DV Wise builds custom homes in the Lake Norman NC region

A product is only as sustainable as the sum of its parts. In the case of cabinetry, there are quite a few parts to add up.

When selecting cabinetry for a green-built home, dedicated research is required to break the products down and evaluate the origins of the wood used to make the raw materials, the resins that bind them, the chemical content of the glues used to adhere the parts together, and the VOC levels of finishes. 

Raw Materials

The base components of most wood cabinetry today are made with hardwood plywood, MDF, or particleboard. While these materials are more resource efficient than solid wood, manufacturing them historically has involved formaldehyde-laden resins; the high formaldehyde content off-gassing from some man-made materials creates health concerns, according to the Healthy House Institute, especially for people with chemical sensitivities.

Several major manufacturers of composite wood panels, including Timber Products and Columbia Forest Products, have already been working with resin manufacturers and refining their manufacturing processes to create no-added-formaldehyde (NAF) or no-added-urea-formaldehyde (NAUF) products. Columbia’s PureBond NAUF plywood, for example, utilizes a soy-based adhesive.

“The formaldehyde levels of [composite] products have come down dramatically over the past 10 years,” says Dick Titus, executive vice president of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA).

Helping the push are the most recent emissions requirements from the California Air Resources Board (CARB); once phase two of the rules begin in 2012, they will be the strictest regulations in the world. Though the laws are specific to the Golden State, most panel manufacturers and cabinet companies are changing over their stock across the country. There is also speculation that similar emissions regulations may be adopted at the federal level.

In addition to CARB compliance, some composite panels may carry the Composite Panel Association’s Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) certification, which verifies formaldehyde emissions lower than government regulations and the use of recycled and/or recovered wood fiber.

Indeed, along with formaldehyde, consider the resource origins of the wood panels for recycled content (some certified by Scientific Certification Systems) and/or for sustainable harvesting as verified by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, among others. Certified products may carry a slight price premium.

Finally, you’ll also need to examine the woods that make up the veneers and solid wood trim, doors, and drawer fronts. Austin Energy Green Building’s Sustainable Building Sourcebook recommends domestic hardwoods or certified, sustainably harvested tropical hardwoods as the most environmentally sound choices. “Veneer-grade domestic softwoods are often harvested from old growth timber, and non-certified tropical hardwoods are too often harvested in a manner that is devastating to the forest,” the group advises.

And, be sure to enquire about the chemical content of the glues used to adhere the veneers to the cabinet box; non-solvent-based adhesives can be comparable in performance and cost, Austin Energy says.

Alternative Materials
Though traditional composite wood panels dominate, alternatives exist that offer their own environmental benefits or trade-offs.

Solid wood is one option that will eliminate formaldehyde concerns, but it lacks the materials efficiency of an engineered product, is fairly rare, and is more expensive.

Weyerhaeuser makes composite panels using Lyptus, a Brazilian-grown wood that can be harvested for lumber in 14 to 16 years. Like bamboo, another cabinetry alternative, Lyptus offers the benefits of rapid renewability but does have to be shipped a longer distance. Wheatboard, made from waste stalks, is another option gaining attention.

As with traditional composite panels, ensure alternative engineered materials you select utilize formaldehyde-free resins.

Though more rare here, some metal cabinets can be a green selection from both a resources and health standpoint. For example, St. Charles Cabinetry says its metal options contain more than 70 percent recycled material and are 98 percent recyclable; the products’ baked-on powdercoat finish is considered hypoallergenic.

Finishes
Though low-VOC finishes are becoming more readily available, they’re not yet widespread due to concerns that are similar to those made during the transition to healthier paints: The quality and richness aren’t always equivalent and the application may be unfamiliar.

Still, the options have come a long way and you should enquire with your supplier about what they have available. For instance, Crystal Cabinetry offers a Valspar ULF topcoat that is Greenguard Indoor Air Quality certified.

Managing buyer expectations is key, as popular high-sheen finishes are harder to get in a low-VOC formula, and some natural-based products may have a slightly different look.

