9Feb/120

HAND Reaches out in Arlington

February 9th, 2012

HAND, Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers, hosts a green building discussion in Arlington

Did you know that HAND has been established for over 20 years in Arlington, helping to grow nonprofit developers in the Northern Virginia market? That is pretty fantastic. Builders from all scopes came out to the HAND meeting on Wednesday, January 25, to listen to Emer O’Donovan of Weincek+Associates who had put her head together with Jill Norcross of HAND to pull together a fabulous discussion regarding Weincek+Associates’ project, Colonial Village, a current EarthCraft project that is not only seeking to become a more energy efficient project, but is also a wonderful case study for historical preservation in Northern Virginia.

After Ms. Norcross introduced the group she turned the discussion over to Ms. O’Donovan, lead architect on the Colonial Village project, who chatted briefly about the challenged of the project and why EarthCraft was brought in to consult and be a part of the project from the onset. She discussed that EarthCraft is brought in at the funding stage of development so that everyone will understand the full scope of work and all trades will be on board with the energy efficiency plan from the onset.

A nice cue for Chris Conway to step into the ring, EarthCraft’s Lead Technical Advisor for Northern Virginia and the on-site EarthCraft representative for the Colonial Village project then discussed the phases of construction and how EarthCraft has worked for the Colonial Village project.

The Phases of Construction where you will see EarthCraft onsite:

  • Predemolition- assessing the building before construction begins
  • Immediately after demolition- assessing the actual project findings and to make any adjustments to the energy efficiency plan as needed with the project team
  • Series of project site visits throughout construction- to ensure that the construction trades are implementing the plan of action set forth in the original construction charette
  • Pre-drywall Inspection- assessing the air-sealing, insulation, duct-work implementation to ensure that the building has been built tight and will be ventilated right
  • Final testing- assessing the clean, dried in, finished out space to test for duct leakage inside and outside of the thermal envelope

After Chris completed his chat about his work on the project and the current status, the group walked over to the site and was able to watch the Conway Energy team representing EarthCraft perform a duct leakage and blower door test on a finished out one bedroom unit on the ground floor of the Colonial Village remodel project. Chris walked everyone through the process and shared the details as to why the findings were as they were. He fielded questions as they arrived and the group was able to see the team in action.

Overall, the HAND green building luncheon for the Colonial Village project was very informative, highly valuable event with a great group of people who are passionate about their industry. From the folks at Hamel to the Habitat for Humanity Northern Virginia and Arlington County members, the HAND group provides a great service to Nonprofit Developers in Arlington and we commend them for 20 years of service to the community.

 

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2Feb/120

Homes are Shrinking!

February 2nd, 2012

As Americans shift their thoughts from bigger is better to efficiency, we find the “New American Home” is smaller!

Last week, Dawn Wotapka of the Wall Street Journal reported that we are shrinking. Well, not really. We aren’t shrinking, but maybe our need for the gigantic mansions of our past are slowly be surely creeping down to a smaller scale. She says this because the National Association of Builders is hosting the builder’s show down in Orlando this February and the home that is showcased  “which measures 4,181 square feet and is one of the smallest in the popular program’s 29-year history, shows that the love affair with McMansions seems to be waning.” This is exciting to folks like us who are all about efficiency in design and have seen the “waning” of the McMansion for some time now.

It is interesting that the builders are only just now realizing that the public has downsized. Realtors probably could have told you that a couple of years ago, as the McMansions started to tick off area homeowners who were feeling that the over-sized homes were changing the look and feel of older, established neighborhoods and 5,ooo square feet for 2 people  just seemed overly opulent. Now, as we see more folks, especially the baby boomers tackling the issue of downsizing and eliminating the minutia from their lives, we see people going back to “right sized” homes, or shall we say, homes that make sense for the way folks tend to live in their home. People seem to just want to be able to manage their homes and not have  a whole section of a house shut off that they realize that they don’t even use. That is just depressing!  Plus, when you have a smaller scale home, you have less bills for utilities, now, don’t you? Hmmm…. now that just seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?

