Peter's Tips

• Building Green is about building well. Choose materials that will improve with age, such as metal, concrete, and stucco.
• Go up. Raising ceilings can really affect your cooling costs. Taller, more open spaces just stay cooler.
• Cross ventilation is a simple way to improve natural airflow in your home. By lining up the exterior windows and doors with the doors of the interior, breezes pass straight through the house.
• Be aware of local conditions--prevailing breezes, variations of the sun angle, the types of native vegetation--and take advantage of those.