Reuse and Recycle
For remodelers, the greenest choice would be to protect and salvage as much of the existing cabinetry as possible. Refacing is one option, although the same questions need to be asked about the new adhesives and finishes.

At the very least, consider repurposing discarded cabinetry for the garage, workroom, or other lower-profile spaces.

There aren’t many options for recycling cabinetry, since veneers and finishes make separation difficult. Before trashing unwanted pieces, explore local options for donation, such as to a Habitat Restore, or consider listing the materials on Craigslist or Freecycle.

Putting It All Together
With the many components that need exploring, it’s easy to get bogged down by the product selection process.

The KCMA’s Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP) aims to ease some of the burden by recognizing manufacturers who meet requirements in five key areas: air quality, product resource management (wood origins and content), process resource management (manufacturing processes), environmental stewardship (including documentation of environmental quality commitment), and community relations. Manufacturers must earn points in all five areas to qualify.

About 140 brands—70 percent of the U.S. cabinet market—are certified under the program, says Titus.

To meet the ultra-green needs of his buyers, Texas builder and remodeler Don Ferrier works with custom cabinet shops. Though it takes a lot of legwork and documentation, this control ensures the products going into his tightly built homes won’t negatively affect indoor air quality.

Kati Curtis, ASID, LEED AP, of Nirmada Interior Architecture and Design in New York City, also relies on the control custom shops provide. It requires hand-holding at first to help them find and become familiar with new materials, she says, but they learn quickly and costs come back down.

Customers also begin to come around: “When it goes in and there’s no smell, and they understand it, then they see the value,” says Curtis.

Expect other buyers to follow. “With new generations of buyers in the market,” says Roger Rutan, vice president of sales and marketing at Timber Products, “you’re going to see a difference in demand for cabinetry that will fundamentally change the shape and look of the marketplace.”

by Katy Tomasulo, Deputy Editor for EcoHome.

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DV Wise prefers to use engineered lumber on our new homes

When Trus Joist introduced the first engineered I-joist in 1969, it wasn’t to save the planet. It was to help save a building industry that depended on huge, old-growth trees that were quickly becoming scarce and more protected by regulators.

As home builders started using engineered structural lumber, including I-joists, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), finger-jointed lumber, glue-laminated lumber, and manufactured trusses, they embraced their strength, their extra-long lengths, and their ability to keep floors from squeaking.

“I think of engineered lumber as green,” says Baltimore remodeler Paul Lidard, “but I use it because it’s more convenient” than solid-sawn lumber. “Everyone’s in favor of it because you’re more in control [of how much is wasted]. But they’re not thinking of it as a green product.”

Perhaps they should be. In addition to the strength and consistency builders have long appreciated, engineered lumber boasts eco-friendly properties worth marketing to homeowners in this new era of environmental consciousness.

Green Beginnings

Made from small-diameter or lower-quality trees or from waste from wood-processing operations, engineered lumber is a combination of wood that is peeled, chipped, or flaked and then glued to produce a durable panel, stud, beam, or joist.

There’s no need to use whole trees, large trees, or old trees to produce engineered lumber products, so those resources can be conserved. In fact, engineered lumber is made with about half the wood fiber of solid-sawn wood. And because engineered wood is so strong, it’s not necessary for a builder to combine multiple, standard-size lengths to create a beam that stretches across a tall wall, a wide ceiling, or the floor of a huge room. Instead, the builder can order a board cut to a precise length—even if it’s very long—which means less cutting on site and less waste heading to landfills.

And, manufacturers like to point out, engineered wood, while a composite of different kinds of wood fibers, still starts as trees, which are renewable and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Some manufacturers are taking the additional step of incorporating wood from sustainably managed forests that are certified by programs such as the Forest Stewardship Council, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the Canadian Standards Association, and the American Tree Farm System. Manufacturers of engineered wood can earn certifications at different levels if they buy a substantial portion of their wood from sustainable forests and keep tabs on the chain of custody of the product.

