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BiltBest and Green Building

 

Why Build Green?

In the United States, buildings account for:

39 % of total energy use
12 % of the total water consumption
68 % of total electricity consumption
38 % of the carbon dioxide emissions
(Source:http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/whybuild.htm)

"Green building" has become quite a buzzword over the last 10 years. For BiltBest, green building principles have been deeply rooted in our American work ethic and reverence for the beauty of nature deeply imbedded in the soul of BiltBest since its founding.

BiltBest was originally founded to build homes. In 1950, with the outbreak of war in Korea, our mission changed to assist in the war effort. Memories of the sacrfices required of all Americans during World War II drove our focus to conserve and maximize resources and embed that philosophy into our corporate mission. Everyone in that war, conserved everything they could to sustain life here at home and to contribute to the needs of our military. Everything we did, had to consider the full, efficient, sustainable use of the resources available to us. It is no different today. Across the realm of our business processes, we strive to reduce waste, recycle what waste we cannot eliminate and look for new methods of producing our windows and patio doors with as minimal an impact on the enviroment as possible.

 

What is Green Building?

In its most recent genesis, "green building", (see here for a timeline) grew out of a desire to avoid incorporating sources of noxious chemicals into building environments that could adversly affect the health of the occupants. Today it has grown into a holistic approach to design and construction, to produce structures that provide the smallest carbon footprint and promote the health and well being of the occupants over the useful life of the building.

The windows and doors are the key barrier to the infiltration/exfiltration of cold air into and out of the building. As such, the selection of optimally performing windows and doors are critical to determining the total energy used to heat and cool that building and thus a key fulcrum around which to design the structure.

Glazing Systems

The glazing in your house can be the largest source of heat loss in your house if you do not select a system that minimizes or maximizes heat loss or heat gain based on the Energy Star Zone in which you live. In extreme northern locales, you want to maximize the amount of heat gain that comes through the glass in order to reduce the amount of carbon fuels you will have to expend in order to heat the home.

In the extreme southern climes, you need to minimize the amount of heat gain through the glass to reduce the amount of carbon fuels you need to expend to cool the home, it is all a matter of locale. Selecting the right glazing system is easy with the right tool. Select the right efficient window system for your house.

Our Carbon Footprint

BiltBest products, by incorporating the most efficient glazing systems available from our partner, Cardinal Insulating Glass Corporation, contribute to the reduction of consumption of fossil fuels for heating and cooling purposes. Our Green Smart™ glazing, provides the most energy efficient (SHGC: 0.27 / U-FACTOR: 0.24 / TDW: 0.43 / LIGHT TRANS: 66% ), color neutral, high visible light transmission glazing available today, all specifically designed to support green building objectives. Our other glazing systems, provide a complete range of performance to meet Energy Star qualification for all of the Energy Star zones in the United States. What we build reduces our carbon footprint to a negligible impact and we are striving to make it zero or even negative. These efficient glazing systems, coupled with diligent engineering to minimize air infiltration provides a broad range or windows and doors that are Energy Star qualified.

We utilize efficient lighting systems in the plant, we source components and services from companies and services that are either close to us or produce in such an efficient manner as to offset the costs of transportation all designed to support green building, It only makes good business sense to do so.

Wood and aluminum-clad wood windows represent one of the most efficient uses of natural resources in the industrial world. Today, the United States has more acres in planted forests than existed over 100 year ago, before the industrial revolution. That is because we have found wood to be such a useful, low-cost resource. The wood windows and doors that we make can also be recycled at the end of their useful life (in 50 years or so) back into products that will benefit the lives of our children and grandchildren, while enhancing our own lives now. Our wood supplier, Woodgrain Millwork, Inc. utilizes computer controlled optimizing saws to reduce waste to near zero and has several other initiatives in support of "green building". What waste is left is recycled into other wood products. Woodgrain also uses FSC or SFI certified "sustainably managed" lumber in its mills.

Wood, one of the largest natural carbon sinks in the world, sequesters carbon dioxide. The efficient cutting, replanting and manufacture of wood into long lasting products expands the wood carbon sink and further reduces the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment.

Similarly, aluminum is so ubiquitous in the environment that we have maximized the efficient use of this resource to the point that 2/3rds of all aluminum ever mined on the planet is still in use today. It is the most recycled resource on the planet.

Almost the entire spectrum of materials that we use can be recycled or made from managed, renewable resorces. Additionally, we recycle tons of aluminum monthly and carry these practices across the shipping and packaging materials we consume as well. The wood waste we generate is recycled into other products such as pellets for wood stoves or bedding for livestock. We are located centrally in the U.S. to reduce our energy expended in transporting to our markets.

BiltBest extends our stewardship for the environment across all our processes. We have converted our preservative treatment of wood to a more friendly waterborne preservative to eliminate VOC's. For exterior finishes on our aluminum, we utilize primarily powder coat finishes that eliminate virtually all of the VOC's associated with paint products while providing a more durable, beautiful finish than a wetspray paint. We are working towards eliminating all solvent based finishes. All of the interior finishes that we use are acrylic based paints that again, minimize the release of VOC's. This means cleaner air for all of us and lower costs for you. Truly a win/win situation.

As Americans, we have always had as our heritage a deep respect for the land and the efficient use of our resources. This is only more important as we move forward into a future that is as full of opportunity as it is challenges. We embrace this responsibility avidly.

As the imperative grows to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels, BiltBest stands at the forefront, building attractive, energy efficient wood windows and doors from sustainable resources that minimize or eliminate pollution and waste. Our concern begins as mothers and fathers and extends to all of our neighbors.

Your Energy Usage

Today, only some 58% (Source, http://www.cardinalcorp.com/application/facts.htm) of windows sold to Builders in the U.S. have high performance glazing systems because they are not mandated by code. The fact is that putting the right glass in your home (based on your Energy Star Zone), can have a tremendous impact on your energy usage and the amount of greenhouse gases your home will generate as a result of the energy required to heat and cool your home. Green building requires a focus to ensure the right choices derive the greatest benefit to resource expenditure.

Most importantly, this increase in efficiency only costs an average of $ 15.00 per window. The payback period is so short, it should not even be a consideration. If you would like to see for yourself, what your home's estimated savings would be using the best glazing system for your location, go to the Cardinal Energy Usage calculator. For a detailed explanation of glazing systems, see the Efficient Window Collaborative here.

Thank you for your interest in BiltBest Products.

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