The showpiece down in Orlando for this year’s convention is still a gorgeous home which is not only a fantastic display of craftsman ship (from the select few images that we can check out online, but it is also noted that the home “boasts energy-efficient features such solar panels to run the HVAC system and to heat hot water.” You know how we like energy-efficient items in our line of work.

 

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27Jan/120

A Wrap up on REC’s

January 27th, 2012

A follow up on the Dominion Green Power’s REC program through a great dialogue with 3Degrees Management Partner.

So, we’ve filled you in on the chat that was held at the Green Drinks forum in the last post, and that sponsored a wonderful open dialogue with the contractors from 3Degrees, the company who help Dominion get the word out there about the Green Power program. Here are some of the details that weren’t necessarily mentioned in the last post, mostly because they weren’t common knowledge as shared by 3Degrees:

  • The Dominion Green Power program started in January of 2009 and is one of more than 160 programs around the country run by utilities known as Green Pricing Programs.  More information on the voluntary green pricing programs and market can be found in the attached document by NREL.
  • Dominion Green Power’s of $0.013/kWh is among the most affordable among green pricing programs, where the average was $0.017 (based on the latest data).
  • While we are working on including more Virginia based renewable facilities in the product mix, and have increased the amount of Virginia based renewables every year since 2010, there remains a continued need to include RECs from outside of Virginia as well to meet demand.  It is important to note that we only source RECs from the PJM and SERC territories.  Facilities within these regions deliver green electrons to the power pool that serves Virginia and power our homes, laptops, etc.
  • The Dominion Green Power program delivers only Green-e certified RECs from new renewable facilities (began commercial operation on or after January 1, 1997).  Green-e is the nation’s leading independent consumer protection program for the sale of renewable energy and greenhouse gas reductions in the retail market. Green-e offers certification and verification of renewable energy and greenhouse gas mitigation products.  www.green-e.org.renewable.
  • Every customer that participates in the Dominion Green Power program and other utility pricing programs across the country sends a powerful message to the market that there is strong support for renewable energy.

See? We’re open to chatting about all sorts of things. Have a comment? Concern? Question? Totally join in the discussion! The GreenGobbler is here to share knowledge and spur conversation about all things involving sustainability.

 

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26Jan/120

Dominion Green Power- RECs in Virginia

January 26th, 2012

Learning more about Dominion Power’s Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) program put somethings in perspective.

Last Thursday at the Green Drinks Arlington gathering over at Buzz Bakery in Ballston, the Green Drinks crew offered some kitschy advice: come get enlightened and maybe catch a buzz. Yeah. Hardy har har. These ladies are funny. Buzz Bakery is a local chain known for their coffee, sweets and sustainability through the use of the Arcadia farm, which we’ll talk about again soon, but the enlightening part, yes, another pun, was the chat with a representative of 3 Degrees, Inc., the contractors who work for Dominion Power to work community outreach regarding the green energy program called Dominion Green Power.

Enlightening, indeed. The representative started out the evening by defining what renewable energy certificates are= a “REC is like a receipt for the environmental benefit created when renewable energy is produced. Technically speaking, it is a guarantee that one megawatt-hour of renewable energy was produced and delivered to the regional power pool.” So, that is a REC. It’s like an IOU of sorts for the green power that will be delivered.  Well put.  So, with that explanation of what Dominion’s Green Power plan was actually doing, the selling of RECs, not necessarily sending “green ions” and the true “green energy” to your home, but instead allowing the participants of the Green Power program to buy RECs which would inturn “offset” the environmental impact of all other energy sources, in essence. This is where things got dicey.