Lingering Challenges

“I’m not sure why anyone would choose not to use [engineered lumber],” says green home builder Jon Alexander of Seattle-based Sunshine Construction. Aside from their environmental qualities, he adds, “I like their pretty darn consistent quality. When you order one of them, you know what you’re getting.”

Still, the product, which APA-The Engineered Wood Association predicts will increase significantly in production and use over the next five years, costs more than solid-sawn lumber in most markets, leaving some builders ambivalent about pitching it to potential buyers.

“I would prefer to use all engineered wood if I could, but that’s not the case,” says Lance Hobson, owner of Legend Builders in Paco, Wash., which builds 24 homes a year—mostly on spec—and uses engineered I-joists in all of them.

For custom homes, however, he offers the buyer the option of paying the 6 percent to 8 percent more he estimates a home would cost if he used engineered wood exclusively, and he has only had two takers, who were focused on building green homes.

Engineered wood is a hard sell, he says, because “without going into the negatives [of solid-sawn wood], there’s no way to tell the positives. If I told them that [traditional] wood would warp, crack, and split, I’d be casting a doubt over the workmanship of the homes I built with wood.”

At Winchester Homes in New Market, Md., sales staff tell potential buyers about the benefits of engineered wood, but the builders decide where to use it. “If they want a big, open space, engineered wood is what we’re going to go with,” says Randy Melvin, the builder’s director of research, standards and design assurance. “If they want a less-squeaky floor and the flatness of the floor is important, we use engineered wood.”

Tim Mosely, brand manager for Canfor, notes that most buyers don’t know what kind of wood builders use in their homes. “The benefit is really more to the builder than the actual home buyer,” he says.

Mosely notes that the green benefits are growing as manufacturers develop sophisticated software that helps builders order and cut precise lengths. Software from Boise Cascade, iLevel by Weyerhaeuser, and others allow builders to accurately specify the amount and types of materials needed, so builders buy less, avoid overbuilding, and waste less.

“Wood is a green building product, engineered wood is extremely green, and Boise’s design process makes the whole thing even greener,” says Boise spokesman Dale Robley, who notes that the industry is gravitating toward electronic designs that limit the need for paper for drawing them or gas for delivering them.

“You go to a typical jobsite and you see these piles of waste every night,” Robley says. “There’s absolutely no excuse for that anymore.” — BUILDING PRODUCTS

Most structural engineered wood is glued together with binders that contain phenol formaldehyde, a product with minimal off-gassing.

The binders used for some non-structural, interior-grade products, like particleboard, MDF, and hardwood plywood, however, can contain urea formaldehyde, a volatile compound that is classified as a carcinogen. Urea formaldehyde is also linked to respiratory problems, eye and nose irritation, and allergic reactions. The telltale sign of its presence: the sweet smell that most new kitchen and bathroom cabinets emit.

New regulations in California will restrict urea formaldehyde emissions, but do not deal with phenol formaldehyde. In response, manufacturers are developing formaldehyde-free binders, using products like polyurethane and even soy. Last summer, the California Air Resources Board adopted new caps on the amount of urea formaldehyde used to bind wood products used indoors, to take effect in 2009.

By:Sharon O’Malley

http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/green-building/engineered-green-lumber-green-selling-point.aspx

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Green home building and third-party certification have made significant gains in the residential construction industry over the last few years. In some locations, the green segment of the market has thrived while housing sales in general have slumped.

However, achieving green does not come without added costs. Regardless of the green-building rating system used, there are three categories of costs that come with building green: construction costs, verification costs and certification fees. These additional costs may deter builders from considering building a green-certified home. But there are ways to significantly reduce or eliminate additional construction costs — and even reduce typical construction and operational costs — by examining some key areas of the construction process, eliminating any potential labor and materials waste and increasing efficiency on site.

Through the NAHB Research Center’s National Green Building Certification Program, we’ve had an opportunity to hear from a number of builders and industry consultants about how they have gone green and saved money in the process. Here are some baseline considerations.

