If you have questions on any terms not listed, please contact us.

Passive solar technologies are a means of using sunlight for useful energy without use of active mechanical systems (as contrasted to active solar). Such technologies convert sunlight into usable heat (water, air, thermal mass), cause air-movement for ventilating, or store heat for future use, with little use of other energy sources.

Active solar technologies are employed to convert solar energy into usable heat, cause air-movement for ventilation or cooling, or store heat for future use. Active solar uses electrical or mechanical equipment, such as pumps and fans, to increase the usable heat in a system.

Mortar A mixture of sand, water, lime and cement used to lay bricks, stone, tile or concrete block.

Rafters The wooden structural support beams for a roof, sometimes visible on the exterior for certain building types and styles.

Masonry A type of construction using stone, brick, tile or concrete block joined together with mortar.

A load-bearing wall or bearing wall, is one in which a wall of a structure bears the weight and force resting upon it, conducting the vertical load from the upper structure to the foundation.

Drywall is a common manufactured building material used globally for the finish construction of interior walls and ceilings.

Greywater, also known as sullage, which is non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes such as dishwashing, laundry and bathing. Greywater comprises 50-80% of residential wastewater. Greywater comprises wastewater generated from all of the house's sanitation equipment except for the toilets (water from toilets being blackwater).

Building commissioning is the process of ensuring, in new construction, that all the subsystems for HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Fire/Life safety, and Building Security are operating as intended by the building owner and as designed by the building architects and engineers. Building commissioning is a quality assurance process for the complexity of modern construction projects.

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a combination of ailments (a syndrome) associated with an individual's place of work (office building) or residence. A 1984 World Health Organization report on the syndrome suggested up to 30% of new and remodelled buildings worldwide may be linked to symptoms of SBS. Most of the sick building syndrome is related to poor indoor air quality.

Clerestory
The part of a building rising above the roofs or other parts, whose walls contain windows specifically intended to provide lighting to the interior.

Greenhouse gases (GHG)
Some Greenhouse Gases (or GHG) occur naturally in the atmosphere, while others result from human activities. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Certain human activities, however, add to the levels of most of these naturally occurring gases.

I joists
A manufactured wood product so named because its section looks like an upper case I. The top and bottom chord are lumber or laminated wood, and the vertical web is plywood or oriented strand board.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a term referring to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

Oriented strand board, or OSB, or waferboard, is an engineered wood product formed by layering strands (flakes) of wood in specific orientations. In appearance it may have a rough and variegated surface with the individual strips (around 2.5 by 15 cm (approx. 1 in. by 6 in.) each) lying unevenly across each other.

Photovoltaics (PV) is the field of technology and research related to the application of solar cells for energy by converting sunlight directly into electricity.

Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat—which are renewable (naturally replenished).

The R value or R-value is a measure of thermal resistance used in the building and construction industry. The bigger the number, the better the building insulation's effectiveness.