Publications
Chiras, Dan. "Minimize the Digging: Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations," The Last Straw 38 (Summer 2002), p. 10. A brief treatise on frost-protected
shallow foundations.
---. "Retrofitting a Foundation
for Energy Efficiency," The Last Straw 38 (Summer 2002), p. 10.
Describes ways to retrofit foundations to reduce heat loss.
Carmody, John, Stephen Selkowitz,
and Lisa Heschong. Residential Windows: A Guide to New Technologies
and Energy Performance. New York: Norton, 1996. Extremely important
reading for all passive solar home designers.
Fine Homebuilding. The Best of Fine Homebuilding: Energy-Efficient Building.
Newtown, Ct.: Taunton Press, 1999. A collection of detailed, somewhat
technical articles on a wide assortment of topics related to energy
efficiency including insulation, energy-saving details, windows, housewraps,
skylights, and heating systems.
Lstiburek, Joe, and Besty Pettit.
EEBA Builder's Guide-Cold Climate. Minneapolis: Energy Efficient Building
Association, 1999. Superb resource for advice on building in cold climates.
---. EEBA Builder's Guide-Mixed Humid
Climate. Minneapolis: Energy Efficient Building Association, 1999. Superb
resource for advice on this climate.
---. EEBA Builder's Guide-Hot-Arid
Climate. Minneapolis: EEBA, 1999. Superb resource for advice on building
in hot arid
climates.
Magwood, Chris, ed. "Roofs and
Foundations," The Last Straw 38 (September 2002). An excellent
resource for those who want to learn about energy- and material-efficient
foundations.
National Association of Home Builders
Research Center. Design Guide for Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations.
Upper Marlboro, Md.: NAHB Research Center, 1996. Also available on-line.
Oehler, Mike. The $50 and Up Underground
House Book: How to Design and Build Underground. A very popular book
for those who want to live inexpensively off the beaten path.
Roy, Rob. The Complete Book of Underground
Houses: How to Build a Low-Cost Home. New York: Sterling, 1994. A revision
of a 1979 best-seller with new information on earth-sheltered homes.
Can be purchased from the Earthwood Building School (listed
earlier).
Sikora, Jeannie L. Profit from Building
Green: Award Winning Tips to Build Energy Efficient Homes. Washington,
D.C.: BuilderBooks, 2002. A brief, but informative overview of energy-conservation
strategies.
Wells, Malcolm. The Earth-Sheltered
House: An Architect's Sketchbook. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea
Green, 1998. Although you won't find a ton of information on earth-sheltered
housing in this book, you will be regaled with lots of inspiring designs
that will help you see the potential of this design strategy.
Wilson, Alex, Jennifer Thorne, and
John Morrill. Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 7th ed. Washington,
D.C.: American Council for an Energy-
Efficient Economy, 1999. Excellent book, full of information on energy-saving
appliances.
Yost, Harry. Home Insulation: Do It Yourself and Save as Much as 40%.
Pownal, Vt.: Storey Communications, 1991. Extremely useful book for
anyone building his or her own home.
Organizations
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Numerous excellent
publications on energy efficiency, including Consumer Guide to Home
Energy Savings. 1001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC
20036. Tel: (202) 429-0063.
Web site: www.aceee.org.
Building America Program. Leaders
in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy to achieve zero-energy
buildings. U.S. Department of Energy. Office of Building Systems, EE-41,
1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585. Tel: (202) 586-9472.
Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers
Association. Your place to "shop" for information on cellulose
insulation. 133 S. Keowee St., Dayton, OH 45402.
Tel: (937) 222-2462. Web site: www.cellulose.org.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Clearinghouse. Great source of a variety of useful information on energy
efficiency. P.O. Box 3048, Merrifield, VA 22116. Tel: (800) 363-3732.
Energy Efficient Building Association.
Offers conferences, workshops, publications and an on-line bookstore.
490 Concordia Ave., P.O. Box 22307, Eagen, MN 55122. Tel: (952) 881-1098.
Insulating Concrete Forms Association.
A great place to begin your research on ICFs. 1807 Glenview Rd., Suite
203, Glenview, IL 60025. Tel: (847) 657-9730. Web site: www.forms.org.
National Fenestration Rating Council.