Know where you stand
How do the homes you build now stack up against the green rating system you plan to follow for certification? You may be closer than you think to achieving an entry-level green certification in your preferred program.

For certification using the NAHB National Green Building Standard, make the free online Green Scoring Tool your first stop. The tool will score your home against the four potential levels of certification (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Emerald) based on the practices you currently use, and will identify additional practices that will improve your project’s environmental performance. Many builders have found themselves within five or 10 points of Bronze, which could be achieved with a very low- or no-cost change in one or two products they were using.

Frame the issue

advertisement If you are currently using stick-built construction to frame your homes, you may want to consider using panels or trusses. These techniques are labor- and resource-efficient, resulting in less on-site waste and potentially lower labor and material costs. As a bonus, fabricated systems often create greater thermal efficiency over stick frames. Wall panelization also results in more precision in the construction process, which can make it easier to implement and control other construction changes, such as a transition from 2×4 to 2×6 construction. Many green rating systems, including the National Green Building Standard, also award points for use of panels and trusses, providing a win-win for your budget and green-certified projects.

If you choose to frame on site, there are several optimum value engineering techniques that can save on material and labor costs, while generating green points at the same time. Look into options such as:

•Ladder blocking — Uses less wood; makes more room for insulation; gets green points
•Two-stud corners — At least one less stud at each corner; allows for more fully insulated corner; gets green points
•Switch from 2×4 @ 16 inches on center to 2×6 @ 24 o.c. — May result in small cost increase initially, but gets a lot of green bang for your buck
Another simple method for cutting costs is to develop a cut list — a set of cutting instructions and guidelines for your field crew that ensures the material you purchased for a particular application is used for the intended purpose. For example, a job might require two 8-foot-long, 2×10-inch headers and the purchasing manager was able to save some money by ordering one 16-foot-long, 2×10-inch piece of lumber that could be cut in half and used without any waste. Without a cut list, the field crew will likely pick up the first 2×10 material they see — maybe two 12-foot-long 2×10s — and cut it to fit the immediate need, which, in this case, would result in 4 feet cut off each piece and thrown away as waste.

Don’t let your ducts run amok
Optimizing duct runs and centrally locating the mechanical room can result in material cost savings and increased energy efficiency. Be sure not to have more ducts or longer duct runs than are needed in any part of the house. In addition, make sure that your HVAC contractor is using Manual J or D calculations to design the most efficient placement of ducts.

Using a central return also reduces material costs and, in combination with transfer grilles in spaces like bedrooms where doors may be frequently closed, is a simple system that can provide adequate circulation and cost savings to both you and your buyer.

Placing all HVAC equipment, including ducts, in conditioned space within the home is also a smart move. In addition to creating significant energy savings and earning green points, this practice may also allow you to spec smaller, less-expensive HVAC equipment and limit or eliminate the need for additional insulation for the duct system.

Bigger is not always better
If you are already building energy-efficient homes or plan to increase the energy efficiency of your plans as you embark on green construction, don’t be surprised if the HVAC equipment you are currently using is larger and more costly than you need. A tighter, more efficient building envelope significantly reduces the HVAC burden for the home, as less conditioned air is leaking out and less unwanted unconditioned air from outside is leaking in.

Water pipes everywhere
When designing the plumbing system, look for efficiencies in both labor and material. Consider employing a stacked approach, where rooms that require plumbing runs are aligned so that less piping is required. In addition, consider PEX piping over more traditional materials. While PEX comes with a slight first-cost premium, it does not require pipe cuts or joints, reducing material and labor costs. Finally, consider centrally locating your water heater to reduce the length of piping runs.

Quality assurance is key
In many respects, a green certification program can also help boost the overall quality of the homes you build, and the residual customer satisfaction. Regardless of the material or design, having an explicit underlying quality assurance plan in place is always going to be a cost-saver. Quality assurance takes a holistic look at practices throughout your business and helps you determine where there are inefficiencies and how you can remedy them.

