Green Building
While it is a term that is rapidly losing it's value as everyone jumps on the green bandwagon, in building science it is the most valuable component you can focus on for your home - in terms of resale value as well as long term operating costs. Builders got very lazy in the U.S during the '80s and '90s when oil was cheap and the vast majority of houses built during that time were built with very poor energy performance in favor of adding square footage or marble floors in their bathroom. Now many of those homes face heating bills of $15,000 or more a winter and oil is never going to get any cheaper.
The good news is that while all those cookie-cutter poor energy homes were being built, the building science community marched forward and has developed and strategies creating best building practices used today for homes that are beautiful, comfortable, and kind on the environment, and easy on your pocketbook. It is totally possible with today's building science to build a net-zero home - a home that creates as much or more energy than it uses - or even goes further and reaches for Passive House standards - a home that requires no heating input. And that home doesn't have to be a geodesic glass bubble that burns cow manure for heat. In fact, outside of some solar panels, they might look just like your neighbor's home.
The high-performance building, and adjusting that performance for each client's needs and desires, is Allied's specialty.
Allied's owner Jon Guiffre, has spent the last 20 years studying and keeping abreast of the latest in building science and energy technologies.
Jon can offer many different solutions and ideas to make your current home or new home more energy-efficient, try to be carbon neutral, or even try to reach the Net Zero or Passive House standards. There are many solutions out there and we can advise you on and design all of your options and focus on creating an energy system for your house that makes sense for your situation. As a Certified Green Professional, Jon can help guide you through the decision-making process on what path is appropriate for your path.
The good news is that because there are so many options out there, there are many ways to solve the problem which means you might want a carbon-neutral home but don't want to split wood every year - which is completely possible. Or you might want a conventional-looking home but want it to be a net-zero home - also possible. By using proven building science we can create a tight, healthy, home that allows you to enjoy our climate here in Vermont and not endure it.