She may have then felt a bit ganged up on, as many of the 20 folks in the gathering leaned in closer with their Buzz coffees and special green drinks to hear more about what Dominion was actually buying the RECs in. Biomass? Hmmmm. Is this the burning of excess lumber? Yikes. This is no bueno. Solar and Wind energy that is coming from Mississippi and Tennessee? Uh, that is silly. Why isn’t their anything sourced locally to give back to the local economy. Well, apparently there will be soon, but “local economy” is more like the South Carolina and West Virginia local economy markets. Next came the point that made the folks attending the gathering at Buzz really buzzzzz. Buzz. Buzz. The cost of buying the RECs is at at premium; instead of having a 1 to 1 cost for helping to “over time create environmental benefits” you would have to pay an additional 1.3 cents per kilowatt-hour over and above what your neighbor who isn’t participating in the program would pay. Another fine print item is that the rates will change; Dominion expects the REC rates to stay the same through 2012, but they may change, so your bill could go haywire. All this to do good? Yikes.  This means, that you’re buying at a premium, renewable energy certificates from non-local energy sources that aren’t actually even coming directly to you. They say that you will be getting “a blend of renewable resources which is most likely to include wind, biomass, and biogas, but may also include solar, low-impact hydro and geothermal energy.” But you won’t know until you get your REC on your bill which will be written as a separate line item, apparently.

On the brighter side of this energy conundrum was the visual:

The image of the typical home using the 100% block of RECs option is equivalent to not driving a car on the highway for 18,649 miles or like planting 212 trees. Interesting. Apparently the EPA figured this little gem out. Some of the questions that couldn’t be answered because of authorization purposes: Why this wasn’t tax deductible to be a part of a program such as this?How come the program is so much more expensive than being a part of a regular non-environmentally friendly program? What are the other competitors in the industry?Why is all of the energy brought in from afar?

It sounds like a lovely idea- to have cleaner energy. But do you really want to pay the premium for energy that is coming in from everywhere but locally? That doesn’t sound nearly as sustainable as it should be. Clean currents is another company that offsets energy with RECs they are some of that competition that we couldn’t get them to chat about, but it is totally understandable.

It was an enlightening meeting and makes us all want to know more about cleaner energy options like solar power, wind energy and even that not so fun sounding biomass. What do you think? Join the discussion.

 

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19Jan/120

A Year of Projects in Review

January 19th, 2012

Take a look back at the EarthCraft, LEED and EnergyStar Indoor Air Plus program projects we’ve talked about over the last year

Ivy City- Habitat for Humanity DC: LEED for homes and EarthCraft certification

Buckingham Village- Arlington, VA: EarthCraft certification

Colonial Village- Arlington, VA: EarthCraft certification

Buchanan Gardens- Arlington, VA: EarthCraft certification

Perry Hall- Arlington, VA: EarthCraft certification

All American Four Square- Peabody Associates- Bethesda, MD: Passive House certification

Macedonian- Arlington, VA: EarthCraft Certification

Arc House, East Hampton, VA: an interesting home that didn’t take certifications, but took the lead on being unique!

 

We started many projects in the last year and got to be a part of a bunch of cool stuff, that’s for certain. We weren’t a part of the Arc House, but it was pretty darn cool, so we just wanted to give the designers a shout out. Just because it is strange, or it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it isn’t right and won’t make a home energy efficient. Congratulations to everyone who certified a home or project. This year is already speeding past and we have over 30 projects on the books and we’re amped about getting everyone in the energy efficient ball game.

 

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5Jan/120

New Energy for the New Year

January 5th, 2012

Driving across the front range of the Rockies, you can see that Rocky Flats is the perfect place for a wind farm!

This winter in Northern Virginia has been pretty mild, so a quick trip out to the Central Colorado proved that 18inches of snow wasn’t really missed that much (really, it wasn’t missed at all!)… Something that was pretty hard to miss as we headed towards Boulder, the home of green living and many eco-minded folks and the National Wind Technology Center,  from the Denver suburbs was the patch of Wind Turbines in the foreground of the front rage of the Rockies as you approach Rocky Flats.