For information on energy efficiency of windows. 8484 Georgia Ave.,
Suite 320, Silver Springs, MD 20910. Tel: (301) 589-1776. Web site:
www.nfrc.org.
National Insulation Association.
Offers a wide range of information on different types of insulation.
99 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 222, Alexandria, VA 22314. Tel: (703) 683-6422.
Web site: www.insulation.org.
Back-Up
Heating (Chapter 4)
Radiant Floor and Baseboard Hot Water Systems
Publications
Fust, Art. "A Simple Warm Floor Heating System," The Last
Straw 32 (Winter 2000), 25-26. Contains much useful information.
Grahl, Christine L. "The Radiant
Flooring Revolution," Environmental Design and Construction (January/February
2000), 38-40. Superb introduction to radiant-floor heating.
Hyatt, Rod. "Hydronic Heating
on Renewable Energy," Home Power 79 (October/November 2000), 36-42.
Provides a lot of practical advice on building your own radiant-floor
heating system and powering it with photovoltaic panels.
Siegenthaler, John. "Hydronic
Radiant-Floor Heating," Fine Homebuilding (October/November 1996),
58-63. Extremely useful reference. Well written, thorough, and well
illustrated.
---. Modern Hydronic Heating. Albany,
N.Y.: Delmar Publishers, 1995. Everything you would ever want to know
about hydronic heating.
Wilson, Alex. "Radiant-Floor
Heating: When It Does-and Doesn't-Make Sense," Environmental Building
News 11 (January 2002), 1, 9-14. Valuable reading.
Organizations
Radiant Panel Association. Professional organization consisting of radiant
heating and cooling contractors, wholesalers, manufacturers, and professionals.
1433 West 29th Street, Loveland, CO 80539. Tel: (970) 613-0100. Web
site: www.radiantpanelassociation.org.
Forced-Air
Heating, Furnaces and Boilers
Publications
Fine Homebuilding. Energy-Efficient Building. Newtown, Ct: Taunton Press,
1999. Contains a collection of extremely useful articles on heating
systems.
O'Connell, John, and Bruce Harley. "Choosing Ductwork," Fine Homebuilding 110 (June/July 1997,
98-101. Essential reading for anyone interested in installing a forced-air
heating system.
Wilson, Alex. "A Primer on Heating
Systems," Fine Homebuilding 110 (February/March1997), 50-55. Superb
overview of furnaces, boilers, and heating systems.
Wall-Mounted
Space Heaters
Consumer Product Safety Commission.
For a wealth of information on space heaters, including safety precautions,
contact Office of Information and Public Affairs, CPSC, Washington,
D.C. 20207 or call their hotline at (800) 638-2772. Web site: www.cspc.gov.
Heat
Pumps
Publications
Malin, Nadav, and Alex Wilson. "Ground-Source Heat Pumps: Are They
Green?" Environmental Building News 9 (July/August 2000), 1, 16-22.
Detailed overview of the operation and pros and cons of ground-source
heat pumps.
National Renewable Energy Lab. "Geothermal Heat Pumps," published
on-line at http://www.eren. doe.gov/erec/factsheets/geo_heatpumps.html.
Great overview of GSHPs.
Organizations
Geo-Heat Center, Oregon Institute of Technology, 3201 Campus Dr., Klamath,
OR 97601. Tel: (541) 885-1750. Web site: www.oit.osshe.edu/~geoheat/.
Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium,
Inc. 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20004-2696. Tel: (888)
333-4472. Web site: www.ghpc.org.
International Ground Source Heat
Pump Association. Provides a list of equipment manufacturers, installers
by state, and numerous other resources for contractors, homeowners,
students, and the general public. 490 Cordell South, Stillwater, OK
74078-8018. Tel: (405) 744-5175. Web site: www.igshpa.okstate.edu/.
U.S. Department of Energy, Office
of Geothermal Technologies. Carries out research on GSHPs and works
closely with industry to implement new ideas. EE-12, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. Tel: (202) 586-5340.
Woodstoves
and Masonry Heaters
Publications
Barden, Albert A. AlbiCoreTM Construction Manual. Norridgewock, Me.:
Maine Wood Heat Company, 1996. Detailed construction manual.
Barden, Albert A. The Finnish Fireplace:
Construction Manual. Norridgewock, ME: Maine Wood Heat Company, Inc.,
1984. The only complete English language primer on making masonry heaters.
Available through the Maine Wood Heat Company (listed above).
