The Green Building Pyramid

The Green Building Pyramid^™, developed by Green Builder^® Media and modeled after the familiar food pyramid used for decades by the USDA, breaks down the complex choices facing builders and homeowners who want to improve the energy performance and resource efficiency of their homes but don’t know where to start. Shades of green are used to depict the impact of the options presented, from deep green representing high impact choices to light green representing options that can be added to a home once it has been constructed.

The Green Building Pyramid™ offers practical solutions, showing building professionals and consumers where it makes the most sense to spend money on upgrades or improvements for their homes. And the pyramid demonstrates that the most cost-effective choices are those made before the first bit of dirt is touched, including insulation choices.

Building insulation that delivers maximum performance and economic benefits is placed as a deep green feature on the pyramid because it is considered a high impact choice that contributes significantly to energy efficiency, resource efficiency, durability, and indoor air quality.  The choice of insulation can also affect the builder’s chances of acquiring the greatest number of points to help achieve a higher level of green certification for their projects.
 
Lighter green strategies, such as the use of products with rapidly-renewable content, maximize the point score; and, while fewer points are awarded at the top of the pyramid, these points can make all the difference in moving a home from Gold to Platinum certification.

Icynene survey: priorities for selecting insulation in line with pyramid hierarchy

According to a July 2008 NAHBRC builder panel survey commissioned by Icynene, custom builders are looking for a similar hierarchy of benefits from their insulation products. They identify performance/economic attributes of an insulation product to be their core purchase motivator while social/environmental benefits, such as renewable or recycled content, help tip the scale when selecting insulation. 

The results of the NAHBRC/Icynene survey are illustrated in a similar pyramid, demonstrating the most important attributes/benefits of an insulation product (shaded dark green) and those of lower importance for the builder (lighter green) but would help their homes to be more green and marketable. Moving up the pyramid with lighter shades of green, it’s clear that the performance/economic characteristics outweigh the social/environmental, but a product that possesses all of these is more likely to be selected.