It almost feels like Don Quixote sneaking up on the great swordsmen, well, not so much sneaking in the chained tires of the vehicle we were in, as we turned the corner to see the tall spires with spinning wheels of the wind turbines. “What the heck is that?” Oh! It is a wind farm!  “No, it is a testing site called the Rocky Flats Test Site” spouts off the smarty-pants who is driving. Oh. Still…how cool is that?! Literally cool, since it was seriously like 10 degrees outside and you could see the wind picking up the sparkling powdered snow and swishing it across the plains and dancing it playfully in front of the massive blades of the wind turbines of Rocky Flats.  The questions, much like the powdery, sparkling snow began to swirl:

When did these get here? Maybe around 1976-ish…

Who decided to put them up? The Federal Government.

Why aren’t there more of them? Because these are just being tested for the success and they are changed out when a ‘new and improved prototype is established.

Why don’t we see more wind energy being harvested? This answer didn’t come from the smarty-pants who was driving us to Boulder, but from Telos, a Wind Energy Advocate it probably could have been inferred from the conversation that we ended up having on our day-after Christmas Drive in Boulder…”In the United States, the federal government’s involvement in wind energy research and development began in earnest within two years after the so-called “Arab Oil Crisis” of 1973. Despite the speed with which it was initiated and began to show results, this program ultimately proved to be largely ineffective because of the interference of political factors and the withdrawal of financial support before success could be achieved.”

What’s the future of wind energy? Telos tells us that “in the near future, wind energy will be the most cost effective source of electrical power. In fact, a good case can be made for saying that it already has achieved this status. The actual life cycle cost of fossil fuels (from mining and extraction to transport to use technology to environmental impact to political costs and impacts, etc.) is not really known, but it is certainly far more than the current wholesale rates. The eventual depletion of these energy sources will entail rapid escalations in price which — averaged over the brief period of their use — will result in postponed actual costs that would be unacceptable by present standards. And this doesn’t even consider the environmental and political costs of fossil fuels use that are silently and not-so-silently mounting every day.” Interesting, indeed.

So many questions. Jeez… take your time, we’re on our way to Boulder, where things slow down a bit at a higher altitude.

 

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13Dec/110

A Benefit for AFAC 12/17/11

December 13th, 2011

If you’re going to be around Ballston this Saturday, 12/17/11,  make sure you check out the Green Drinks Arlington 2nd Annual Art+Wine Bazaar. Our friends Marina Ospina, Sweet Root Village and Genevieve Concannon have put together another great line up for a fun, festive holiday event to benefit the Arlington Food Assistance Center.

Save the date a wonderful holiday event that will inspire you to think about Local and free-trade artists and bring together community at a fun, laid back gallery opening. Art and Wine Bazaar is back.

For the 2nd year in a row, Green Drinks Arlington’s founders, Genevieve Concannon and Marina Ospina along with Sweet Root Village bring you a festive party to engage the community in local art, wine and the spirit of the Season- Giving.

With such a successful event last year, we have added more local artisans and hope to arouse your senses with food, fun and creativity. Shop local artist’s photography, paintings, pottery, glass art, floral design, gift baskets and more while listening to laid back music and sipping wine. Doesn’t that sound better than wresting people for sweaters at the Mall? Yeah, we thought so!

Join us and enjoy music by DJ Walz Street, wine by Matt Carroll and a gallery of unique art by various local and free-trade artists!

2011 Art + Wine Bazaar

Entry: Suggested donation of a canned-good to benefit AFAC, our local area food bank. Our goal is to donate over 500 lbs of food to them.

When: Saturday, December 17, 2011

12-6:00pm

Where: 875 N. Randolph Street. Suite C (Entrance on 9th Street)

Arlington, VA 22203

A bit about the Artists:

Amber Kendrick is an architect and designer.  She applies her understanding of materials, color, design and form to warm glass for both functional and architectural applications. She works in warm glass at her studio at the Workhouse Arts Center.  Amber is the founder of Cloud Terre, LLC. www.cloudterre.com

Sweet Root Village is an inspired community of local artists and designers collaborating to create fabulous events through their inspirational photography and design eye! They specialize in photography, event planning and decor, and floral decor. They also offer videography, makeup artistry, custom music composition, and graphic design services! Four creative souls strong, Sweet Root Village has the capacity to design and implement event planning while focusing on the individual. At the Art+Wine Bazaar, Sweet Root Village will be displaying their photography, booking photo sessions, offering gift certificates for sale, and raffling off a free photography session!
www.sweetrootvillage.com

Margeaux Marshall Denham is an artist and designer from Central Texas. She has mastered the balance of color and texture through her jewelry designs of semi-precious stones and sterling silver. She utilizes the metaphysical properties in the stones to make one of a kind jewelry pieces that truly resonate to their owners.