--- and Keikki Hyytiainen. Finnish
Fireplaces: Heart of the Home. Finland: Building Book Ltd., 1988. A
valuable resource for anyone wanting to learn more about Finnish masonry
stoves. Available through the Maine Wood Heat Company (listed above).
British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Land, and Parks. "Reducing
Wood Stove Smoke: A Burning Issue," Sept.1994. Web site: www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdqa/
ar/particulates/rwssabi.html.
Gulland, John. "Woodstove Buyer's
Guide," Mother Earth News (December/January 2002), 32-43. Superb
overview of woodstoves with a useful table to help you select a model
that meets your needs.
Johnson, Dave. The Good Woodcutter's
Guide: Chain Saws, Portable Sawmills, and Woodlots. White River Junction,
Vt.: Chelsea Green, 1998. A practical guide to felling trees and cutting
fire wood safely.
Lyle, David. The Book of Masonry
Stoves: Rediscovering an Old Way of Warming. White River Junction, Vt.:
Chelsea Green, 1984. This book contains a wealth of information on the
history, function, design, and construction of masonry stoves.
Organizations
Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association. (Formerly the Hearth Products
Association.) International trade association that promotes the interests
of the hearth products industry. Offers lots of valuable information.
1601 North Kent Street, Suite 1001, Arlington, VA 22209. Web site: http://hpba.org.
Masonry Heater Association of North
America. Publishes a valuable newsletter and has a Web site with links
to dealers and masons who design and build masonry stoves. 1252 Stock
Farm Road, Randolph, VT 05060.
Tel: (802) 728-5896. Web site: www.mha-net.org.
Wood Heat Organization.
Promotes safe, responsible use of wood for heating. Contact them at:
410 Bank Street, Suite 117, Ottawa, Ontario Canada K2P 1Y8. Web site:
www.woodheat.org.
Passive
Cooling (Chapter 6)
Publications
Givoni, Baruch. Passive and Low Energy Cooling of Buildings. New York:
John Wiley and Sons, 1994. A fairly technical book, but one of few resources
on the subject.
Healthy/Green Building (Chapter 8)
Publications
Borer, Pat, and Cindy Harris. The Whole House Book: Ecological Building
Design and Materials. Powys, England: Centre for Alternative Technology
Publications, 1998. Contains a wealth of information on building healthy,
environmentally friendly homes.
Baker-Laporte, Paula, Erica Elliot,
and John Banta. Prescriptions for a Healthy House: A Practical Guide
for Architects, Builders, and Homeowners. 2nd ed. Gabriola Island, B.C.:
New Society Publishers, 2001. Superb resource with
a great amount of useful
information.
Bower, John. The Healthy House: How
to Buy One, How to Build One, How to Cure a Sick One. 3rd ed., Bloomington,
In.: The Healthy House Institute, 1997. A very detailed guide to all
aspects of home construction. Worth its weight in gold.
--- and Lynn Marie Bower. The Healthy
House Answer Book: Answers to the 133 Most Commonly Asked Questions.
Bloomington, In.: The Healthy House Institute, 1997. Great resource
for those who just want to learn the basics.
Chappell, Steve K., ed. The Alternative
Building Sourcebook. Fox Maple Press: Brownfield, Me., 1998. Lists over
900 products and professional services in the area of natural and sustainable
building.
Chiras, Daniel D. The Natural House:
A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes.
White River Jct., Vt.: Chelsea Green, 2000. A comprehensive survey of
natural building with additional information on passive solar heating
and cooling, green building materials, and other topics.
City of Austin Green Builder Program.
Sustainable Building Sourcebook. Austin: City of Austin Green Builder
Program. Excellent resource, available on-line at www.ci.austin.tx.us/greenbuilder/.
Davis, Andrew N. and Paul E. Schaffman.
The Home Environmental Sourcebook: 50 Environmental Hazards to Avoid
When Buying, Selling, or Maintaining a Home. New York: Henry Holt, 1996.
Good overview of sources of health hazards in homes.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality. Washington, D.C.: EPA,
1995. Very helpful on-line publication for those interested in learning
more about indoor air quality issues and solutions. You can access it
at www.epa.gov/iaq/insidest.html.
