Energy Star

The 'Sonoma House' is a gorgeous, barn-style, 1200sqft granny home with a modern interior that is healthier, more energy efficient, and better for the environement! Additional environmental products featured with the home are: reclaimed local wood installed for floors, PV solar system, rainwater catchment system, built in recycling system, ICF foundation forms, smart vents, cool metal roof (as seen in example photo), lime plaster, and more! In 2002, Nichoel Farris founded American Home Sales, a local prefab home design company specializing in factory built custom homes and cottages. Because of the lack of affordable green building options available to the average family, she worked with the EPA's Energy Star New Homes program to design and develop the first Green Manufactured Model Home. The Sonoma House will be open daily for tour at the Spring Auburn Home Show. May 16- - May 18 For more info or to tour the other Green Model Homes on display: American Home Sales 530.885.4555. Custom Home Design Services and Full Construction Available Serving California and some neighboring states.

As green buildings become more mainstream, real estate brokers will become key players in marketing these buildings to potential buyers. However, there are as yet few mechanisms available to allow brokers to speak with authority about the sometimes technical features of green buildings.

One program, Ecobroker®, is attempting to change that. According to its website, http://www.ecobroker.com, EcoBroker is an educational and marketing program “designed to help communities across the United States and internationally take advantage of and encourage energy efficiency and sustainable design in real estate properties." The program provides continuing education credits as a way to educate real estate brokers and industry affiliates about green buildings through a series of courses that allows them to become certified EcoBrokers® and address buyers’ and sellers’ increasing sensitivity to building features like energy efficiency and environmental design.

The program, which is available online, addresses environmental issues such as radon, asbestos, lead, water, mold, indoor air quality, and other issues that may arise during real estate transactions. It also covers energy efficiency technologies, sustainable energy options, and green mortgage options for energy efficiency improvements. It explains green home certification programs, such as Built Green® Colorado, Energy Star Qualified Homes, and LEED. So if you're in the market for a green house, see if there are any Ecobrokers in your area before you start to look. It could make finding your green dream home a whole lot easier.

The need to conserve energy must start with each of us as individuals. The market can only function efficiently if we exercise our perogative within the system and demand building materials, technologies and systems that promote green building objectives and conserve energy.

Only 52% of windows used in new construction have windows that maximize energy conservation beacuse builders and consumers are unaware of the technologies that are available or fear that they are too costly. Some are, but glass technology has come a long way over the last 30 years and the cost of making energy efficient windows has come way down as the technologies have gained ground. There are also now rating systems and standardized tests developed by independent private associations and governmental agencies to guide the Architect, Builder and Consumer in selecting the window that will perform the best for the given locale you are building in.

Chief among these are the Energy Star Qualified products registry and the National Fenestration Rating Council. Energy Star ratings are supported and maintained by The U.S. Department of Energy. The NFRC registry is maintained by an non-profit industry organization that mandates testing protocols standards and designates independent labs to certify the performance of the windows of the participating manufacturers and Consumers and Building professionals can visit the sites to learn the specific attributes of a glazing system are most desirable for their location (what Zone they a are living in) so they can select a window that has been designed and engineered to best attain the desired levels of performance for their zone.

Each Energy Star Zone has specific minimum U-Values and Solar Heat Gain Co-efficients (SHGC) that they must meet in order to be listed as "Energy Star Qualified". There are also suggestions for specific optimum perfromance criteria there so that an individual can select windows that exceed the minimums and select the best combination of attributes for the windows in their home.

In general, those living in the Southern zones need to be more focused on SHGC measures because in these zones, cooling loads use the bulk of energy to regulate the homes temperature inside. In the Northern zones, U-Value is more important because heating uses more energy for keeping the home comfortable. If you live in Miami, it is more critical that you reduce the amount of heat gain coming through the glass and if you live in Detroit, it is more important to reduce the amount of heat loss through the glass. Fine tuning the glazing is important and can lead to reductions in heating or cooling costs of up to 30%.

Now most builders will choose the least expensive window they can to hold the price of the house down. It is up to the end consumer and local building codes to begin to consider life-cycle cost instead of initial cost in designating window performance levels. New technologies that make windows optimally efficient can be had for and average cost as low as $ 15.00 per window (source: Cardinal Industries, Inc.). The payback for a cost like this is less than a few years and has become very easy to consider given the rise in energy costs over the last few years.

So learn for yourself. Go to Energy Star Zones or Efficient Window Collaborative to learn what is the best combination of attributes and find a window that is best for your home.

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GreenerBuildings News: November 2, 2007
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Welcome to the latest edition of GreenerBuildings News. We are committed
to bringing you the latest information and resources on the full
spectrum of environmental issues related to buildings and facilities.
Log on to http://www.GreenerBuildings.com for more up-to-date news,
tools, case studies, and other resources related to greener building
practices.

A full-color, graphic version of this newsletter is available online at:
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/enewsletter

=-=-=-=-=-=-= THE LATEST NEWS & FEATURES =-=-=-=-=-=-=

What GreenBuild Will Bring to Chicago
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36192
World-class speakers, a multitude of sessions on every topic imaginable, awards
ceremonies and product announcements: here's what to expect at next week's
GreenBuild 2007, the country's biggest gathering of green buildings
professionals in a city that's striving to be the greenest of them all.

