"Energy Star," a joint effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helps Americans save electricity. Since 2006, Americans have avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 25 million cars and saved consumers $14 billion on their utility bills.
It is always necessary to define your work. Most often, as the State Historic Preservation Office, we are dealing with the "rehabilitation" of historic properties rather than their restoration, preservation, conservation or remodeling. The follow terms are defined under the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
Rehabilitation is the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.
Preservation is the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property. Work, including preliminary measures to protect and stabilize the property, generally focuses upon the ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials and features rather than extensive replacement and new construction. New exterior additions are not within the scope of this treatment; however, the limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a preservation project.
Restoration is the act or process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period. The limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a restoration project.
Reconstruction is s the act or process of depicting, by means of new construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic location.
Do you spackle? Can you define LEED? What is an "R" rating? Follow the links on this page to become linguistically literate in preservation lingo.