What is the difference between energy conservation products and green building materials?
According to Andrew Pace, president of the Green Design Center in Waukesha, all energy conservation products can be called “green,” but not all green building materials are energy conservation products. “Green building materials can be items that are made from recycled content, recyclable themselves, healthier for the human occupants, locally made, etc.,” he said. “In total, there are about 45 different reasons why a building product can be called green — and energy efficiency is just one of them.” At the Green Design Center, there is a system for determining what clients want when they ask for “green.” “With this system, we determine their need for products that are either energy efficient, human friendly or environmentally friendly,” he said. He added that there is no product that is perfect in every category, so it’s important to decide the degree of “green” that you want to achieve before embarking on the green building project. Q: Can my home have too much insulation? If so, how m