Consider the cost of a callback. How much does it really cost your company to call a tradesperson back to a jobsite to repair or replace something? Couldn’t you or your superintendent be doing something that would generate revenue, rather than attending to callbacks? And what about getting a red tag from a building inspector? Doesn’t that waste valuable time and money for your company? Wouldn’t it save you precious resources to eliminate callbacks and red tags altogether by making sure things are done right the first time, every time?

While there are numerous ways to increase the quality assurance quotient on your jobsites, one prime area to focus on is the scheduling of trades and creating job-ready conditions for each crew that comes to the site. If the work of each trade crew is not done correctly and in the right order, it results in numerous dry runs and re-dos — all of which correlate to real costs. Sit down with your trade crew supervisors to determine what needs to be done, and with what precision/tolerance, before their crew can completely do its job. Then be sure to write what constitutes a complete job, ready to turn over to the next crew, in the scope of work you create for each trade group. These simple steps can shave days off the production schedule.

Factors that have helped boost confidence include:

- Continued low interest rates
- Attractive home prices that appear to have stabilized in many markets
- The availability of the home buyer tax credit
- the improving employment market

Several limiting factors are still weighing down builder expectations, including the large number of foreclosed homes on the market, the lack of available credit for new and existing projects, and inappropriately low appraisals tied to the use of distressed properties as comps.

Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for more than 20 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months, as well as asking builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers. Regionally, February’s HMI results were mixed. While the Midwest and South each registered two-point gains, to 13 and 19, respectively, the Northeast and West each registered one-point declines, to 19 and 14, respectively.

Matt Phair, HousingZone Contributing Editor
February 17, 2010
HousingZone

1. Traditional is the New Contemporary
Traditional will continue as the most popular kitchen design style in 2010, with contemporary following closely behind, while the Shaker style is seeing a surprisingly strong resurgence. Shades of whites and off-whites will be the most common kitchen colors in 2010, while brown, beige, and bone hues will also be popular.

2. Cherry on Top
Cherry will remain the most popular wood for kitchen cabinetry, followed closely by maple, while alder increases in use. As for the finishes placed on those cabinets, medium natural, dark natural, glazed, and white painted will all be common. Other colors of painted cabinetry and light natural finishes are in decline, however, as are distressed finishes.

3. Floored by Tile
Ceramic and porcelain tile, as well as natural stone tile, remain popular kitchen flooring options, but hardwood will dominate the kitchen landscape more than ever in 2010. For countertops, granite continues to be the most popular option, but quartz will nearly catch up in popularity. For backsplashes, ceramic or porcelain tile and glass will serve as the primary materials.

4. Flexible Faucets
Standard kitchen faucets will become less standard in 2010 in favor of more convenient models. Pull-out faucets continue to increase their market dominance, while pot filler faucets will also become more prevalent. Kitchen faucets will most often be finished in brushed nickel, followed by stainless steel, satin nickel, and — surprisingly — polished chrome.

5. Undercounter Refrigeration
French door and freezer-bottom are the two most popular styles of refrigerators, and side-by-side refrigerators remain a popular option. A surprising trend is the extent to which undercounter refrigerator drawers are being used in the latest kitchen designs. Perhaps even more surprising is that undercounter wine refrigerators have been recently specified by half of kitchen designers.

6. A Range of Cooking Options
The tried-and-true range continues to serve as the workhorse for cooking, although the combination of a cooktop and wall oven is beginning to overtake it. Gas will maintain its position as the most popular type of cooktop over electric, although induction cooking continues to gain in popularity due to its energy efficiency. 

Energy- and water-efficient appliances are here to stay.

7. Dishwasher-in-a-Drawer
Standard dishwashers, with the traditional door that pulls from the top down, will once again be easily the most common type in 2010. However, an increasing number of dishwasher drawers will be installed in kitchens this year for their convenience and their ability to wash small loads of dishes in each drawer, thereby saving water and electricity.