---. Indoor Air Pollution: An Introduction
for Health Professionals. Washington, D.C.: EPA, 1994. A detailed guide
on air pollution and health effects. Very valuable for diagnosing problems
caused by indoor air pollution. Also contains an extensive bibliography
of research papers on the subject. Available at: www.epa.gov/ iaq/pubs/hpguide.html.
---. Model Standards and Techniques
for Control of Radon in New Residential Buildings. Washington, D.C.:
EPA, 1994. This on-line document provides detailed, fairly technical
informa-tion on ways to prevent radon from becoming a problem in new
construction. Available at: www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/ newconst.html.
---. A Citizen's Guide to Radon. The Guide to Protecting Yourself and
Your Family from Radon. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: EPA, 1992. A very
basic on-line introduction to radon. Available at: www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/
citguide.html.
---. What You Should Know About Combustion
Appliances and Indoor Air Quality. Washington, D.C.: EPA, undated. A
great little introduction to the effects of indoor air pollutants from
combustion sources. Available at: www.epa/iaq/pubs/combust.html.
--- and the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission. The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality.
EPA Document No. 402-K-93-007. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing
Office, 1995.
Hermannsson, James. Green Building
Resource Guide. Newtown, Ct: Taunton Press, 1997. A goldmine of information
on environmentally friendly building materials. Reader beware: not all
building materials in books such as this pass the sustainability test.
Holmes, Dwight, Larry Strain, Alex
Wilson, and Sandra Leibowitz. GreenSpec: The Environmental Building
News Product Directory and Guideline Specifications. BuildingGreen,
Inc.: Brattleboro, Vt., 1999. Guideline specifications make this an
extremely valuable resource for commercial builders and architects.
Pearson, David. The Natural House
Catalog: Everything You Need to Create An Environmentally Friendly Home.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996. Contains a lot of information on
building and furnishing a sustainable home, including a list of products
and services.
Rousseau, David, and James Wasley.
Healthy by Design: Building and Remodeling Solutions for Creating Healthy
Homes. Point Roberts, Wa: Hartley and Marks Publishers, 1999. Great
book with lots of useful information.
Spiegel, Ross, and Dru Meadows. Green
Building Materials: A Guide to Product Selection and Specification.
New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1999. The newest entry into the green
building materials books. Looks like a great resource.
Magazines
and Newsletters
Environmental Building News. The nation's leading source of objective
information on green building, including alternative energy and back-up
heating systems. Archives containing all issues published from 1992
to 2001 are available on a CD-Rom from BuildingGreen, Inc., 122 Birge
Street, Suite 30, Brattleboro, VT 05301. Tel: (803) 257- 7300. Web site:
www.BuildingGreen.com
Environmental Design and Construction.
Publishes numerous articles on green building. 81 Landers Street, San
Francisco, CA 94114. Tel: (415) 863-2614. Web site: www.EDCmag.com.
Natural Home. Publishes numerous articles on natural building and healthy
building products. Contact them at: 201 Fourth St., Loveland, CO 80537.
Web site: www.naturalhomemagazine.com.
Organizations
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI). Offers information
on in-duct air filtration/air cleaning devices. 4301 N. Fairfax Dr.,
Suite 425, Arlington, VA 22203. Tel: (703) 524-8800. Web site: www.ari.org.
American Academy of Environmental
Medicine. Contact them for the name of a physician who is qualified
to diagnose and treat multiple chemical sensitivity. 10 E. Randolph
Street, New Hope, PA 18938. Tel: (215) 862-4544.
American Academy of Otolaryngologic
Allergists. Another source for names of physicians qualified to diagnose
and treat multiple chemical sensitivity. 8455 Colesville Road, #745,
Silver Springs, MD 20901. Tel: (301) 588-1800.
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating,
and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Provides information on air
filters. 1791 Tullie Circle, NE, Atlanta GA 30329. Web site: www.Ashrae.org.
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
(AHAM). For information on standards for portable air cleaners. 20 North
Wacker Drivee, Chicago, IL 60606. Tel: (312) 984-5800, ext. 308. Web
site: www.aham.org.
BuildingGreen, Inc. Publishes Environmental
Building News, GreenSpec Directory (a comprehensive listing of green
building materials), Green Building Advisor (a CD-Rom that provides
advice on incorporating incorporating green building materials and techniques
in residential and commercial applications), and Premium Online Resources
(a Web site containing an electronic version of its newsletter, the
GreenSpec products database, and more). 122 Birge St., Suite 30, Brattleboro,
VT 05301. Tel (800) 861-0954. Web site: www.BuildingGreen.com.