Tortuga Verde Gift Baskets is the perfect solution for your eco-conscious gift giving needs. Founder and owner, Marina Ospina puts the personal touches that are much needed in a world of depersonalization and gift cards! All of the products chosen for the baskets are organic, environmentally conscious and are available for any occasion. www.tortugaverdegiftbaskets.com

DIAMANTINA designs, manufactures and distributes fashion-forward leather handbags and accessories targeted to stylish men and women in tune with fashion trends, and who are appreciative of avant-garde designs and modern aesthetics. Our collections include a wide variety of exclusive handbags, designer belts and wallets, all showcasing a wide variety of colors and textures. DIAMANTINA was created from the partnership of two good friends who share a passion for fashion and wanted to provide job opportunities to skilled men and women from their home country, Argentina. Behind Diamantina there is the legacy and support of a family-owned Argentine business, which for generations has specialized in producing and exporting genuine leather garments.

Twila Johnson, A teacher, mentor, skilled potter and artistic soul, Twila Johnson makes kiln dried pottery that is gorgeous and functional. Fina out more about Twila’s classes and studio sessions at Manassas Clay. http://www.manassasclay.com/classes.html

Emily Dolenz, principal owner of Emily Dolenz Photography, Emily has had her work displayed all over DC and Northern Virginia, most recently at a gallery opening at Tryst in DC and currently has copies of her work at Northside Social in Clarendon. Emily captures details that not everyone sees and makes them beautiful. Nature, abstract objects and portraiture, Emily has a keen grasp on the artistic elements that make an image pleasing to look at. http://www.emilydolenz.com/#/page/home/

Marsha Lederman is a published professional artist living and working in Arlington where non-profits make up much of her client base.  Marsha is accomplished in the arts of drawing, painting, portraiture and sculpture. A favorite endeavor is drawing people wherever she can ‘capture’ them without being noticed, from meetings to metro. Marsha also enjoys trying to infuse a sense of humor in her work and loves to anthropomorphize, especially animals. http://www.zazzle.com/marlederman

Silent Auction items for Amicus Green Building Center, Live Green EnviroHomeDesign and more will be available to delight you along with $5 wine tickets to benefit AFAC.

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9Dec/110

Passive House Training

December 9th, 2011

Passive House Rater Training in Urbana, Illinois took place last week. The Green Gobbler partook.

Last weekend I spent a jam-packed couple of days in a room with 16 other highly skilled RESNET raters

Listen and Learn

at the inaugural Passive House rater training in Urbana, Illinois. The Passive House Institute US, or  PHIUS for short (kind of short) rater training was spent talking about advanced products, materials, applications;  and yes, with all of these rock-star RESNET folks, it was easy to geek out on a topic or two with all of these advanced people to discuss energy efficiency and other passive house concepts with.

What is PHIUS training all about anyways? It is like a want ad, isn’t it: “PHIUS is seeking qualified RESNET raters who want to learn how to give accurate and meaningful ratings of buildings designed and constructed to the Passive House standard. Working with experienced RESNET raters, PHIUS has developed a curriculum leading to qualification to rate projects seeking PHIUS+ Certification.” Taking the Passive House training in hand with the scope of the project, PHIUS raters are able to bring a project full circle.

