Spec House For Sale!

We are very excited to say that our Spec Home is fully designed and we have the location for the build.  If you or someone you know is interested in learning more please visit our website for more information or contact us with questions. 

Here are the designs to peek your interest a little more!

Safe Carpet Removal...

Recommended Reading

One of our main goals in having this blog is to give you, the reader, educated materials to be able to make the changes you desire to make. Whether that be to remodel your home to make it more energy efficient, to change your cleaning practices to improve the health of your home for your children or simply to live a life that is thinking about the generations to come by preserving the planet today, we want to pass along to you tools that we have found helpful in that process.

Each month we will be recommending a few books from the resource library in our home. If you have questions or comments please feel free to leave them here or send them straight to info@greenovationbuilders.com . We'd love to hear from you and about any resources that have been helpful in your life thus far.

Growing up Green! by Deirdre Imus

Go Green: How to build an Earth-friendly community by: Nancy H. Taylor

Green up your Cleanup by Jill Potvin Schoff

Little House on a Small Planet by Shay Salomon

Tankless Water Heaters

If you are like me, the first time you ever heard the term "tankless water heater", you wondered how one acutally works. Today I would like to share some information on the way a tankless water heater operates and the benefits to using one.

I am going to do my best to explain the parts and pieces of the tankless heater in layman's terms. Its not as complicated as you may think.

When you turn on the hot water at your shower, a water-flow sensor triggers the heating sequence. The first part of the heating sequence is a small fan, or combustion fan, which forces air into the burner from outside. (Think of the burner on your gas stove.)

The igniter then sparks and tells the modulating gas valve to supply gas to the burner. Once the flame has been created the valve will shut, based on the amount of heat required.

Next, the cold water passes through a circular copper heat exchanger many times, (copper pipes that have heated forced air surrounding them), until the water has gained heat from the copper tubing.

A plus to the system: metal fins in the heat exchanger help to concentrate hot air around the pipes, decreasing the time it takes the burner to heat up the water. After this, the hot water leaves the heat exchanger at heat levels of 140 degrees F or more. It is then introduced to cold water at the thermostat. The hot water and cold water mix to give you the desired temperature, and presto! you have hot water at your shower.

Tankless water heaters heat only the water you need, and only heat it when you need it. Brilliant! By heating your water in this way, manufacturers of tankless water heaters say that there is a 30% savings in water-heating cost and a 50% decrease in the energy consumption.

Tankless water heaters are fairly new to the home building industry, but even if you're not building a new home soon, don't eliminate the possibility of getting one.

Retrofitting a tankless water heater, in many cases, requires little heavy construction. Considering the monthly savings on a tankless water heater, the cost of a retrofit is minimal, especially if it is time for you to change out your old water heater anyway. Plus, you must consider the lifetime savings of such a piece of equipment.

And, through 2010, you can take advantage of tax credits available for energy-efficient changes to your home.

I hope that you can step away from this article with a better understanding on the ins and outs of a tankless water heater. If you have any questions regarding green home building don’t hesitate to contat Greenovation Builders.

BY JACOB TANKERSLEY

(Reference: Fine Homebuilding Magazine)

What's Happening in Your Home?

Stop for a moment. Think about the place you live in right now.

The average American spends 14 hours out of everyday within their home. What are you encountering while you are there?

What is covering your floors? What kind of paints are on your walls? What cleaning products are you currently using?

Are your windows old and drafty? Do you have curtains or blinds hanging up?

What material is your home or living space insulated with? How efficient are your appliances at doing their specific job?

Do you spray your home for bugs? Do you treat your lawn, shrubs, or other plants?

Have you bought a new mattress or new furniture over the past year? What types of toiletry products do you have sitting inside your cabinets and use on your body on a daily basis?

Over time, we will discuss all of the topics mentioned above within our Greenovation Builders blog, as we feel they are imperative to learning more on how to create and maintain a green home.

BY HEIDI TANKERSLEY

Welcome!

Welcome to the Greenovation Builders Blog!

This day has been 30 years in the making. I have always known this day would come and after graduating college with a Bachelors in Construction Management, as well as working in Northwest Arkansas for the past eight years, I have gained key understanding and experience needed to be the builder I am today. My true passion is leaving a lasting legacy for not just my generation, but for many generations to follow and the way I have found to do this is by building sustainable, energy-efficient, healthy homes. This is where my my passion comes together with my experience and training.

My wife and I are very excited about the future of Greenovation Builders and the impact this company will have on Northwest Arkansas and the surrounding area. We believe that 'green' is more than a fad, but a shift in the way we live and think. It is bigger than just one company. It will take us all linking together to make this shift! It will take more than we alone have to give and will be rewarding in ways that we may never see, but we believe it is our responsibility to educate the public.

So check out our website and send us your feedback and be sure to stay up-to-date by following us on facebook, twitter, linkedIn and of course right here on our blog.

Thanks for linking with us!

Jacob Tankersley

Greenovation Builders builds green homes that save our customers money, increase their health, and embody their natural lifestyle, all while preserving the planet.