BATHROOMS
1. In With the Old, Out with the New
Traditional will be the most popular design style in bathrooms in 2010, as contemporary designs will be a distant second, followed by the Shaker style as an even more distant third. Beiges and bones will be the most common colors used in bathrooms, followed by whites and off-whites, and then by browns, indicating a somewhat subdued color palette this year.

2. Ceramic and Granite
Ceramic and porcelain tile will be the dominant flooring materials in bathrooms this year, while natural stone will continue to prove popular as well. Though increasingly popular in kitchens,hardwood flooring won’t become common in bathrooms in 2010. For vanity tops, granite will remain king, with quartz and marble also proving popular options.

Ceramic, granite, and porcelain tile presents a wide range of texture, color, and contrast. 
 

3. Simple Fixtures
Perhaps more than ever, the most common color for fixtures will be white. Bisque and off-white will be the only other fixture colors at all common in new or remodeled bathroom. For sinks, simple undermount models will be most popular, followed by integrated sink tops, drop-in sinks, vessel sinks, and pedestal sinks.

4. A Nickel for Every Finish
Faucet finishes in the bathroom are similar to those used in current kitchen designs, with brushed nickel continuing to lead the way in 2010. Polished chrome and satin nickel will also be incorporated into many bathrooms, just as they had been throughout 2009. These faucet finishes will be followed by bronze and stainless steel.

 The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is a non-profit trade association with nearly 40,000 members that has educated and led the kitchen and bath industry for more than 45 years. NKBA.org provides consumers with an inspiration gallery of award-winning kitchen and bath designs, as well as articles, tips, an extensive glossary of remodeling terms, and illustrations and explanations of planning guidelines. At NKBA.org, consumers can also find certified kitchen and bath professionals in their areas, submit questions to NKBA experts, and order the free NKBA Kitchen & Bath Workbook.

NKBA News Release

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Average single family home sizes declined from 2,520 square feet in 2008 to 2,480 square feet in 2009, breaking nearly 30 years of uninterrupted growth. And the correction is likely to continue well into 2010, NAHB Assistant Vice President of Survey Research Rose Quint announced in a Wednesday press conference at the International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas.

Will home sizes will beef back up as soon as the economy rebounds? Quint doesn’t think so. “First of all, you have the impact of first-time buyers, who will remain a very big share of housing market for the foreseeable future,” she predicted. “Second, the era of easy money where you go out and buy $800,000 worth of home is over. Today you have to put 20% down. And now that piggyback loans are not available, you are only going to buy what you need.” Those factors, combined with rising interest in energy efficiency, suggest that home sizes, which peaked two years ago, will now continue to level off, she said.

As houses shrink overall, so are their room counts. Last year the number of homes with three or more bathrooms declined for first time since 1992 from about 28% to 24%, according to NAHB figures. Bedroom counts are also dropping. The number of homes with 4 or more bedrooms fell from nearly 40% to about 32%.

The share of homes with two or more stories peaked in 2006 and is now also trending backwards.

When asked about their plans for 2010, an overwhelming majority of builders told NAHB that they will build lower priced models (95%) and smaller homes (96%) with a particular focus on energy savings and performance. Features such as insulated front doors, low-E windows, programmable thermostats, high-performance appliances and energy-efficient lighting were among the features builders said they are most likely to put in new homes.

Meanwhile, luxuries such as two-story foyers and master baths with multiple shower heads were among the goodies builders said they were least likely to include in new houses moving forward.

Cavernous foyers (now perceived as energy hogs) have fallen out of favor, but there is still a place for high ceilings. “Many builders will still try to save on costs and square footage by combining the great room and kitchen,” Quint said. “As they cut down on square footage, they make up for that loss by raising the ceiling height on the first floor to create a feeling of space.” Eight-foot ceilings on the first floor were on survey respondents “least likely to include” list, while great rooms and 9-foot ceilings on the main level topped the “most likely” list.