In a word or three: Project. Team. Raters. So here it goes…follow me on this one…  PHIUS appoints a consultant, then the consultant works together with project team and submits their planning package to PHIUS for review, then after project has been reviewed (pre-certified), a rater is assigned, reviews package and then the project will have the great privilege to be assessed across 4 phases of construction (read: inspections).  These 4 inspections are: 1.  slab and foundation insulation and site shading, 2. site visit for air sealing details before insulation which includes a preliminary blower door test, 3. Insulation, duct work and domestic hot water inspections and 4. Final Inspection and Testing.  Interesting note, not just caulking and spray foam for air sealing, taping is shown to work best when applied correctly. Raters take all of the elements of the project that they see on site and communicate the qualifications back to the project team in its entirety to keep the Passive House on track.

Talk about a house that was kept on track! Here is an interesting case study: The 16 of us rater trainees heated a Passive House home we toured  almost 10 degrees just standing around being the RESNET folks that we were- not because we’re hot (or full of hot air, even), but because of the proper air sealing techniques and insulation that the Passive House standards have been set and achieved. In this case study home, we got to see something super-cool: CO detectors were attached to ERV to ramp up the fresh air when needed- this was interesting and I’d never seen this system in person before.  Our second field trip lead us to t0 a Solar Decathlon house that was a passive house. Side Note:  After the competition it appears that the students who had built the home had -sneakily- taken out original HVAC and had installed a “super-secret” and small CERV system that has everything -heating, cooling, ventilation, de-humidification, all in one box. It is estimated that the very small CERV system will take 3 days to get the home to a stasis, but then once you get it to the temperature that you want, it just stays- talk about super-efficient. It might not be instant gratification, but it is definitely energy efficient. These were just some of the nifty case study items we got to check out towards the end of our rater training.

To wrap it up, PHIUS just wants us to build highly sustainable, energy efficient homes that focus on these key elements of design: Building Envelope, Shading, Heating and Cooling, Ventilation, Lighting and Appliances, Hot Water, Renewable Systems – and I’m on board with that.  The faster we get there the better.

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29Nov/110

Vanishing Beauty- Flight of the Monarchs

November 29th, 2011

How water usage doesn’t just affect us; it is affecting the migration of the monarchs, too!

Simply put,  people think that I tend to not feign to be interested in the beauty of nature. Well, that simply put, just isn’t true. I may be a rough’n'tumble’-hold you to your word- not afraid to get dirty-construction site sort of person; however, I can see the beauty in all sorts of things. I can especially see the beauty in nature, and I can especially see the beauty in something that has the stamina and wherewithal to make a trip from Canada to Mexico year after year for the survival of the species. Monarchs. Yeah, we’re talking somewhat about butterflies today. Who knew?

So, I was cruising through Yahoo! Reader about to get ready to do some of my business admin work for a job we’re about to complete here in Arlington, VA and I saw this stunning photograph of several Monarch butterflies perched on a thistle, with a background of cerulean that nearly looked like the ocean. The photo was captivating, so I clicked it. Damn marketing doing its work, huh? Yeah. It is working.

The article in a nut shell: Monarchs are having difficulty getting from point A to point B because of the severe drought that our nation is going through and there might not be enough Milkthistle for the Monarchs to lay their eggs on once they are ready to do so, and this is the only plant they lay their eggs on. Plus, the vast wasteland that much of Texas has become because of the ravages of drought means no plants for nectar and water for these migrant butterflies to stop and re-fuel on this trans-continental voyage. Yikes. I mean, just a few months ago Bastrop and Spicewood, Texas were disaster areas with thousands of acres of wildfires devastating the corridor that these butterflies hike down. Now what does this mean for us? How does this drought affect us over here in Northern Virginia? So, we’re not butterflies going from Canada to Michoacan, are we? But, think about the milk ration signs you may be seeing at your local grocery store: ” Due to the water shortages in the mid-west we are on a Milk ration at this grocery store until further notice.We’re sorry for the inconvenience.” Hello, dust bowl.

