As part of my new job as a writer and multimedia specialist at SEM, I’m getting a crash course in all sorts of sustainability issues. For this post, I thought I’d take you along as I learn a little more about some of the energy efficiency and green building choices that builders are making nowadays. Jamie Hager, an SEM green buildings specialist, was the perfect tutor, and she was kind enough to sit down with me and go through some of the most common options.
You can listen to our entire conversation here.
The demand for green homes is growing fast. The good news for builders is that there are a lot of programs out there that offer a systematic framework for building green, so you’re not alone in uncharted territory. Here are some of the most common programs in North Carolina (in no particular order):
- U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED for Homes
- National Association of Home Builders’ NAHB Green program
- NC Healthy Built Homes
- EarthCraft House
While it’s great to have options, it can also be overwhelming, especially with all those intimidating names and acronyms.
“We call it the NASCAR effect here,” Jamie says. “A lot of builders come in and they think ‘As many stickers as possible. What can I put up on my house?’”
She adds, “We definitely want to lay out the options, but what we often find is that your marketing message is difficult when you’re trying to explain several different stickers.”
Most green buildings address five categories required for green certification: energy efficiency, water usage, indoor air quality, building materials and impact on the construction site itself. The differences between each program are hard to put into neat little boxes because there are so many factors that can change on a builder to builder basis, and many hinge completely on the size and scope of individual projects. Jamie equates picking a green building certification to buying shampoo.
Trust me…it makes sense.
When you’re standing in the aisle, you consider all sorts of things before picking a shampoo. Is your hair colored? Is your hair frizzy or dry? What’s the shampoo made of? Maybe you want the shampoo and conditioner combo. “It’s likely that most of the products on that shelf are going to clean your hair, but which one you choose is specific to what really makes the most sense for you,” Jamie says. “And it’s the same thing for green building programs.”
She suggests builders who haven’t done any type of green building might want to ease into things with Energy Star first. It’s a widely recognized program with some green attributes, but it only specifically tackles one of the five categories required for green certification (energy efficiency), while not directly addressing the other important areas covered in a full green home program.
Jamie says all of the programs help builders construct greener, more energy efficient homes, and builders just have to figure out which “bottle of shampoo” fits their needs best.
“NAHB Green was developed for builders by builders, so they have a lot of tools that speak directly to a builder, whereas currently LEED for Homes has a lot of tools that speak more directly to the end owner, like the homeowner,” Jamie says.
She says making those distinctions can seem daunting at first — but once a builder has decided to build green, there’s a lot of help available to make sure it’s done right.
“We don’t have a preference for any one program over another because they all deliver a good house. They all deliver a green home,” Jamie says. She goes on to add, “They’re all point-based systems. They all make you do a certain number of things in order to even reach certification level… So if you’re doing any of these programs, you’re going to have a better home.”
Chris Cowperthwaite is a Writer and Multimedia Specialist at Southern Energy Management. Read more about him here.
Jamie Hager is a Green Building Specialist at Southern Energy Management. Read more about her here.
Tags: energy star, green building, LEED, NAHBGreen
This is an excellent educational overview of considerations and programs that define green building—both what Southern Energy Management has to offer inquiring minds, and what the delineations of green building programs require for meeting program standards. Thank you! I will pass this on the others I know would be interested.
PS: Great picture of you, Chris! Great answers, Jamie (your picture is good, too!)
Ann,
Thank you for your comments, I’m glad you found our interview to be helpful! We were hoping to address the common questions and concerns builders face as they look into the idea of building a green certified home. Trying to keep the processes from getting in front of the progress is quite an effort, so we are looking for lots of ways to get the information out there. We look forward to meeting you soon and learning more about your project, sounds interesting!