Green Building Becomes More Affordable and More Common

There are a variety of decisions businesses can make to ensure a new building project is both environmentally and financially sound. These include the types of building materials used and where they are sourced, whether to break ground on new construction or renovate an existing building, and even landscape materials. Incentives through programs like NHSaves and the federal Inflation Reduction Act make the decision to go green even easier.

“In today’s market, whether it’s commercial, residential, single family or multi family, if you’re not building energy-efficiently, you’re kind of missing the boat,” says Michael J. Castagna, head of North Hampton-based Castagna Consulting Group, which works with clients on project design and development.

Green construction techniques have gone far beyond the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria first established more than 20 years ago and now embrace more strategic ways of reducing a building’s carbon footprint.

The Ultimate Reuse
John Hyde, senior sustainability manager at Chapman Construction in Manchester, says reusing existing structures rather than building new ones is one key strategy.

That approach uses fewer new building materials, reducing embodied carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and transporting new materials to a site. (Operational carbon emissions, like those from burning fossil fuel, are the more familiar source of gases with global warming potential and are more frequently targeted in building codes and practices.) “If you’re talking about a brand-new project, an existing building is going to be much better for the environment,” Hyde says.

An effective renovation includes improving the enclosure to make it as air-tight as possible, sealing leaks around windows and doors to reduce heating and cooling loss, electrifying the building so it can use efficient mechanical systems like heat pumps, and including an energy recovery and ventilation (ERV) system to keep the air fresh, Hyde says. Adding solar panels or purchasing renewable energy from a utility can further reduce the carbon footprint.

Castagna’s firm worked with Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester to rehab its facility in Manchester. Workers used finish materials that were eco-friendly, added anti-microbial features inside and built it so solar panels could be installed later. “We gutted a 1901 building and put an addition on it, so they could keep their costs down and got to reduce their carbon footprint,” he says.

Building Materials
Whether building from scratch or renovating, building materials and their sources make a difference to sustainability.

Hyde points to one project his firm was involved in, the Southeast Land Trust building in Epping, as an example. Ash was harvested from the site to build the interior trim and was sawed locally. There was “no trucking in wood from some other part of the country,” he says. The siding was heat-treated to make it more durable and a metal roof was added, in addition to sun shades on windows, a heat pump and an ERV system.

Similar techniques were employed at the new $4 million North Hampton Library, says architect Doug Shilo, a senior associate at Lavallee Brensinger Architects in Manchester. The building is largely made of wood, “which keeps costs low and makes sustainability high because wood transfers less outdoor temperature than steel studs do and allows us to reach higher insulation values. …  But wood can also pose durability concerns, Shilo explains. “We have to make sure our details are carefully done the right way so we get a robust exterior envelope without sacrificing the longevity of the building,” he says.

North Hampton Public Library designed by Lavallee Brensinger Architects (Photo by John Hession)

Barry Beauregard, an estimator at Laconia-based Bonnette, Page & Stone, which constructed the North Hampton Library, says his firm often uses wood because it is sustainable, but also uses metal studs as “it is very resistant to rust and you can really get a tight package with that type of wall system.”

Using sustainable materials like cork flooring or recycled building products are other earth-friendly strategies, says Tom Sullivan Jr., vice president of development at Sullivan Construction. The company’s Bedford headquarters was the first LEED-certified Platinum office in the state. Building owners should also consider adding electric car-charging stations, bike racks to encourage employees to bike to work, locating the building near public transportation when applicable and recycling construction waste.

Bonnette, Page & Stone uses various types of weather barriers to prevent heat loss and typically installs sophisticated energy systems that monitor the air, Beauregard says.

Mechanical systems can offer enormous energy savings as well, experts agree. Heat pumps, energy-efficient alternatives to furnaces that take heat from the ground or air to warm a building, were installed at many sustainable projects in NH, including the North Hampton Library. “They are as efficient as gas, but don’t use fossil fuels,” Shilo says of the devices.

Even landscape materials can make a difference. Sullivan and others note the benefits of xeriscaping, which relies on native plants that require no or little irrigation to beautify a property.

Higher Costs Vs. Savings
Construction experts concede that some green materials and methods might cost more upfront but result in what Beauregard calls “a downstream cost savings” within a few years. He cites triple-pane windows as an example, which cost more initially but provide more insulation to prevent heat and cold loss.

Shilo points to another advantage. The North Hampton Library has triple-pane windows as well as thick walls, both more costly than other materials initially, but “there’s a busy road next to the building and you can’t hear a thing,” he says. “These things aren’t just for the environment and cost savings; it usually makes for a better environment for the user.”

Highly energy-efficient projects can cost up to 5% more, Shilo says. “But the other side of the coin is the payback period from reduced utility bills that would pay for that [added cost] in seven to 10 years,” he adds.

Incentives like those offered through NHSaves can also help offset costs. Funded by electric and natural gas ratepayers and provided by Eversource, Liberty Utilities, NH Electric Cooperative and Unitil, the program offers a variety of rebates for items like heat pumps and other energy saving devices to homeowners, businesses, and municipalities. The recently renovated Pelham High School qualified for a $35,000 rebate from Liberty Utilities for LED light fixtures with advanced controls, saving an estimated $31,000 annually in lighting costs.

The federal Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022, also includes $8.8 billion in rebates for home energy efficiency and electrification projects for things like heat pumps and biomass stoves and boilers.

Green Investment
There is more to building green than simply saving money. “Just from a moral standpoint, I think it’s an obligation for companies to be looking at the best interests of society for the future,” says Sullivan. “It’s more than just a cost analysis. It’s how you want to be perceived as a corporate citizen, how you want to be perceived as a member of your community and society.”

Hyde says Chapman Construction has invited clients and community members to visit its LEED Platinum office headquarters to understand that “you can do this, too.” The company also has a rooftop garden, called Shangri-La, and encourages employees to green their work spaces with plants, which help to improve air quality.

There are things the average business owner or homeowner can do to help reduce a building’s carbon footprint, even if they are not planning a construction project, such as adding insulation, sealing any leaks, installing solar panels, switching to toilets that use less water, swapping light bulbs for LED ones, using low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, replacing flooring with cork, investing in a heat pump, and changing the set points on thermostats.

“We have more opportunities than ever, not just large projects, but small homes, small businesses,” says Shilo. “What we hope for is that these things are no longer for those with extra money. The standards and practices can become universal, and I think we are seeing that.”

As the cost of green projects comes down and the demand for energy efficiency goes up, “I think we’ll all benefit as a result,” Sullivan says.