The Living Building Challenge: How Limits Can Liberate
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?Page=1&NewsID=36124
By Christine Ervin
It's time to embrace the abundance that can flow from nature's limits --
starting with caps on greenhouse gas emissions and moving toward a
carbon-neutral built environment.

Landscape Architects' Report Offers Hundreds of Tips for Sustainable Sites
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36194
The American Society of Landscape Architects yesterday released a comprehensive
report from its Sustainable Sites Initiative, giving a snapshot of the many ways
that architects, designers and facility managers can enhance how well their
sites fit into surrounding ecosystems, provide cleaner air and water, and reduce
the impact of climate change.

Berkeley to Vote on Making Home Solar Projects Easier
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36191
The city of Berkeley could be the first in the U.S. to subsidize solar panels
for homeowners and businesses in exchange for an add-on tax hike paid over 20
years.

Motel 6 Retrofitting Thousands of Rooms for Energy Savings
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36127
Motel 6 will team with Honeywell and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to install
sensors that shut off heating and air conditioning when units are empty.

Corporations Are Embracing Green Real Estate, Survey Finds
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36175
Nearly 80 percent of industry leaders say sustainability is a major issue for
today's businesses, and are willing to pay a premium to achieve it, according to
a survey from CoreNet Global and Jones Lang LaSalle.

GE Develops 'Eco-Dashboard' for Homeowners
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36183
General Electric Co. will introduce residential control panels in December to
help homeowners control water and power usage.

New Resource Bank Lands $10M Investment from State of Calif. for Green Projects
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36134
The state's treasurer announced the creation of a $10 million investment account
to finance green building and energy-efficiency projects around the state.

JCPenney Earns First Energy Star Rating for Four Retail Stores
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36184
The company's stores in Washington state are the first to receive the U.S. EPA's
retail Energy Star rating for their energy efficiency and other environmental
improvements.

New Online Resource Targets Green Contractors
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36164
A project launched by the Mechanical Contractors Association of America this
week aims to ma ke it easy for building professionals to learn about green
practices, and for green experts to deepen their knowledge and contacts.

German Team Wins Solar Decathlon; Maryland, Santa Clara Also in Top Three
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36141
Germany's Technische Universität Darmstadt won the overall top score in the U.S.
Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition on the National Mall in
Washington, followed by the University of Maryland in second place and Santa
Clara University in third.

MORE OF THE LATEST NEWS... http://greenerbuildings.com/news.cfm

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= TOOLS & RESOURCES =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-based Products
http://greenerbuildings.com/tool_detail.cfm?LinkAdvID=94521
This report, a joint project between WRI and the WBCSD, helps organizations of
all sizes find their place in ensuring the sustainability of the earth's forest
resources by studying the long-term impacts of forestry goods.

MORE TOOLS & RESOURCES... http://www.greenerbuildings.com/tools.cfm

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FEATURED EVENT =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ecobuild Fall and AEC-ST Fall
http://greenerbuildings.com/event_detail.cfm?LinkAdvID=77366

Host: Ecobuild America
Date: Dec 10-13, 2007
Location: Washington, D.C.

Ecobuild Fall and AEC-ST Fall covers green building, sustainable design,
renewable energy, environmental planning processes and information collaboration
strategies for commercial, industrial, institutional and residential
construction.

MORE EVENTS . . . http://www.greenerbuildings.com/search_events.cfm

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= GREENERBUILDINGS AND YOU =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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tool you'd like to share with others? Please write to
GreenerBuildings@GreenerWorldMedia.com, or click on the "Contact" link
on the home page.

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2007.

There are so many little things that we used to do without a second thought that we're now realizing add up to big environmental costs. Take laundry for example: Gone are the days when you could feel OK about tossing a few jeans in the washing machine with a little detergent, cranking the water temperature up to hot and then tossing them in the dryer an hour later.

Now we know there are a number of easy ways to be greener in the laundry room.

First, let's talk about detergent. Co-op America has a great page dedicated to "Going Green With Your Laundry." In it they list four different eco-friendly detergents: Ecover, Natural Home Safe Products, Sun & Earth and Seventh Generation. We use Method, which is readily available at Target.

Then there's your machine. If you already have an Energy Star high efficiency washer and dryer, you're set. If you don't, they're everywhere. The hottest new green washing machine is probably the Barolo Kenmore HE5t Steam Washer -- which uses 77% less energy and 73% less water than your average washing machine.

Then there's the drying machine. If you're using a drying machine, think about ditching those fabric softener sheets for a pair of Dryer Balls. They soften clothes naturally and they last for years.

Of course, the greenest way to dry your clothes is to let Mother Nature do the work, by hanging them outside to dry. We've written about that here before, and we still think it's a green and intrinsically satisfying chore.

How have you greened your laundry room?

