Posts Tagged 'green building materials'

Tax Incentive To Build Green

green building tax incentive helps put money back in your pocket

Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction puts money back in your pocket.

Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction

Have you taken advantage of the green building incentive yet? The Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction is set to expire on December 31, 2013. The program affords building owners deductions on qualifying energy-efficient upgrades done within the last six years. Real estate advocates are in the process of lobbying Congress to extend or expand the program. Read more about the green building incentive in this article by Bendix Anderson, NuWire Investor.

Have these deductions changed the way you or your clients plan buildings?

Real Benefits of Building “Green”

Over the past decade, we’ve seen some interesting developments in the building industry. One trend coming up steadily is “green” building. With a more health conscious society, making buildings with eco-friendly materials that are made for sustainability is becoming more widely accepted and encouraged. At first, it was a more expensive process than conventional non-green building, however, today the monetary playing field is beginning to level out somewhat.

By starting with a green thought process, the planning and design of the project can be tailored to include more efficient and environmentally friendly materials. There is more flexibility in purchasing green materials from vendors that have expanded their stock and adjusted pricing in order to offer these supplies more widely and readily.

Construction worker using green building materials

National Lumber offers a variety of green building materials for customers. Boise, Benjamin Moore, Centurion, Claymark and Guardian are some our featured product lines.

Builders, designers and consumers all have opportunities to benefit from this way of building and living. In an article on curbed.com, different costs are evaluated and broken out visually to show the real savings that can be obtained by careful planning at the beginning of a building project.  Builders and developers may see the value in these buildings more quickly because these buildings usually command, and receive, a higher selling price. Owners of a green building will see savings on energy costs and tenants will feel happier and healthier knowing their space is good for, not only their environment; it’s good for their own health, as well.

We have taken a meaningful approach to implementing and practicing green methods in our own work environment by installing energy efficient lighting and converting office functions to paperless wherever possible. Read more about the green methods we utilize and materials we supply.

Do you use “green” elements in your building projects currently? Are customers requesting you to use green elements in their projects? Have you seen cost savings firsthand?

National Lumber

Boise Cascade’s New FSC-Certified Green Product Line

Boise-Cascade Product Line

Boise Cascade has announced availability of FSC® Chain-of-Custody (COC) certified Engineered Wood Products throughout North America. In the New England region, National Lumber’s Engineering Division is proud to provide FSC® COC certified Boise Cascade products. As an FSC® certified lumberyard (SCS-COC-001147), National Lumber now has the following products available for order:

The availability of FSC® COC certified Boise Cascade Engineered Wood Products means these products can now help builders achieve LEED® points under U.S. Green Building Council® residential and commercial green building programs including LEED for Homes and LEED for New Construction.

Learn more about the Boise-Cascade product line on National Lumber’s eShowroom.

National Lumber Engineering Division
www.national-lumber.com/engineering

Green Building LEEDs the Way

Many builders are still trying to get their heads around the relatively new certification program known as LEED. There seems to be so much involved, without a huge amount of payback to them. Of course, the overall ownership costs do end up being lower, especially in energy cost savings. However, there are other advantages to building to LEED certification standards besides selling the energy savings, including greater quality construction, increased comfort, and fewer callbacks for construction issues. Because of these benefits, contractors that build such buildings actually have increased customer satisfaction, an increased referral rate and higher sale values. Overall, since green building is growing in popularity among home buyers, building green also means more sales and more profit.

LEED does have a lot of steps and prerequisites, but the U.S. Green Building Council website outlines everything you need to know on their website (www.usgbc.org) and there are plenty of tools and resources on the Web to help. National Lumber also has many of the green building materials and supplies you’ll need for your projects to reach LEED certification status: insulation, doors & windows, FSC-certified and engineered lumber, and drywall, as well as expert engineering and design services to make sure you are building the best-performing building that you can.

Being Green Begins With the Three “R’s”

As an FSC certified lumberyard, National Lumber is a leader in the green building materials industry. However, while green materials are a hot market right now, being built into a large percentage of new homes, the three “R’s” are as important as ever: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

While we are creating new materials that last longer and are made with significant amounts of pre-consumer recycled material, it is especially important that in our own lives that we strive to reduce waste, reuse whatever we can, and recycle whatever we can. Rather than buy new, whenever possible repair things that you have already. Buy locally whenever possible, since it reduces fuel and shipping costs. Our habits can be just as beneficial to the environment as new materials can be. Every little thing we do to be less wasteful and as efficient as possible will help.

The National Lumber website has a bevy of green information, including our specific green initiatives, our green manufacturing processes and operating methods. Our kitchen design division, Kitchen Views, has several green cabinetry lines and countertop materials, as well. With all these green initiatives, National Lumber is your New England source for green practices and building materials.

National Lumber Partnership for Green Initiatives
www.national-lumber.com/green


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