Step 1: Create a tight thermal envelope. The envelope consists of the walls, roof, foundation, insulation, and penetrations such as windows and skylights. Proper insulation is essential and eliminating drafts and currents is a big factor. That is why we use high-tech materials such as blown or sprayed-in insulation and why it is so important to caulk and seal around all windows and doors. Windows and skylights can be the biggest source of energy loss in the system. Proper placement and sizing prevents too much western heat gain and northern heat loss and facilitates good solar gain in winter.

Step 2: Use state-of-the-art mechanical systems. Domestic hot water and heating and cooling for temperature comfort use a tremendous amount of energy. There are now super-high-efficiency condensing boilers that capture almost all of the heat from the exhaust. Air conditioners are now rated for efficiency, the higher SEER number the better. These systems run 24/7 all year, so make sure they are optimally sized for the home.

Step 3: Use Energy Star appliances and lighting. Refrigerators and freezers are on all the time. Concentrated quantities of energy are consumed during cooking, washing and drying. Incandescent bulbs use a lot of energy for the amount of light they give off. Upgrading to compact fluorescent bulbs for lighting and using the most efficient technology for new appliances reduces consumption. Conservation is the cheapest improvement one can make.

Step 4: Install solar hot-water and photovoltaic panels. The only way to get to net-zero energy consumption and carbon-neutral for our buildings is with the use of these active systems. (See Ed Mazria's website, www.architecture2030.org.) While energy costs are rising, technological advances are improving these systems and bringing their costs down. Current and future tax credits, (at this time around $9,000) have greatly increased the viability of installing these systems.

Step 5: Have your building certified green. A HERS rating tells how efficient your home is to operate compared to a "standard" home built to the minimum code requirements. A home with a HERs rating of 70 is 30 percent more efficient to run than the "standard" home. LEED and Build Green New Mexico are two nationally recognized guidelines and include many other categories of green building. They include siting and planning in regard to the relationship to the sun and wind, and to the neighborhood. Water conservation includes water-saving appliances, water-catchment systems, graywater systems, and drip irrigation. Resource efficiency has to do with the amount of energy embodied in the materials used: how much energy is required to mine, manufacture, transport and use the building material. Indoor air quality is included in green building for the safety of the inhabitants. Many new building materials off-gas for a period of many months. Today's houses are built so tight that it is important to allow for fresh air or filtered air to be introduced into the indoor environment.

Together, certification and these other categories are a very large portion of green building. The energy-efficiency aspects of green building are easier to understand and more pressing to be fully integrated in the first part of the 21st century.

Kurt Faust is an artist, blacksmith, cabinetmaker, and homebuilder. He owns Tierra Concepts Inc. and Carpinteros with his two partners, Eric Faust and Keith Gorges. He may be reached at kurt@tierraconceptssantafe.com.

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