Excel's Built Green Homes: Technical Terms Uncovered

Sustainability & Wellness

This week, we uncover the real meaning behind the common “technical” terms you might come across when reading about the benefits of a Built Green Canada (BGC) home. Once these terms are clear, it’s much easier to understand the true health and financial benefits of a BGC home for you and your family.

  • VOC: This stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. Essentially, VOCs are chemical gases emitted into the air you breathe from a range of products such as paints and lacquers, carpets, cleaning supplies, building materials and furnishings. Some VOCs may have short and long-term adverse health effects. In a BGC home, we use low to zero VOC products to improve indoor air quality in the home. In turn, this reduces many of the immune or respiratory weaknesses symptoms for those affected by harmful air quality. Next week we discuss the health benefits further.
  • Formaldehyde products: Formaldehyde is a chemical used to manufacture building materials and many household products. In homes, the most significant sources of formaldehyde are likely to be pressed-wood products such as hardwood plywood wall paneling, fiberboard and furniture made with the formaldehyde resin. Obvious health effects often caused by this product include watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing when exposed at elevated levels. At Excel Homes, all our BGC homes are built using low to zero formaldehyde products, thus ensuring better indoor air quality.
  • Blower-door test: Prior to possession, all of Excel’s homes are giving a “blower-door” test. The purpose of this test is to ensure there is significantly less air leakage than a non-BGC home. This means you save energy (and money) because the warm air stays in and the cold air stays out (or vice versa).

Are there other BGC terms you’d like explained? Flick us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you a.s.a.p!