Green Home Builders of the Triangle

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1 Green Home Builders of the Triangle Leigh Scott, Director of Green Building Programs

2 What are we doing? We promote building techniques and materials that produce homes which consume less energy and other resources, facilitate better indoor air quality, and provide a more durable product requiring less maintenance.

3 Who can participate? Open to all HBA members in the Triangle Current membership 215 about 90 builders assorted vendors real estate agents appraisers mortgage lenders home energy raters

4 How Does it Work? Certification program is based on NAHB s Model Green Home Building Guidelines, modified to fit our local conditions Builder must meet goals in all areas and get extra points from the sections of their choice Flexible scoring tool was designed by builders, for builders

5 How do we know it s green? Builder submits a scoresheet for review when the project is registered Upon completion of the home, every single item claimed on the scoresheet must be documented (test results, photo, verifier signature, etc.) 3 rd party review of documentation is conducted by Southern Energy Management, under contract with GHBT

6 What s been certified? 181 projects to date: Entry-level homes Luxury custom homes Even Habitat homes!

7 A Comparison of GHBT and NAHB Green GHBT NAHB Green Basis: Model Green Home Bldg Model Green Home Bldg Guidelines, as modified; required extra points higher (for silver and gold) Guidelines Coverage: Triangle Nationwide Scoring tool: Excel spreadsheet Online tool Program open to: Triangle HBA members Any builder, anywhere in U.S. Cost: $150 or $50 $200 3 rd Party Review: GHBT contractor: Southern Energy Management Approved verifiers - NAHB Research Center

8 Is it easy being green? From Kip Guyon, President of Vanguard Homes: One challenge was establishing more robust systems to include the ENERGY STAR scope, but likely the biggest hurdle was educating our sales and builder teams on the value of an ENERGY STAR home (as compared to a non-energy STAR home) so they could convey that to potential homeowners in a way that makes sense. To address this, we made it a training topic for everyone er in the company, and it continues to be a discussed at all company meetings.

9 Is it easy being green? From Lee Patterson, Project Manager/GC, Alfermann Construction Co. I think the biggest challenge to me has been the fact that green has become a catchword marketing strategy for nearly anything you can think of. There is so much stuff out there that is presented to be green or sustainable which, with some research and thought, can be shown to be neither. To address this I have tried to do my best to communicate with our clients so I can find out what is really important to them and help them obtain that result in the most economical and intelligent way. Often the products and methods they have heard about do not really best address the objectives they have.

10 Is it easy being green? From Jay Beaman, President, Beaman Building and Realty The hardest part for me was sorting through the overwhelming amount of green washing when I was trying to find out how to become a real green builder. With the knowledge I have acquired by being involved with GHBT, I have been able to converse with the public in an intelligent and informed manner on the subject. That has proved beneficial i since the public is just as confused as some builders are by the plethora of green washing provided by the media.

11 Is it easy being green? From Vince DeFreitas of Silver Developers: The hardest objection to overcome by far for me has been the price associated with the green upgrades. The cost recapture rate on utility savings often forces owners to keep the home for 5-8 years just to break even. Generally speaking, when you account for 'time value of money' many of the upgrades are not a very good financial investment, but rather a 'feel good' investment. Once the prices of green and traditional construction come more in line, everyone will go green.

12 Is it easy being green? From Manoj Jain of Shail Homes: My experience in constructing ENERGY STAR and green built houses has been wonderful, and I think every builder must build at least ENERGY STAR houses, and, if possible, green. I have received good feedback on our green built construction, yet still we need to prepare information for the public so they will better understand it.

13 What are the benefits of being green? From Martha Denny of Cimarron Homes: The visitors to our entry on the 2008 Green Home Tour sincerely appreciated our company for caring about the future, and they appreciated it enough to mention it to me. From Rusty Ange of Ange Construction: We believe that being involved in green building has helped us build a better home.

14 Current and Future Initiatives We re working with the Triangle MLS publishers to add ENERGY STAR and green certified checkboxes, with a green features addendum sheet. Our 2009 Green Home Tour will be bigger and better than ever expanded to two weekends. We re looking forward to hosting the NAHB s National Green Building Conference in the Triangle in the spring of 2010.