A: There are some builders and green building certification programs that will guarantee a certain amount of energy use or cost savings for a new home and provide rebates if those results fall short. For the most part, however, energy saving is very difficult to calculate and predict, as it depends on the baseline (what you might use/spend in a non-green home), local energy rates, and the behavior of the occupants, to name a few variables.

Green building is a hot topic, but does building green really mean anything to you as a homebuyer? What’s the tangible benefit of recycled-content drywall or certified wood doors to your daily life … and your pocketbook?

Magleby Construction strives to educate our clients about the various “green building” methods and materials we employ. We approach this from the perspective of the practical benefits to the earth and our clients.

Hidden Gems. The bulk of green building happens behind the finishes. The result: no more drafty feelings by windows and doors; no more temperature differences between floors or rooms; and the ability to walk around in your bare feet.

Easy Recycling. We encourage and facilitate recycling household waste. So we increasingly provide convenient bins within the kitchen and laundry cabinets to make it easier to get recycleables to the curb and out of the landfill. We can also install handy kitchen compost bins to collect vegetable clippings and other organic matter for vegetable or flower gardens.

Breathe Easier. To save energy and boost indoor comfort, we can use non-toxic paints, flooring, and other interior finishes — as well as ventilation systems — to improve the quality of indoor air. This approach addresses allergies, respiratory problems, and other sensitivities that might ail clients.

Future Green. While not 100% mainstream, in-home computer programs that allow homeowners to see and adjust their energy and water use are great visual reminders of green building efforts that also help to optimize them.

Many builders get caught up in the details and technical specs of green building; professional builders understand that to be truly beneficial, those efforts should improve the quality of everyday life.

Most “green building” conversations emphasize energy efficiency. By contrast, the issue of water — its scarcity, purity, and significance to sustainability — is often overlooked or discounted.

In North America, we take water for granted. It’s not only relatively cheap, it’s relatively abundant and clean. The average bathtub hold 40 gallons of water. Contrast that usage with people in developing countries, who survive on 8 gallons or less per day.

As a professional builder who looks out for the welfare of our homebuyers and our community, Magleby Construction accommodates requests and complies with all building code requirements to reduce a home’s water consumption. It’s a matter of dollars and sense.

In many cases, we can use low-flow plumbing fixtures including toilets, faucets, and showerheads, to automatically reduce water use without our homeowners noticing much (if any) difference in their convenience and performance. The latest clothes washers, dishwashers, and water heating systems also use less water (and save energy, too). All of these products are readily available and generally affordable.

But as much as these “embedded” water savings reduce consumption, there is more that we can do. We encourage homeowners to keep their water use in check with some simple changes:

• Limit your showers 10 minutes or less and avoid filling the bathtub unless absolutely necessary. Turn off the bathroom faucet while brushing your teeth or shaving.
• Run only full loads of laundry and dishes. If you have to hand-wash  dishes in the kitchen, fill one basin with soapy water (to clean/scrub) and another with clear water (to rinse) rather than continuously running the faucet.
• Use a broom instead of a garden hose to clean off your driveway or patio.
• Wash your car less often or at a carwash that recycles its water to save hundreds of gallons of water a year.
• Adjust or replace your lawn sprinklers with more targeted, rotating heads that limit overspray. And set up a drip irrigation system for trees and shrubs to see a significant reduction in your water use.
• Put your irrigation system on a timer and set it to run in the early morning to reduce evaporation.
• Buy and install small rainwater catchment systems from a home improvement or hardware store, which can be used for seasonal flower beds or hanging plants instead of using potable water.

With so many areas in the developing world so desperate for clean, healthy drinking water, and our costs continuing to rise, can we afford to take water for granted?

A: An insulating window consists of two panes of glass separated in the frame by about a half-inch of air space. The space acts as an insulator, repressing thermal transfer through the window. The insulation value can be increased by coating one or both panes of glass. It’s also possible to seal thicker air — like krypton or argon — in the airspace.

Energy efficiency plays a central role in building any new home and is an especially important design element in Magleby projects.

Windows, doors and skylights impact a home’s ability to conserve energy, reduce moisture intrusion and keep utility costs low. Like the vent pipes in a roof, they are penetrations in the home’s structural envelope.

Today’s windows and doors enhance a home’s energy performance. Windows and glass doors are now insulated in both their frame and glass design. High-tech window construction and specially treated glass can reduce glare, minimize unwanted solar heat and prevent damaging ultraviolet radiation. Windows and skylights can also increase passive solar heating, reducing the amount of energy needed by the furnace.

Energy-conscious home owners can choose from among a variety of options to match windows and doors to their climate conditions. In addition, we can help an owner select windows and doors that work best depending on which side of the house they will be installed. This optimizes the home’s overall thermal performance. For example, south and west-facing windows can let in more solar energy than north and east-facing windows.

In addition to selecting the best products to meet our clients’ needs and budget, we partner with knowledgeable suppliers and trained trade contractors. They ensure a high quality installation that meet our strict building standards.

Windows, doors and skylights play an important role in appearance and overall performance. They are critical elements that help reduce a home’s energy use while increasing indoor comfort and air quality.

A: Unlike a traditional water heater with a storage tank, a tankless unit operates only when hot water is needed. Let’s say you turn on your tub, shower, or other hot-water-using appliance or fixture. Demand for the hot water triggers the heater to fire its gas/propane burner or electric coils to heat water as it traves through coils.

Without a tank, the unit rarely runs out of hot water and there’s zero recovery time like with a tank unit.

Looking to build or remodel a home in Utah that’s not only built to the highest standards but is also environmentally friendly?

Questar Gas named Magleby Construction its Platinum ThermWise® Builder of the Year for the company’s commitment to constructing high-quality, energy efficient homes.

Other qualifications for this prestigious award included:

• Participation in trainings, partnerships with trade allies and oversight of sub-contractors
• Training of sales staff on ThermWise® and/or ENERGY STAR® and development of internal systems that encourage integration of benefits and features into the sales process
• Examples of going above and beyond the basic ENERGY STAR requirements

Building a green dream home in Utah? Magleby gets green better than any other builder in the state.

Learn more about Questar’s ThermWise® energy-saving program.

Let Magleby Construction reduce the amount of natural resources required to build your home and then lessen the amount of energy used by your home.

For more than three decades Magleby has incorporated whole home, eco-savvy practices into its ClearBuild™ processes.

Not only is Magleby Green Build Certified by the National Association of Homebuilders, but the company also built Utah’s first home certified to the new National Green Building Standard.