Conservation and Renewable Energy
Inquiry and Referral Service. U.S. Department of Energy office for information
and a referral on air-to-air heat exchangers. P.O. Box 3048, Merrifield,
VA 22116. Tel: (800) 523-2929.
Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association,
Inc. For information on gas heating appliances. 1901 N. Moore Street,
Suite 1100, Arlington, VA 22209.
The Healthy House Institute. Offers
books and videos on healthy building. Contact them at 430 N. Sewell
Road, Bloomington, IN 47408. Tel: (812) 332-5073. Web site: http://hhinst.com/
index.html.
Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse.
Distributes EPA publications, answers questions, and makes referrals
to other nonprofit and government organizations. Contact them at: P.O.
Box 37133, Washington, DC 20013-7133. Tel: (800) 438-4318.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Referral
and Resources. Professional outreach, patient support, and public advocacy
devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, accommodation, and prevention
of multiple chemical sensitivity disorders. 508 Westgate Road, Baltimore,
MD 21229.
Tel: (410) 362-6400.
Web site: www.mcsrr.org.
National Association of Home Builders
Research Center. A leader in green building, including energy efficiency.
Sponsors important conferences, research, and publications. 1201 15th
St. NW, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: (800) 898-2842. Web site: www.nahbrc.
org. For a listing of their books contact www.builderbooks.com
National Radon Hotline. Calling this
number or contacting their Web site will give you access to local contacts
who can answer radon questions. Tel: (800) /SOS-RADON. Web site: www.epa.gov/
iaq/contacts.html.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Contact them for information on potentially hazardous products or to
report one yourself. CPSC, Washington, DC 20207-0001. Tel: (800) 638-CPSC.
Web site: www.cpsc.gov/.
Wood Heater Program, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, For information on woodstoves. OECA/OC/METD, 401
M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. Tel: (202) 564-2300.
Wood Heating Alliance. For answers
to questions about the safety of woodburning stoves. 1101 Connecticut
Ave, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036.
Suppliers:
Green and Healthy Building Materials
Because there are many manufacturers of healthy, green building materials,
please refer to GreenSpec, Green Building Resource Guide, Green Building
Materials, or Sustainable Building Sourcebook. Below is a list of retailers
who sell healthy, environmentally friendly building materials, paints,
stains, and finishes.
Building for Health Materials Center.
Offers a complete line of healthy, environmentally safe building materials
and home appliances including straw bale construction products; natural
plastering products; flooring; natural paints, oils, stains, and finishes;
sealants; and construction materials. Offers special pricing for owner-builders
and contractors. P.O. Box 113, Carbondale, CO 81623. Tel: (970) 963-0437.
Web site: www.buildingforhealth. com.
EcoBuild. This new company in Boulder,
Co. works specifically with builders, providing consultation and green
building materials at competitive prices. Call David Adamson at: (303)
544-6255. Web site: www.eco-build.com.
Eco-Products, Inc. Offers a variety
of green building products including plastic lumber. 1780 55th Street,
Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: (303) 449-1876.
Eco-Wise. Retail store that carries
Livos and Auro nontoxic natural finishes and adhesives. 110 W. Elizabeth,
Austin, TX 78704. Tel: (512) 326-4474. Web site: www. ecowise.com.
Environmental Building Supplies.
Green building materials outlet for the Pacific Northwest. 1331 NW Kearney
Street, Portland, OR 97209. Tel: (503) 222-3881. Web site: www.ecohaus.com.
Environmental Construction Outfitters.
Sells an assortment of green building materials. 44 Crosby Street, New
York, NY 10012. Tel: (800) 238-5008. Web site: www. environproducts.com.
Environmental Home Center. Offers
a variety of green building materials. 1724 4th Ave. South, Seattle,
WA 98134.
Tel: (800) 281-9785. Web site: www.environmentalhomecenter.com.
Planetary Solutions. Long-time green
building material supplier. Offers paints, flooring, tile, and much
more. 2030 17th Street, Boulder, CO 80302.
Tel: (303) 442-6228.
Web site: www.planet earth.com.