The results of a consumer survey of Better Homes and Gardens (BHG) readers, also announced during the press conference, suggests that home buyers are aligned with builders in their thinking. Features consumers said they most wanted in a new home included efficient HVAC systems (76%), Energy Star appliances (79%), efficient design (66%) and natural light (65%).

Some 67% of consumers said they wanted a kitchen with an everyday eating area, and 62% said they wanted a comfortable family gathering space. “There’s been a circling of the wagons for a lot of people, and they are focusing more on family together time,” said Eliot Nusbaum, the magazine’s executive editor of home design.

In that same survey, 65% of home buyers said they wanted an extra bedroom and bath, a desire which Nusbaum attributed to growing numbers of  adult children moving back home or elderly parents living under the same roof.

One thing today’s consumers are less interested in, according to BHG data, is master bedroom suites resembling hotel rooms. “There is much more of a saving and splurging mentality now,” Nusbaum said. “People want plush but not opulent. They would rather spend money in other places like the kitchen or bath, and they are willing to trade off on some things to get other things they want. Maybe having the high-end tile or stone means they spend less on wall treatments or counters. If they still want granite and stainless steel in the kitchen, something else has to give, whether it’s flooring or cabinets.”    by Jenny Sullivan

Jenny Sullivan is a senior editor covering architecture, design and community planning for BUILDER.

Enterprise hopes this commitment of funds will accelerate change in the affordable housing industry and create significant positive impact in the lives of low-income individuals and families across the country. The group issued a national call to action to green all affordable housing within a decade.

The study, Incremental Cost, Measurable Savings: Enterprise Green Communities Criteria, shows the cost effectiveness of meeting a comprehensive green building framework for affordable housing. Enterprise estimates lifetime savings exceeding the initial investment made to incorporate the Criteria into affordable housing. Green affordable homes offer significant health, economic and environmental benefits to residents by addressing energy efficiency, water conservation, use of healthy materials, high-quality indoor air and location of affordable housing. Integrating the required green measures from the Criteria also can produce substantial increases in the quality of life of residents living in the housing.

Activities related to the next generation of Enterprise Green Communities are underway. Enterprise says its efforts will result directly in the creation, preservation or retrofit of 75,000 green homes and community and commercial buildings within the next five years. The group will lend in key markets to existing multifamily building owners for energy and water reduction capital purchases and healthy living environment improvements.

In May, Enterprise committed its $95 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation to target green deals, which bolster funding for commercial and mixed-use developments with a demonstrable community impact. Enterprise also is purchasing carbon offsets from green affordable housing developers by raising charitable contributions through its Green Communities Offset Fund.

www.oikos.com

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This facility will contain a set of test beds for building systems integration designed to address key technical challenges for net-zero energy buildings. The Department of Energy solicited research applications from eligible national laboratories nationwide, which then underwent a thorough technical review process.

Buildings account for more than 40 percent of carbon emissions in the United States. Net-zero energy buildings (N-ZEB) generate as much energy as they use on an annual basis through highly aggressive energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy generation, making them a key pathway to address and reduce these climate-altering emissions. The new laboratory facilities will help researchers develop, test and validate the technologies, systems and design approaches that will allow N-ZEB to be built and operated at an affordable cost.

 ”This facility will serve a national audience-and need-in an aggressive pursuit of DOE’s energy efficiency goals for widespread implementation of affordable net-zero energy buildings by 2030, ” says Stephen Selkowitz, head of the Building Technologies Department of Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division.

Berkeley Lab researchers will work with a broad base of users in the building design and construction communities, as well as manufacturers, building owners and operators and the academic community.

In proposing for the N-ZEB award, Berkeley Lab teamed with numerous organizations, including 21 industry partners, three utilities, eight universities, a non-profit and three public agencies, all of whom indicated their support and interest in using the facility. Major partners include the University of California, Berkeley, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, HOK, Flack + Kurtz, Philips Research, Johnson Controls, Lutron, Siemens, the California Energy Commission and the U.S. General Services Administration.

