Tips for choosing energy efficient materials for your home
There has been a remarkable upsurge in the projects aspiring for green rating as a quantifiable measure of their environmental performance. Energy efficient materials and products play a vital role in attaining sustainability in a building. These products and materials provide a better alternative to the conventional materials known to be detrimental to the environment and harmful for the health and wellbeing of the occupants of the building. These alternate materials are less detrimental and less harmful to the environment due to a variety of unconventional approaches. Some common strategies for making green building materials include reduction in the embodied energy, use of rapidly renewable products like bamboo, use of local materials and technologies, reducing the use of resources and maximizing the use of recycled or waste content etc.
Amplified demand of green buildings and increased consciousness among the user group, has contributed to an ever growing market for these green products. Architects and consultants are looking for options of materials which can meet the technical specifications of being green and are aesthetically pleasing at the same time. The manufacturers in the meantime are trying to capture this niche market. As a result, market is flooded with a range of products claiming to be green. However, large number of building professionals and users are uncertain about the credibility of their claims.
With Diwali round the corner, all the Indian households shall be gearing up for the festival and painting the house forms integral part of Diwali preparation. At this time, choosing a product as simple as a wall paint can be a tedious as well as puzzling exercise for a lesser aware owner. For interior, a well aware owner will consciously opt for paints with low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) content since he knows about the adverse effects of VOCs on human health like potential cause for breathing ailments and causing irritation of eyes etc. Apart from VOCs, one should also check that the paint does not contain any hazardous raw material like lead, heavy metals, APEO (Alkylphenol Ethoxylates) and other toxic substance. There are many local commonly available cheaper solutions as well which do not contain any VOC like lime distemper and lime stone (safedi), which may be easily opted for lower budget projects.
For exterior paints, heat reflective paints are good choice to reduce heat island effect on urban scale and reduce indoor temperature for better comfort of occupants. Choice of colour too has a significant impact on reducing indoor temperature by the amount of heat reflected from the surfaces like roof tops, which are most exposed to direct solar radiation. Studies conducted by The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) along with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi show that white roofs reduce air-conditioning costs by 20 percent or more in hot, sunny weather by keeping indoor temperature lower by up to 10 degrees. Lower energy consumption in turn leads to reduced carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming. There are many companies manufacturing ecofriendly products, but having said this, unfortunately the buyer group is lesser aware regarding which specifications should be checked and how.
On demand from the construction industry and to bridge this gap, GRIHA has taken an initiative of developing an online product catalogue with the intent creating a pool of readily referable green construction products for building designers. A variety of products are listed on GRIHA product page under the relevant subheads. Catalogue categories are developed to cater to all the fields like construction materials (reuse/ recycle content), water management with the help of low flow fixtures and efficient irrigation systems, energy efficiency with efficient light fixtures and low transmittance glass, internal and external finishes for health and wellbeing of the occupants etc. Further research work is in progress to enhance and populate the directory and for inclusion of technical systems like STP and HVAC as well.
GRIHA evaluates these products for compliance with GRIHA parameters on the basis of third party reports submitted by the manufacturer. Only if the product meets requisite standards, is it endorsed in the online catalogue. Right now there are around 70 products listed on the online catalogue and many are under assessment process. Many reputed brands have associated themselves with GRIHA and are showcasing their products on GRIHA catalogue. As quoted by a leading brand of manufacturer of green tiles-
‘Associating with GRIHA has increased our credibility with customer group and in turn has helped us grow business.’
In this transition period where to develop green products is becoming a pursuit of leading companies in country but there is lack of knowledge and direction in the building sector to absorb this switch, evolving platform like GRIHA product catalogue will guide the user group towards a greener choice.
