SILVERSTEIN CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION - Key Persons
(As quoted by Meredith Barkley, staff writer for the Greensboro News and Record in its January 7, 2001 article titled, "Energy Efficient."
(As quoted by Meredith Barkley, staff writer for the Greensboro News and Record in its April 4, 1999 article titled, "The Natural Look."
So how does a builder construct attractive, quality homes, and still remain "good stewards of the environment?" By using proven energy-saving practices, and paying attention to details. Silverstein Construction uses Green Building practices in the construction of the homes in Sanford's Creek. All of the homes are also built to the specifications of the EPA's Energy Star Home Program.
Energy Efficiency: Every home in the Sanford's Creek subdivision will be tested for the EPA's Energy Star Home Rating and consistently receive the highest 5+ rating. An Energy Star Rating certifies that the home's heating, cooling, and water heater systems are at least 15% more energy efficient than comparable built-to-code homes. The test results verify that houses built by Silverstein Construction are built to be 43% more energy efficient than built-to-code homes. Silverstein Construction uses several practices to achieve this energy efficient rating. Preservation of mature shade trees reduces summertime cooling costs. All exterior bottom plates as well as penetrations to the attic and crawl spaces are caulked. Duct tests are performed to check for energy-wasting leaks. Compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs are used wherever possible because they require less energy than incandescent bulbs.
Increased Comfort and Improved Indoor Air Quality: The air quality and comfort level of a Sanford's Creek home exceeds that of homes not built to Energy Star specifications. Because of the tight construction which eliminates drafts, homeowners can easily maintain the optimum temperature throughout the house. The tight construction and sealed ductwork also provide improved ventilation while blocking the entry of airborne pollutants, reducing the homeowners' exposure to respiratory irritants. With all homes, strong health considerations must be given to controlling healthy air quality with the reduction and elimination of harmful off-gassing and VOC's. Products such as paint, varnish, carpet, plastics, plywood, and other composite materials often contain VOC's (volatile organic compounds) which are at the highest levels when first installed, but off-gassing can continue for years. These emissions can be significantly reduced in the first 72 hours through the use of proper ventilation techniques, and with the consideration to use low to no-VOC products available today, and certified through the EPA and CRI. More detail on this topic can be found in Gary Silverstein's published article, "Take Care With Fume Emissions" or by discussing your interests in a significantly healthier home with Gary directly.
Job Titles:
- Staff Writer for the Greensboro News
"Whether embarking on building a new home or remodeling project, keep "green" practices as a central point in the development of a cohesive plan. With this focus, your home can be a beautiful, comfortable, and healthy dwelling that will reflect the value you place upon our shared environment. (Good Planning Makes for a Successful Project, Special to the Greensboro News & Record, July 10, 2011 by Gary Silverstein)
A previous article in the Greensboro News & Record, June 15, 2008 cites Silverstein Construction in "What It Means to Build Green" as the experts, since Silverstein Construction has been committed to 100% Certified Energy Star construction since 1999, and had been independently implementing environmental building practice since entering the profession.
"We're promoting energy efficiency and environmental responsiblity.
It takes everyone doing whatever they can to help.
The environment is our greater home, and we need to be responsible to it."