Several Testbeds Planned

The new N-ZEB facility will consist of a series of unique energy-efficient building systems testbeds to be located in new and existing buildings on the Lab. Researchers will be able to change out prototype building systems such as windows, lights, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), energy control systems, roofs and skylights. The basic idea is to conduct initial measurements of energy use and environmental conditions to understand how the systems perform, and then to redesign and optimize their capabilities and performance.

The building systems integration testbed will consist of several large side-by-side research areas. Each area can employ a range of diverse and changeable HVAC systems, lighting, on-site power and process-load solutions, as well as the building’s “envelope” of windows, walls, floors and related fixtures, for real time performance comparisons under dynamic climate conditions.

Other separate testbeds will be constructed for specific buildings subsystems such as lighting systems and controls, and window and façade systems. One testbed will be devoted to the topic of advanced sensor networks and building energy controls, and the communications protocols that link optimized building performance to smart grid initiatives. Final details of the new facilities will be worked out with Department of Energy staff to meet cost targets and schedule deadlines.

Hardware and Software R&D To Be Conducted

The N-ZEB User Facility will be used by scientists to combine a new generation of innovative building materials with components to create high-performance HVAC, controls, lighting, windows and building envelope sub-systems and systems, as well as on-site power systems.

The research teams then will work to integrate these separate building systems into N-ZEB optimized whole-building solutions with the goal of achieving very aggressive energy, demand, carbon and operating cost savings, as well as improved occupant comfort and health. Measured results from physical testing will be enhanced and extended with the use of powerful building simulation tools.

 ”The User Facility will help building industry component and system suppliers to create cost-effective, integrated building systems that deliver the performance required by net-zero energy buildings,” says Mary Ann Piette, deputy head of the Building Technologies Department. “For the owner-designer-specifier community, it will demonstrate and verify that these systems deliver the required energy performance.”

www.oikos.com

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Released at the 2010 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas last month, the Commentary provides valuable insight to the intention and implementation of the practices and provisions found in the standard.  Developed with the input of members of the ICC 700-2008 Consensus Committee who developed the standard, the Commentary is a useful resource for any designer or builder using the ICC 700-2008 as a rating system for developing or renovating residential properties of all types, to reduce their relative environmental impact.

The National Green Building Standard is a scoring tool and certification protocol that assures projects have met stringent benchmarks in energy, water and resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality and lot and site design. It is the first such system to be approved by the American National Standards Institute. The standard covers single-family homes, apartments and condos, residential land development and home remodeling projects, and is administered by the NAHB Research Center, which also accredits local verifiers around the country.

“This new resource allows readers to better navigate the National Green Building Standard,” said Bob Jones, NAHB Chairman and a home builder from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. “Each chapter breaks down the different components contained in the standard, allowing builders and remodelers to learn the best way to build green in their own communities.”

www.nahb.org

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Throughout the country, green home building has become more common and more mainstream in recent years. The number of home builders using green building technologies and techniques has been steadily increasing as they see its market advantages. While building green isn’t for everyone, the need to make sure that green building programs remain voluntary, market driven, and based on sound technical information is a key issue for NAHB. In fact, NAHB Green is the result of years of builders’ and local associations’ efforts throughout the NAHB federation. These efforts have led to the construction of thousands of green homes all over the country, as well as the development of dozens of local green building programs coordinated by or associated with state and local home builder associations.

Local programs are a home builder’s primary source for information, education, and networking on all topics-and green building techniques are no different. Green home building, however, also has led to the development of additional needs, like establishing a locally credible green rating criteria and certifying homes to those criteria. Working these services into a local program, and bringing in education and networking activities can be tremendous opportunities for an association to expand its scope and revenue.

This tool kit is designed for state and local associations seeking resources for their members; associations that are interested in starting local programs; and existing programs that want to take advantage of national resources. In all cases, there are instructions here about affiliating with NAHB Green, as well as descriptions of various resources that will help as you get a local program underway.

Read More: http://www.nchba.org/images/stories/councils/hba_green_toolkit_aug08.pdf

Source: www.nchba.org

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