Colorado legislation has approved several laws which force construction companies to comply with various environmentally sound building techniques. Therefore, Denver area new homes are part of some of the most progressive, green-oriented buildings being built, nationwide.

One of the multiple features currently offered in Denver area new homes is that of the thermal envelope.

The term "thermal envelope", describes a situation where the building itself acts as a protective shield preventing the elements from entering the home. On the same token, this thermal envelope prevents the inside heat/cool air from seeping out of the building. "The building envelope is the interface between the interior of a building and the outdoor environment. In most buildings, the envelope - along with the outdoor weather - is the primary determinant of the amount of energy used to heat, cool and ventilate. A more energy-efficient envelope means lower energy use in a building and lower greenhouse emissions." (www. climatetechnology.gov)

(Photo courtesy of Terrible_Swede, Flickr.)

The effectiveness of the thermal envelope is dependant, primarily, on the types of insulation used in the walls, ceiling and floor throughout the entire home, as well as the degree of insulation provided by windows and doors.

Denver new homes are also dependant on other factors - " the rate of exchange of inside and outside air, which in turn depends on the air-tightness of the envelope and driving forces such as wind, inside-outside temperature differences and air pressure differences due to mechanical ventilation systems or warm/cool air distribution." (www.ipcc.ch)

In order to achieve an almost total and effective thermal envelope effect, the type of insulation used in new homes in Denver is most important. Also of great importance, is where the insulation is placed.

Innovative technology which includes formula foams and vacuum panels are used as a method of "superinsulation". "Vacuum powder-filled, gas-filled and vacuum fiber-filled panels; structurally reinforced beaded vacuum panels; and switchable evacuated panels with insulating values more than four times those of the best currently available materials should soon be available for niche markets." (www.climatetechnology.gov)

As with insulation the technology involved in the manufacture of windows and doors has also evolved.

Protective window technology includes "Krypton-filled, triple glazed, low-E windows; electrochromic glazing; and hybrid electrochromic/photovoltaic film." (www.climatetechnology.com)

(Photo courtesy of sgbraudis Samuel Braudis, Flickr.)

Currently, there is a trend of painting roofs white to reduce urban heat. "White roofs could reflect some of that heat back to space and cool roof temperatures as white surfaces reflect most of the light that hits them. White roofs can also cool temperatures inside buildings, which could change the amount of energy used for space heating and air conditioning. This in turn could affect the consumption of fossil fuels, which generate many of the greenhouse gases potentially responsible for the Earth's warming. Depending on whether air conditioning or heating is affected more (as you might have to turn up the thermostat due to cooling temperatures), this effect could either magnify or partially offset the impact of the roof." (www.msnbc.msn.com) Roof gardens are also another option which is becoming very popular for off-setting urban heat.

For the outside portion of the building, your Denver new home may be using a brand new product called "Ceramic Insulcoat". "It's a coating for the substrate (surface) of buildings that keeps it cool in the summer, warm in the winter, allows moisture to escape, protects against the elements, last many times longer than paint and is completely environmentally friendly... The product is described as a high-build, high-performance architectural coating that goes on any substrate whether it's wood, stucco, cement, concrete, brick or metal. It's used on condo towers, schools, residential homes - any building at all." (www.entechcoatings.com)

Another outer coating which Denver area new homes may use in order to improve the thermal envelope of the building is paint. The people that bring you "Ceramic Insulcoat", have also developed a special paint - "Try to imagine a paint that acts like a skin. It is a breathable, waterproof, thermal barrier that covers the existing finish with an invisible acrylic seal. Entech Coatings claims that their water -based paint flexes with a homes natural expansions and contractions, so the existing finish lasts longer. It also resists fungus, corrosion, weathering and fading.It reflects solar energy away from the home, so a smaller amount is able to penetrate the insulation to raise temperatures inside the home." (www.entechcoatings.com)

It has been proven that new homes in Denver area which possess superior thermal envelope capabilities lower heating requirements and, therefore, save you money in both the short and the long run.

• "Improvements in the thermal envelope can reduce heating requirements by a factor of two to four compared to standard practice, at a few percent of the total cost of residential buildings, and at little to no net incremental cost in commercial buildings when downsizing of heating and cooling systems is accounted for (Demirbilek et al., 2000; Hamada et al., 2003; Hastings, 2004).
• A number of advanced houses have been built in various cold-climate countries around the world that use as little as 10% of the heating energy of houses built according to the local national building code (Badescu and Sicre, 2003; Hamada et al., 2003; Hastings, 2004).
• Reducing the envelope and air exchange heat loss by a factor of two reduces the heating requirement by more than a factor of two because of solar gains and internal heat gains from equipment, occupants and lighting.
• In countries with mild winters but still requiring heating (including many developing countries), modest (and therefore less costly) amounts of insulation can readily reduce heating requirements by a factor of two or more, as well as substantially reducing indoor summer temperatures, thereby improving comfort (in the absence of air conditioning) or reducing summer cooling energy use (Taylor et al., 2000; Florides et al., 2002; Safarzadeh and Bahadori, 2005)." (www.ipcc.ch)