Image: Via Lukasz Brzozowski; sxc.hu

Solaleya is the exclusive distributor in the US of luxurious and environmentally conscious housing solutions: Domespace Homes. Domespace Homes create an interior of warmth , conviviality and light while responding to the desire of many people concerned with using material and technology that respect our fragile environment and resist to its extremes (hurricane resistant, Anti-seismic...). Domespace Homes integrate perfectly with the earth and appeal to people around the world with a desire for balance and wellbeing. www.solaleya.com

The growth of civilization has been intimately linked to our ability to harness energy since man's discovery of fire. Our reliance on biomass (wood) and eventually, the wind and hydro power of mills would limit our growth until the use of coal and the invention of the steam engine would launch the industrial revolution. However, it was the discovery of energy dense, crude oil in 1865 that would catapult us into a whole new age of growth, mobility, and abundance. What is “sustainable” is based on carrying capacity, and every human advance in the use and amount of available energy would serve to increase both the population and economic carrying capacity of the earth.

The shear abundance of cheap oil over the last 150 years would change the face of architecture and built environment. Architects and building designers no longer had to consider local climate conditions, they could let their imaginations and ego's run wild and rely on brute force heating and cooling to save the day. Architects like Phillip Johnson would build their design fame and fortune with glass homes in Connecticut and glass skyscrapers in Houston. Buildings that reply for their very existence on cheap and abundant energy.

more>>> http://sunhomedesign.wordpress.com/2007/08/

“People cannot stand too much reality” - Carl Jung

I’ve been musing lately about exactly what it means to be sustainable in the context of residential building. Since words are the symbols we blogger’s use to communicate, I checked my American Heritage dictionary and found that “sustainable” in today’s lexicon means “capable of being continued with minimal long-term effect on the environment” as in “sustainable agriculture”. That didn’t quite do it for me. It’s the kind of feel good definition that allows people to build 10,000 SF homes with bamboo floors, dual flush toilets, and a HERS index of 85 and call themselves “green”. So I continued looking and found that one of the definitions for “sustain” is “to support from below; keep from falling or sinking; or to prop.” Since our built environment has been “propped” up and shaped by cheap oil for about a 100 years, I found that definition more on the mark.

Getting back to our friend Dr. Jung, our not so sustainable residential lives are about to be turned upside down by three major reality checks. At the risk of being labeled as a “crazed and raving doomsdayer”, let just say, it is going to be painful.

...for the complete text

I came across a fellow blogger at Lime.com that asked if his green building was worth the effort over conventional building if he is only going to be moving away soon anyway. Of course I had to respond:

I would say it is worth it! And most Realtors would agree with the value of building green. Here is some green market data I gleaned while getting my certification from EcoBroker.

1. When you build the studio, have a certified Energy Star inspector come out and rate it. Have them rate your home too, while they are there. More than 2000 builders have constructed over 200,000 Energy Star qualified new homes, locking in financial savings for homeowners that exceed $60 million annually. The nations 10 largest homebuilders are now Energy Star partners, and 23 of the top 25 builders offer Energy Star qualified homes. It is something that gets marketed when you sell your home. Even if your home does not qualify, the rating it is given can enable the buyer of your home to qualify for a larger loan to make it more energy efficient before they move in. Government programs have incentives for such things.
2. Do a quick search for an organization that specializes in green residential buildings in your area. I know Built Green operates near you in Colorado, and Build it Green is my local one in the SF bay area. They might be able to help you with your project, and any certification they offer can be marketed like the Energy Star marketing mentioned above.
3. Analysis indicates home value increases by about $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills ("More Evidence of Rational Market Values for Home Energy Efficiency" from the Appraisal Journal).
4. 94% of 300 American consumers surveyed by the Cahners Residential Group in 2001, cited their most sought-after green upgrade as energy savings, followed by water-saving appliances and recycled building materials. In addition, roughly nine in ten (91%) said energy efficient features in a new home are extremely or very important.
5. In a 2002 nationwide study of more than 400 home buyers conducted by American LIVES, more than half the respondents said they are willing to pay more for formaldehyde-free insulation, environmentally friendly paints, solvent-free andhesives, and other materials that do not release chemicals into the air.
6. In 2003, with the help of energy efficient technologies, Americans saved over $8 billion on their energy bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from 18 million vehicles. These benefits have helped develop a national market for energy efficient products, with more than one billion Energy Star products sold and billions of square feet of building space improved.
7. The most important environmental issues for consumers are: saving energy, using recycled content building products, improving air quality, and saving old-growth threes.

When you sell your home, my advice would be to market your home's green qualities. Certainly your studio built with green in mind from the ground up is very marketable! There are people willing to pay a premium, and even move from farther away in an effort to find a green home. Make sure your agent markets your home in:

Dwell Green
EcoBroker
Green Real Estate
Green Homes For Sale
Listed Green
and Sustainable Sources

Never price your home higher for any upgrade. Price your home competitively with your neighbors. The lower you price your home, the more people will see it, and bid the price up. This is especially true if they are competing for a green building. You can always reject an offer if no one competes like you expected, and raise the price. However, starting too high and lowering the price as you follow the market down is much more difficult to fix, and makes your home a dud weather you built with straw bale or baby seal fur!

Have fun with your renovation, and rest assured: It is definitely worth it to build it green.