevent rain and water from entering by either blocking it outright or by blocking most of it and returning or rerouting it. A secondary goal of weatherstripping is to keep interior air in, thus saving energy with heating and air. (Wikipedia.org)

Window quilt – An insulated window shade or blind that prevents heat loss or increases the R-value of the window when in use.

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