August - International Institute for Building Biology and Ecology

EcoDwell August 2010
Green Building for Health
by Alex Stadtner, BBEC
If you ask most
green building
consultants about
their top priority,
energy efficiency
typically rolls off
their tongue like
oil over a
wetland. Sadly, many people buy
simple energy efficiency measures at
the expense of their own health, and
as their energy bills decrease their
medical bills skyrocket because of
exposure to mold and other harmful
indoor pollutants. The green building
movement must learn to reach their
energy efficiency goals without compromising
occupant health.
American buildings gobble up
approximately 70% of our total
electricity pie, and spit out roughly
39% of our CO2 emissions – so
energy efficiency is a no joke priority.
Our buildings need a serious diet and
lifestyle change.
When people need to make such an
extreme change they are encouraged
to see a physician. But when
buildings are expected to change
dramatically more people are
comfortable hiring Bubba (sorry, I’m
from Austin) and expecting lower
utility bills without any negative side
effects. It’s like asking America’s
Biggest Loser to go on a Gandhi-style
hunger strike. . . and then being
surprised when he dies of starvation.
Energy efficiency is critically important,
but must be done responsibly
and with proper supervision.
Space heating and cooling take up the
biggest chunks of our energy pie, so
here are two examples that painfully
illustrate my point. Ask Bubba, “what
can I do to green my house?” “Air
sealing!” he exclaims without pause.
Bubba is part of the “cash-forcaulkers”
program and he knows that
it’s crazy to condition (heat or cool)
air and then let it escape the building
through small holes and cracks. He
proceeds to seal every nook and
cranny in sight, and soon enough the
home is sealed like a zip-lock bag.
The owner notices energy bills begin
to drop… but wait… over winter a
strange musty odor develops and
green (for literary sake) spots appear
on some windowsills and walls. This
never happened before. Little Suzy
starts wheezing at night and is
eventually diagnosed with asthma,
and Junior gets a strange ear infection
that just won’t quit. It’s not a
coincidence. Bubba’s air sealing
regimen unintentionally created a
perfect habitat for mold growth.
How’s that for green building?
A second family wanting lower
energy bills decides to go with a
fancier company that performs
building diagnostics. The contractor
shows up with a “blower door” that
quantifies the amount of air leakage in
the home. He closes all windows and
covers the vents and puts a powerful
fan in the door. The fan sucks an
enormous amount of air from cracks
and holes in the building, pulling air
through crawlspaces, attics, and wall
cavities, and ultimately into the home.
The building becomes a big vacuum,
and microscopic mold spores,
asbestos fibers, or other nasty
particulates that were once behind
walls are pulled into the occupied
portion of the home. Little Suzy or
Junior may wind up in the hospital
with an asthma attack.
We routinely recommend air sealing
and blower door testing as tools in
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retrofitting existing buildings for
energy efficiency and improved
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). But they
must be used responsibly.
Buildings, like people, are complex
organisms that require wholesystems
solutions and not simple
one-stop-solutions.
Don’t grow a green building
without good indoor air quality.
Energy efficiency is one of many
priorities for our built environment,
but occupant health must remain
priority numero uno. As a reminder
to contractors pushing e-efficiency
over all else, I like to quote the antismoking
motto, “when you can’t
breathe, nothing else matters.”
(period)
Alex Stadtner is a Healthy Homes
Specialist and certified Building
Biology Environmental Consultant,
headquartered in the San Francisco
Bay Area. Stadtner founded Healthy
Building Inspections LLC, which
offers green building consulting and
environmental testing services to
help families create healthier
habitats. He is an accomplished
presenter and public speaker, a
certified LEED-AP, and the coauthor
of "Free & Easy Ways to
Protect Your Family". Please visit
his website for more information
and a comprehensive list of expert
Building Biology resources.
Please submit articles to be
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