This is scary stuff, people. Back to the Monarchs and their brave battle…the eye-catching article stated that:  “Monarch populations have faced significant declines over the last two decades, hit hard by a steep reduction in milkweed across North America, the only plant upon which the butterflies lay their eggs. Due to herbicide use and farming practices in the United States, milkweed has disappeared from some 140 million acres in the last 10 years, Taylor said.
It’s still not clear how well this year’s monarch population survived their journey south, he said, since it’s hard to assess how many butterflies survived, and how much fat they’ve stored ahead of winter.
‘It’s one step at a time,” Taylor said, “but what they did to get through Texas could have consequences all the way into early next summer.’ ”

As for the Monarchs, we’ll have to see how they survive. As for all of us, what can we do? Conserve water. Look for ways to decrease the water use in your everyday life. Look for ways to decrease water use in your house and business. If you’re building a new home, use low flow, or dual flush, go with flash hot water or on demand hot water to not sit and wait for hot water, use drought tolerant or xeriscaped/native landscaping… Shall I go on? If you are already in your home, retrofit your current fixtures if you are able and monitor your water intake. You can always take a shower instead of a bath- and for that, we thank you… Just think of the Monarchs.

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16Nov/110

Green Appraisals or Green Appraisers?

November 16th, 2011

We’ve been around much talk lately about the concept behind green appraisals. So, what’s the deal?

Whether you’re talking about adding a geothermal system to your home to add value for re-sale or you just want to have the value for yourself in cost savings over a period of time- you do have to think about the cost benefit analysis. How long are you going to be in your home, and are you going to recoup the cost of putting in the system. If you’re going to be in the house for more than 5 years… heck yes, you are. Are you going to be putting in a tankless hot water heater or a geothermal system if you are just going to be living in a home for 2 years? Hmmmm… probably you will end up putting in the tankless for the cost benefit analysis approach, especially in the current appraisal system when appraisers don’t have the “green know how to understand” what adds value to a home.

Some realtors who specialize in green homes will tell you that green adds value; well, that is because healthy living and the cost benefit of energy efficiency is highly desirable, and homes that are built efficiency will hold their value and event add value, while other realtors, appraisers and builders -even- don’t understand the value add of building a home that is more energy efficient and healthier. We need to find a way to help educate the masses as to why a energy efficient home should appraise at as a value add.

Obviously, it is all relative to the values and what you hold value to and even what the appraiser as an individual holds value to- it is that way with almost any product. Energy efficiency is something that  you can put value to; you know  that a house that bleeds you dry when you run the HVAC because it is leaking like a basket isn’t holding its value , whereas a home that has a system that is tightly constructed and properly ventilated will be much more efficient and healthy. See? Energy efficiency is something  you can gauge- Some people you talk to you in the home building field- they want the energy efficiency and some people just don’t care because they don’t understand.

We want to  somehow give value to green and healthy building, but we need to know how to do that. I think that there is a value in the green buildings and in the healthy and the sustainably built homes because they are built right the first time around and if you do it right the first time, you don’t have to keep reinventing the wheel, and if you’re healthier in your home, you’re saving money… right? If you get a home that is built in a healthy standard, you live a better quality of life. How do you measure that as an appraiser? How do you know what to look for in a green built home. As a home buyer, if you don’t know that a home is built to a healthy, sustainable standard, then you don’t know what you are getting, do you? Both buyers and appraisers and realtors need to be educated to know what it means to live in a healthy, energy efficient home  because these homes add value.

Get multiple benefits by having someone certify your home- but is s all relative and it comes down to the appraiser and how the home is assessed by them, their knowledge of how the home is constructed, what has gone into the home as it pertains to health, sustainability and all of the variables that are there to be considered. You have to teach the appraisers, builders, realtors and even the buyers to understand – if you just do it the right way from the get go, then you will get the value of health and you will get the value of being less sick and more healthy. Energy efficiency and green items do add value to a home, you might not see it from the aesthetic outside looking in, but you can certainly see it from the cost benefit analysis we were talking about at the beginning, as well as those who have been ill in homes what were “sick homes” see the value in living in a healthier, more energy efficient home.

Appraisers need to have green items on their check lists. They need to understand that homes that are certified green homes sell more quickly than traditionally built homes across the market. They are more desirable on the pocket book, and not only do they help the pocket book the community and the individuals who live there- they help set a standard…

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